by Aimee Keenan-Greene

A new study in the Journal Pediatrics says new dads with depression are close to four times more likely to have spanked their 1 year old children in the previous month.

Researchers followed 1,746 fathers and their babies born in 75 hospitals in 20 large cities across the U.S. between 1998 and 2000 and found 7 percent of  fathers experienced at least one episode of major depression within the first year of parenthood.

Depressed dads were less than half as likely to read stories to their children, which could affect their developing language skills.

“This study, I think, is very important because it documents what happens in families when fathers are depressed. We have very little evidence about that,” James F. Paulson, PhD, professor of pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk told WebMD . 

Depressed fathers were more likely to report substance abuse and be unemployed. 

Seventy-seven percent of depressed fathers reported talking to their children's doctor in the previous year.  

Scientists say pediatric providers should consider screening  fathers for depression at well visits, discussing specific parenting behaviors, like reading to children and appropriate discipline, and referring for treatment if appropriate.