The age of the father affects the mental health of the son

A study published in JAMA Psychiatry claims that children born to parents older than 45 years are at increased risk of future psychological disorders.

The relationship between parental age and psychological disorders

The study confirms research carried out in the past, which stated that there was a relationship between certain disorders such as autism and children born to parents of advanced age.

According to the data published in this research, the children of parents who have had their children people over 45 years of age have a higher risk (up to 34 percent) of developing disorders mental as bipolarity either schizophrenia.

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

The study was conducted between Indiana and Sweden

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

The study compared the data provided by children born to parents older than 45 years and the data provided by descendants of parents between 24 and 29 years of age.

Results

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

The results of the sample of Swedish subjects seem to indicate that There are numerous psychiatric problems and learning difficulties that descendants of parents of advanced age may suffer., including: Attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity (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 possibility of suffering from autism if the parents are over 45 years of age. when children are born, children are 2.5 times more likely to develop suicidal behavior or 13 times more likely to suffer ADHD.

The causes

Past investigations already affirmed that the aging uterus of a woman over 40 is a risk factor for her children, but this study seems to indicate that the spermatozoa of the father older than 45 years can also have negative consequences for the subsequent development of the child, that is, the low semen quality of elderly parents can affect their children.

As the researchers say, men pass on a higher percentage of mutations to their children spontaneous (not hereditary) that cause psychological problems and learning disorders futures. As a man gets older, he is exposed to more environmental toxins that can lead to DNA changes in his sperm.

Spaniards are increasingly delaying the age to have children

The social conditions experienced by the population in Spain and the difficulties in leaving home and become independent before the age of 30, favors that the reproductive age of Spaniards has changed in the recent years, and there are many parents who have their first child after 30.

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

Bibliographic references:

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