Paternal psychopathological risk and psychological functioning in children with eating disorders and Disruptive Behavior Disorder

Abstract

Several studies demonstrated that maternal psychopathological risk is related to child's maladjustment, but until recently research has relatively neglected fathers. Disruptive Behavior Disorder (DBD) and Eating disorders (ED) have a large prevalence during childhood but a few studies have focused on their association with paternal psychopathological risk. One-hundred and thirty-nine children and their fathers were recruited from pediatric hospitals and outpatient clinics and paired with a healthy control group (CG). Fathers were administered the SCL-90/R and the CBCL 6-18 to assess: 1) psychopathological risk of fathers of children with DBD, ED and CG; 2) significant differences between ED and DBD fathers' psychopathological profiles; and 3) associations between specific fathers' psychopathological symptoms and children's emotional-behavioral problems. Fathers of children with ED showed a higher psychopathological risk than fathers of DBD offspring. Children with DBD showed higher externalizing symptoms. Paternal hostility was associated with internalizing problems in children with DBD. Paternal hostility showed a non-significant but clinically interesting association with internalizing problems in DBD children; interpersonal sensitivity was associated with internalizing problems in ED children. This study can constitute a contribution to a better understanding of the clinical characteristics of fathers of children with DBD and ED.

Keywords: Developmental psychopathology; Emotional-behavioral difficulties; Hostility; Interpersonal sensitivity; Paternal psychiatric symptoms; Paternal somatization; Risk factors.