Old fathers: More psychological problems in the offspring

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MunichThe trend is towards starting a family later and later, especially among academics. It has long been known that the age of the mother favors health problems in the children. Now researchers have found: The offspring of older dads suffer more often from mental disorders.

The study included data from all children born in Sweden between 1973 and 2001 - a total of more than two and a half million. Brian D’Onofrio and colleagues from Indiana University in Bloomington examined whether mental illnesses such as autism, the attention disorder ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or addictions were more common in children of older fathers. In addition, they also took into account the training status and professional career of the youngsters.

Risk of ADHD greatly increased

The scientists themselves were shocked by the result of the calculations - because there was a much stronger connection than previously assumed. Compared to children whose fathers were 25 years old at birth, offspring 45-year-old fathers were 24 times more likely to develop bipolar disorder. In ADHD, the risk was 12 times higher. Children with older fathers were also more likely to develop autism or have addiction problems, but to a lesser extent. They also had difficulties in training and work more often.

The increased likelihood of mental disorders was also preserved when the scientists compared siblings who were born further apart. Differences in lifestyle, income and educational status are unlikely here.

The mental disorders and illnesses of the children increased continuously with the age of the fathers. The researchers therefore suspect that the negative effects are caused by the ongoing sperm production in men. This is because the sperm precursor cells divide for a lifetime - and changes in the genetic material can occur every time. The risk of this increases with age and harmful environmental influences. (away)

Source: D’Onofrio B. et al .: Paternal Age at Childbearing and Offspring Psychiatric and Academic Morbidity, JAMA Psychiatry, 2014

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