A new study from the University of Bristol’s Children of the 90s project indicates that postnatal depression in fathers is clearly linked to behavioral problems in their children. The downside is, worrying that your unhappiness is going to turn your kid into a criminal is not likely to ease your unhappiness. The upside is, the study aims to raise awareness about the need to recognize and treat paternal postnatal depression.  

The study of 14,000 families found that the children of depressed fathers are twice as likely as those without depressed fathers to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder—such as hyperactivity or antisocial behavior—by the age of eight. Although postnatal depression in mothers has previously been linked to a wider range of childhood problems, this study indicates that behavioral and social issues are specifically tied to paternal depression, underscoring the important role that fathers play in socializing their children. (The study did not address the possibility of genetic causality.) The study also found that 3.6 percent of fathers exhibit signs of depression eight weeks after the birth of their child—apparently, Gwyneth Paltrow is not the only one suffering from the baby blues. 

What do you all think of this study: another example of the craze over mental health diagnoses, or an important step toward raising awareness about a common problem? How have fathers out there coped with postnatal depression?