Depressed? You Increase Behavioral & Emotional Problems in Your Kids
From the archive. This post was first published on the original Green Eggs and Moms blog and is kept here as it was.
A recently published study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) worked with almost 22,000 children from dual-parent homes.
They found that kids who lived with a father suffering from depression were more likely to develop behavioral or emotional problems.
For anyone keeping a scoreboard, depressed mothers increase the risk of children developing problems by 19%, while fathers by 11%.
Of course, mothers are usually the ones who interact with kids at home, hence the higher percentage. This is definitely not a case of the higher, the better.
Not surprisingly, for children who live with both parents suffering from depression, their risk factor increased to 25%.
What problems are caused by living with depressed parents?
According to Denise Mann of WebMD.com, the following may be seen in children with depressed parents:
- Toddlers may have trouble regulating emotions and be prone to explosive behavior.
- School aged kids may be diagnosed with depression, anxiety or ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
Why does this happen?
Child rearing takes time, effort and a lot of patience. However, if one or both parents suffers from depression, they are more likely to respond to their children in a less supportive and constructive manner.
They may be less engaged as a parent, and even lash out when children disobey. Therefore, these parents tend to neglect an essential aspect of parenting: to be nurturing.
It’s pretty clear that parents need to take care of their emotional health.
Happy and healthy children come from happy and healthy homes.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from depression, please seek professional help. It would be best to do so, for your sake and the sake of your children.
Sources:HealthyChildren.Org, Children of Depressed Dads Are More Likely to Have Emotional or Behavioral Problems
WebMD.com, Dad’s Depression May Raise Kids’ Risk of Emotional Problems
Photo:
Creative Commons from Sander van der Wel