Children of older parents have less behavioural problems

Children with older parents show less externalising behaviour problems like aggression.

A study by Marielle Zondervan-Zwijnenburg (Utrecht University) and colleagues that garnered a lot of media attention revealed that children born to older parents show less problematic externalising behaviour, such as aggression, than children from younger parents. The parents’ age does not affect children’s internalising behaviour like anxiety or depression. Having children at an older age is becoming increasingly common, and these results suggest that older parents do not need to worry about the age at which they have children with regards to externalising behaviour. Although there are indications that fathers’ age is related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia, this study concludes that there is no relation between parents’ age and common behaviour problems of children amongst the general population. This study analysed problem behaviours of children between 10 and 13 years old as reported by parents, teachers, and children themselves. The families in the study were part of four big Dutch studies on the behaviours of children, fathers, and mothers of various ages, including the RADAR study.

Zondervan-Zwijnenburg, M.A.J., Veldkamp, S.A.M., Nelemans, S.A., Neumann, A., Barzeva, S., Branje, S. J. T., Van Beijsterveldt C.E.M., Meeus, W.H.J., Tiemeier, H., Hoijtink, H.J.A., Oldehinkel, A.J., Boomsma, D.I., (2020). Parental age and offspring childhood mental health: A multi-cohort, population-based investigation. Child Development, 91, 964-982. Doi:10.1111/cdev.13267