Le Bas Genevieve, Aarsman Stephanie R, Rogers Alana, Macdonald Jacqui A, Misuraca Gessica, Khor Sarah, Spry Elizabeth A, Rossen Larissa, Weller Emmelyn, Mansour Kayla, Youssef George, Olsson Craig A, Teague Samantha J, Hutchinson Delyse
SEED Lifespan Strategic Research Centre, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia.
Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
JAMA Pediatr. 2025 Jun 16. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.0880.
This systematic review and meta-analysis comprehensively synthesizes the extant literature on the association of paternal perinatal mental distress (ie, depression, anxiety, and stress) with offspring development from birth to adolescence.
To provide a meta-analytic synthesis of the literature on the association between paternal perinatal depression, anxiety, and stress and offspring development during the first 18 years of life.
We searched MEDLINE Complete, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete, and the gray literature for studies published up to November 2024.
Inclusion criteria included availability in English, a human sample, quantitative data, longitudinal design, and having a measure of paternal perinatal mental distress and offspring development.
Of the 9572 studies identified, 48 cohorts (from 84 studies) with 674 effect sizes met criteria for quantitative synthesis (including 286 unpublished associations sourced from doctoral theses or through contact with authors of eligible studies). Univariate random-effects models were used to quantitatively synthesize the associations between paternal perinatal mental distress and offspring development. Study quality was assessed using the US National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool for observational, cohort, and cross-sectional studies. Data analysis was completed in January 2025.
The primary outcomes were global, social-emotional, adaptive, cognitive, language, physical, and motor development in offspring in the first 18 years of life.
Paternal perinatal mental distress was associated with poorer global (r = -0.12; 95% CI, -0.22 to -0.01), social-emotional (r = 0.09; 95% CI, 0.07-0.11), cognitive (r = -0.07; 95% CI, -0.13 to -0.01), language (r = -0.15; 95% CI, -0.25 to -0.05), and physical development (r = 0.04; 95% CI, 0.00-0.08) in offspring. No evidence was found for adaptive and motor outcomes. Associations were generally stronger for postnatal than antenatal mental distress, suggesting that a father's mental state may exert a more direct influence on the developing child after birth.
Evidence from this systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that paternal mental distress is a potentially modifiable predictor of child development. Reducing mental distress in fathers perinatally is thus an important target for preventative interventions aiming to support fathers during the transition to parenthood and promote the health and well-being of next-generation offspring.
本系统评价和荟萃分析全面综合了关于父亲围产期精神困扰（即抑郁、焦虑和压力）与子代从出生到青春期发育之间关联的现有文献。
对关于父亲围产期抑郁、焦虑和压力与子代出生后头18年发育之间关联的文献进行荟萃分析综合。
我们检索了MEDLINE Complete、Embase、PsycINFO、CINAHL Complete以及灰色文献，以查找截至2024年11月发表的研究。
纳入标准包括英文文献、人类样本、定量数据、纵向设计，以及有父亲围产期精神困扰和子代发育的测量指标。
在识别出的9572项研究中，48个队列（来自84项研究）的674个效应量符合定量综合标准（包括从博士论文或通过联系符合条件研究的作者获取的286个未发表的关联）。使用单变量随机效应模型定量综合父亲围产期精神困扰与子代发育之间的关联。使用美国国立卫生研究院观察性、队列和横断面研究质量评估工具评估研究质量。数据分析于2025年1月完成。
主要结局是子代出生后头18年的整体、社会情感、适应性、认知、语言、身体和运动发育。
父亲围产期精神困扰与子代较差的整体发育（r = -0.12；95% CI，-0.22至-0.01）、社会情感发育（r = 0.09；95% CI，0.07 - 0.11）、认知发育（r = -0.07；95% CI，-0.13至-0.01）、语言发育（r = -0.15；95% CI，-0.25至-0.05）和身体发育（r = 0.04；95% CI，0.00 - 0.08）相关。未发现适应性和运动结局的相关证据。产后精神困扰的关联通常比产前更强，这表明父亲的精神状态在孩子出生后可能对其发育产生更直接的影响。
本系统评价和荟萃分析的证据表明，父亲的精神困扰是儿童发育的一个潜在可改变的预测因素。因此，减少父亲围产期的精神困扰是预防性干预的一个重要目标，旨在在向为人父母的过渡期间支持父亲，并促进下一代后代的健康和幸福。
