The impact of perinatal exposure to paternal anxiety on offspring: A prospective study using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort

Zecchinato, F; Kreppner, JM; Lawrence, PJ

Women's Health Collection

Journal article

The impact of perinatal exposure to paternal anxiety on offspring: A prospective study using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort

Abstract:: Background: paternal perinatal mental health influences subsequent child development, yet is under-investigated. This study aims to examine the impact of different timings of paternal perinatal anxiety (prenatal-only, postnatal-only, and both pre-and postnatally) on children’s subsequent emotional and behavioral difficulties.Method: we used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and tested the prospective associations between anxiety in fathers and adverse mental health outcomes in children at 3 years, 6 months and 7 years, 7 months.Results: children whose fathers were anxious in the perinatal period were at higher risk of subsequent adverse outcomes, compared to children whose fathers were not anxious perinatally. At 3 years, 6 months, the highest risk group was the one with fathers anxious prenatally-only; compared to children with non-anxious fathers, children in the prenatal-only group were significantly more likely to present mental health difficulties, measured by total problems (unadjOR = 1.82, 95%CI [1.28, 2.53]). At 7 years, 7 months, children exposed to paternal anxiety both pre- and postnatally were at higher risk of any psychiatric disorder (unadjOR = 2.35, 95%CI [1.60, 3.37]) compared to the non-anxious group.Conclusions: paternal perinatal anxiety is a risk factor for child adverse outcomes, even after accounting for maternal mental health, child temperament, and sociodemographic factors, and should not be overlooked in research and clinical practice

Publication status:: Published

Peer review status:: Peer reviewed

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APA Style

Zecchinato, F., Kreppner, J. M., & Lawrence, P. J. (2025). The impact of perinatal exposure to paternal anxiety on offspring: A prospective study using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. Development and Psychopathology, 38(1), 255–270.

MLA Style

Zecchinato, F, et al. “The Impact of Perinatal Exposure to Paternal Anxiety on Offspring: A Prospective Study Using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Cohort.” Development and Psychopathology, vol. 38, no. 1, 2025, pp. 255–70.

Chicago Style

Zecchinato, F, JM Kreppner, and PJ Lawrence. 2025. “The Impact of Perinatal Exposure to Paternal Anxiety on Offspring: A Prospective Study Using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Cohort.” Development and Psychopathology 38 (1): 255–70.
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