First, fathers» interactive play during toddlerhood has been longitudinally associated with attachment security in later childhood and adolescence.17 Second, fathers» speech and language interactions with infants have been positively associated with language development, and paternal depression has been
shown to adversely impact this process.18, — , 20 Third, discipline
practices, such as corporal punishment, have been longitudinally associated with increased child aggressive behavior.21 In addition, paternal depressive symptoms have been longitudinally associated with harsh paternal discipline
practices in older children and subsequent child and adolescent maladjustment.11 Finally, as an indicator of fathers» interactions with
pediatric providers, we also examined the proportion of depressed fathers that reported talking with their children's doctor within the previous year.
The Parental Well - being Project of Dartmouth Medical School, which included 6 community
pediatric practices in New Hampshire and Vermont,
showed that pediatricians, using a simple 2 - question screen, could effectively screen for perinatal depression.