3. further research is needed to identify the precise mechanisms by which indirect and direct risk transmission occurs so as to enable the development of preventative strategies and interventions to reduce risks for young children

2. we found different patterns of association at the two assessment times (42 and 91 months), suggesting that the timing of paternal anxiety exposure may play an important role in shaping risk for later child outcomes and that different mechanisms may operate at different developmental stages

📌 Key takeaways:

1. paternal perinatal anxiety confers a risk for children’s subsequent mental health, even after accounting for maternal mental health, child temperament, and key sociodemographic factors, so it should not be overlooked in research and clinical practice

In this study, we used data from the #ALSPAC cohort to examine the role of different timings of paternal perinatal anxiety in relation to children’s mental health

including a large-scale meta-analysis (here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ja... - also the first study of my PhD!) showing significant, positive associations between paternal anxiety and offspring emotional and behavioural problems

The study builds on a growing body of research that supports the key importance of shedding light on the role of #fathers in their children’s development