Discuss paternal depression. How common is it? How does it interfere with children's development?

What will be an ideal response?

Parental depression can interfere with effective parenting and seriously impair children's development. Although it is less recognized and studied, fathers, too, experience chronic depression. About 3 to 5 percent of fathers report symptoms after the birth of a child. Paternal depression is linked to dissatisfaction with marriage and family life after childbirth and to other life stressors, including job loss and divorce. Persistent paternal depression, like maternal depression, is a strong predictor of child behavior problems—especially overactivity, defiance, and aggression in boys. Paternal depression is also linked to frequent father–child conflict as children grow older. Over time, children subjected to parental negativity develop a pessimistic worldview—one in which they lack self-confidence and perceive their parents and other people as threatening. Children who constantly feel in danger are especially likely to become overly aroused in stressful situations, easily losing control in the face of cognitive and social challenges. Although children of depressed parents may inherit a tendency to develop emotional and behavior problems, quality of parenting is a major factor in their adjustment.