Dad’s Blues, Kids’ Clues: Study Links Fathers’ Mental Health to School Disobedience

A recent study, released in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, has found that children whose fathers are depressed when they start kindergarten are far more likely to have behavior problems—disobedience, bad social skills—by grade school. Researchers followed over 1,400 families and found children exposed to paternal depression at five years old were more fidgety, disobedient, and lower in self-esteem at nine years old than other children. Experts say children are highly sensitive to emotional shifts at home; when dads become withdrawn or less loving, children can feel unsafe and behave badly, especially in early school age. The study highlights the importance of mental health support for dads, as much as for moms, to avoid long-term issues for children. Early intervention and open conversation about mental health can have a lasting effect on families. Sources: Hindustan Times, ScienceDaily