Teenagers’ mental health ‘linked to depression among fathers’

Teenagers are more likely to experience mental health issues in cases where their fathers are affected by depression.

This is according to a new study from University College London, which analysed data from  6,070 families from Ireland and 7,768 from England and Wales. Parental depressive symptoms were assessed when the children were younger, with adolescent depression analysed a few years later.

It was shown that teenagers whose fathers had depressive symptoms were more likely to develop symptoms of depression themselves, with the incidence of depression increasing markedly at the beginning of adolescence.

Previous studies have established that depression in mothers can cause mental health issues for their children, but this research is the first to demonstrate a similar trend among fathers that exists independently of whether the mother has depression.

Study leader Dr Gemma Lewis of University College London's psychiatry department said: "Family-focused interventions to prevent depression often focus more on mothers, but our findings suggest we should be just as focused on fathers."

She added that this is a particularly pressing concern given that men are generally less likely to seek treatment for depression.

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