The meaning of mental health of the father according to during the mother's pregnancy comes to highlight new research from the University of Cambridge, which studied the effect of the mental state of both parents on the child, especially in the first two years of its life. The father's stress affects the child
A stressed father during pregnancy is likely to affect the emotional and behavioral state of children, concludes the research published in the scientific journal "Development & Psychopathology".
The father's stress affects the child
In particular, it shows that children whose fathers were stressed show more stubbornness and nervousness compared to those whose fathers felt well-being during the mother's pregnancy.
That is why the head of the research team, Professor Claire Hughes, emphasizes the importance of not neglecting the child's relationship with the father, as well as early problems in the child's relationship with both parents can have long-term effects.
Emotional problems
It also found that two-year-olds were more likely to express emotional problems – being unhappy, worried, crying, easily frightened or clinging to situations – if their parents had relationship problems in the first period after birth their. Problems in the parents' relationship that bring out these emotional responses in the children range from a simple lack of happiness in the couple to fights and other types of conflict.
The study's authors argue that although there are genetic factors that partially explain how prenatal paternal behavior affects the child, they cannot be relied upon to find absolute explanations.
The conclusions of the research
They hypothesize that perhaps the stress of a mother living with an unhappy or stressed-out partner is transferred in utero to the fetus, even if the mothers themselves are neither unhappy nor stressed.
In the study, the researchers assessed the psychological state of 438 couples of future parents through questionnaires and interviews. Specifically, participants reported symptoms of anxiety or depression during the third trimester of pregnancy. These analyzes were repeated at four, 14 and 24 months after birth. These included analyzes of the quality of the couple's relationship and of the child's emotions and behaviors.
Source: The Telegraph
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