While it is known that foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in children is caused by mothers who drink during pregnancy, new research shows simultaneous consumption by fathers can negatively affect a child’s growth and development by the age of seven.
A team of international researchers including contributors from Stellenbosch University published the finding of the study in the journal Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Researchers analysed data from five studies on the prevalence and characteristics of FASD among grade 1 pupils in the Western Cape to explore whether a father’s drinking affected children diagnosed with FASD.
There is a growing recognition, they reported, that factors beyond pregnant women’s drinking habits can affect their children’s development, with closer attention now being paid to the role of fathers, as a contributing factor to women’s drinking habits and as an independent contributing factor to the growth and development of children.
“Our findings show that children whose fathers drank alcohol were more likely to be shorter, have smaller heads and score lower on verbal IQ tests,” the research team reported.
“It was also clear from the study that the highest risk to the child's development exists when both parents use alcohol during pregnancy. It also appeared that ‘binge drinking’ by the father, but especially by both parents, has the most detrimental effect on the child’s development.
“Data analysis showed between 66% and 77% of fathers of children on the FASD spectrum drank during their partner’s pregnancy with the child. These fathers drank an average of 12 drinks per drinking day. The number of drinks fathers drank per drinking day was significantly correlated with smaller head circumference in their children. Head circumference is used as a measure of brain development.”
Our findings show that children whose fathers drank alcohol were more likely to be shorter, have smaller heads and score lower on verbal IQ tests.
— Researchers
Fathers who drank five or more drinks per day had shorter children with smaller head circumferences, who performed worse on measures in verbal intelligence tests.
“In general, it was found that the more fathers drank, the worse their children performed. However, it should also be noted that all these effects were observed in children whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy.
“When looking at both parents’ drinking patterns, the father’s alcohol use alone didn’t show a clear link to the child’s physical or brain development problems. While both parents’ drinking was considered, the main effects on a child’s development and physical features were linked to the mother’s alcohol use,” said the researchers.
“Even after accounting for alcohol use by mothers during pregnancy, the father’s drinking was still linked to lower child height, smaller head size and reduced verbal IQ. This suggests that paternal alcohol use may have its own, though limited, impact on a child’s growth and development.
“Data analyses of children where both parents consumed alcohol during pregnancy had significantly negative effects on growth, head circumference, verbal intelligence and general birth defect scores than in children where neither parent consumed alcohol.”
Researchers concluded by saying while it was unclear whether the impact of a father’s drinking on a child’s growth and development stemmed from impaired sperm quality or other epigenetic influences (changes in how genes work that don’t involve altering the DNA code itself), the father’s role in the development of FASD could not be overlooked.
• International Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Day is on September 9.
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