RESEARCH HAS FOUND that children born to older dads are more likely to have a range of psychiatric and academic problems.

The study found that when compared to children born to a father aged 24, children born to a 45-year-old dad are 13 times more likely to have ADHD and twice as likely to have psychotic disorders.

They are also 3.5 times more likely to have autism and are 25 times more likely to have bipolar disorder, as well as 2.5 times more likely to abuse drugs or attempt suicide.

The massive study looked at every person born in Sweden between 1973 and 2001 found that the likelihood of a problem increased steadily as paternal age increases, suggesting that there was no one particular age when having a child became problematic.

The study, carried out by researchers at Indiana University in the US and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, statistically controlled for parents’ education and income which are often thought to counteract the negative effects of advancing paternal age.

“We were shocked by the findings,” said Professor Brian D’Onofrio, who was the lead author of the study.

“The specific associations with paternal age were much, much larger than in previous studies.

“In fact, we found that advancing paternal age was associated with greater risk for several problems, such as ADHD, suicide attempts and substance use problems, whereas traditional research designs suggested advancing paternal age may have diminished the rate at which these problems occur”.

D’Onofrio said that while not every child born to an older father will have problems, the research “adds to a growing body of research indicating that advancing paternal age is associated with increased risk for serious problems”.

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