Father’s age may influence child’s mental health

A study reveals that children of fathers older than 45 may have poorer mental health.

A study published in JAMA Psychiatry states that children born to parents older than 45 have an increased risk of psychological disorders later in life..

The relationship between parental age and psychological disorders

The study confirms research carried out in the past, which claimed that there was a link between certain disorders such as autism and children born to older parents.

According to the data published in this research, children of parents who have had their children after 45 years of age have a higher risk (up to 34 percent) of suffering from mental disorders such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

In addition, this study also confirms that, compared to the offspring of younger parents, the offspring of parents over 45 years of age suffer more academic problems: a low IQ, a low IQlow IQ, low academic qualifications or low educational level.

The study was carried out in Indiana and Sweden.

The research was carried out by Indiana University in the United States together with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The data used were extracted from Swedish hospitals, and used medical records of births occurring between 1973 and 2001. In total, 2.6 million participating subjects were counted.

The study compared data provided by children born to parents older than 45 years and data provided by offspring of parents aged 24-29 years.

Results

This study is not the first to find an association between older age of parents and mental disorders or educational problems of their children.

The results from the Swedish sample of subjects seem to indicate that numerous psychiatric problems and learning difficulties may be experienced by the offspring of elderly parentsThese include: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, suicide attempts and substance abuse problems or autism.

Among the results obtained, it can be highlighted that there is a 3.5 times greater chance of suffering from autism if the parents are over 45 years old when the children are born, 2.5 times greater chance that the children will develop suicidal behavior or 13 times greater chance of suffering from ADHD.

The causes

Past research has already affirmed that the aged uterus of a woman over 40 years old is a risk factor for her children.but this study seems to indicate that the sperm of the father over the age of 45 may also have negative consequences for the subsequent development of the child, i.e., the low quality of the sperm of the father over the age of 45 may also have negative consequences for the subsequent development of the child. low semen quality of aging fathers can affect their offspring.

As the researchers state, men transmit to their children a higher percentage of spontaneous (non-inherited) mutations that cause future psychological problems and learning disorders. As men get older, they are exposed to more environmental toxins that can lead to DNA changes in their sperm.

Spaniards are increasingly delaying the age at which they want to have children.

The social conditions experienced by the population in Spain and the difficulties to leave home and become independent before the age of 30, has led to a change in the age of reproduction among Spaniards in recent years, with many parents having their first child after 30 years of age. many parents have their first child after the age of 30.. 

Therefore, despite the fact that the delay in the age of procreation is seen as normal, health professionals have raised the alarm on numerous occasions and point out that procreation at late ages has negative consequences for the child.

Bibliographic references:

• JAMA Psychiatry. 2014 Mar;71(3):301-9. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.4081.