As the world holds International Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Day on 9 September, a new study suggests that both parents’ drinking habits contribute to the development of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The study, conducted by international researchers including Stellenbosch University (SU) in the Western Cape, found that the father’s alcohol use may have a small but direct negative impact on a child’s development by the age of seven.
The findings of their study were published recently in the journal Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research.
The role of fathers
The researchers analysed data from five studies on the prevalence and characteristics of FASD among grade one learners in the Western Cape to explore whether a father’s drinking affects children diagnosed with FASD.
The children’s biological mothers or legal guardians completed a questionnaire on the risk factors for FASD.
According to the researchers, there is a growing recognition that factors beyond pregnant women’s drinking habits can affect their children’s development.
They add that increased attention is currently paid to the role of fathers, not only as a contributing factor to women’s drinking habits, but also 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.
“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 that between 66% and 77% of fathers of children on the FAS spectrum drank during their partner’s pregnancy with the child in question.
“These fathers drank an average of 12 drinks per drinking day. The number of drinks that 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.”
The researchers add that fathers who drank an average of five or more drinks per drinking day had shorter children with smaller head circumferences.
These children also performed worse on measures of verbal intelligence tests.
Most serious symptoms
“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.”
They note that a father’s drinking alone didn’t increase the chances of a child being diagnosed with FASD.
However, when the mother drank during pregnancy and the father was also a heavy drinker, the child was more likely to have the most serious symptoms of FASD.
“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.
“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.”
The researchers say that, while it is not yet clear whether the impact of a father’s drinking on a child’s growth and development stems 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 cannot be overlooked.
