Sunday, January 3, 2010

The Biological Necessity of Having a Father

On the webpage of the British magazine New Scientist, Linda Geddes wrote an article ironically titled “Fathers aren't dispensable just yet”, on which comments on recent research done on the biological implications of fatherhood. This research shows biochemical evidence in mice and people that suggests that fathers may play a key role in the rearing of offspring.

Several studies have already indicated the sociological and psychological effects of fatherlessnes in girls and boys. Girls reach puberty younger, become sexually active earlier and are more likely to get pregnant in their teens if their father was absent (Mairi Macleod, “Why are girls growing up so fast?”). Other studies suggest that the sons of absent fathers display lower intimacy and self-esteem.

But recent studies are indicating that fatherlessness has also physiological implications. Gabriella Gobbi at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, studied California mice, a species on which both parents rear their offspring together. Her colleague Francis Bambico presented their findings at the World Congress of Biological Psychiatry in Paris, France, in early July.

The researchers removed the fathers from some of the mouse pups, and looked at the activity of brain cells in the prefrontal cortex, an area related to social interaction and expression of personality. Cells in pups deprived of fathers had a lower response to the hormone oxytocin, which is normally released during social interactions and pair bonding. As a result of this, fatherless mice were less interested in engaging with other mice. "Usually if you put two animals in the same cage they investigate and touch each other, but when we put two animals deprived of a father together they ignored each other," says Gobbi.

These findings are not the only ones that point out to the previously denied biological nature of fatherhood. There is evidence that when men become fathers they undergo biochemical changes that affect their behavior. Ruth Feldman of Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel, studied 80 couples, and found that the transition to parenthood was associated with increased oxytocin both in mothers and in fathers.

Feldman also found that oxytocin has different effects in each sex. In mothers, high levels of the hormone caused them to be more engaged in gazing at the infant, affectionate touching and speaking in a sing-song voice. Fathers with high oxytocin played more with their child, who in return displayed more attachment to them.

"Fathers and mothers contribute in a very specific and different way" to infants' social and emotional development, says Feldman.

3 comments:

  1. Ad litem, Lynn Coleman, and the mother refused to attend any doctor’s appointments.
    Elaine Baggerley of CPS began diagnosing my daughter as ADHD, and more, on their first meeting.
    Even with the mother’s sworn statements of medically abusing/neglecting my daughter & with the doctors corroborating records of her mistreatment, Judge Suzanne Stovall took my daughter from me & placed her into the mother’s sole custody.
    The mother continues to deliberately, medically mistreat my daughter, neglects her dental care, & the high risk lifestyles exposes my daughter to diseases.
    The mother had a history and pattern of medically mistreating her other children with steroids, psychiatric drugs, numerous prescriptions, OTC medicines, etc.
    Depositions, CISD records, Sworn statements, & other Certified & Certifiable evidence revealed a home with


    an AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT FELON, wrist CUTTING, daily VIOLENCE, runaway teen, destruction, criminals, drug abuse (METH, COCAINE, XANAX, OXYCOTIN, etc), frequent police visits & a SEARCH WARRANT confiscated drug paraphernalia, multiple sex partners, multiple suspensions for drugs & violence, burglary, vandalism, shootings, disease, fighting, screaming, profanity, pornography (incl BEASTIALITY), boys & men sleeping over, my daughter sleeping at men’s homes, being taught obscene language & gestures, & so much more.
    With the knowledge &/or support of Dr Edward G Silverman, Lynn T Coleman, Theresa Burbank, & Elaine Baggereley, the mother has so thwarted my daughter’s education that at 6½ years old she is below District Guidelines, in Kindergarten,.
    At 4 years old my daughter had her own computer, and could count to 29, count to 100 by tens, write her name, recognize most letters, could tie her shoes, play checkers, play computer & card games, & much more.
    At 6+ years old, she could do none of those, & now she requires special attention, & is a behavioral problem.
    The mother provided & reared her young children on GRAPHICALLY SEXUALLY VIOLENT entertainment and since infancy has repeatedly exposed my daughter to the same.
    Known to Dr Edward G Silverman, Theresa Burbank, Lynn T Coleman, the mother’s other children became violent, drug abusing criminals, who attended alternative high schools.
    20 months of Theresa Burbank’s therapy and the mother’s sole parenting have resulted in my daughter being referred to a psychiatrist & probably psychiatric drugs.
    http://local.yahoo.com/info-19096883-teresa-burbank-pc-conroe
    The mother’s family & friends have threatened me at my home and away, & my property has been vandalized.
    I have received harassing, obscene, & middle of the night phone calls.
    The well paid, well insured mother has lived rent & utilities free for 3½ years, but claims to be deep in debt from undisclosed medical expenses.
    The mother has committed tax, CHIPs, Medicaid, & insurance fraud at least since 2003.
    I have neither a history of, nor is there any evidence that I have ever been violent, destructive, abusive, hostile, etc.
    My debt exceeds twice my gross annual income & is increasing.
    Fees & expenses have exceeded 4 times my gross annual income & are increasing.
    I have recorded nearly every contact with the mother, CPS, ad litem, & many others.
    I will be appealing to the Texas: Bar, Judicial Review, Attorneys General, Appellate Courts, Supreme Court, Board of Examiners of Psychologists, TDFPS, etc. and will include:
    medical & doctors records of years of mistreatment
    CPS reports of violence, drugs, medical mistreatment, etc
    psychological evaluations include lying, abuse, etc
    depositions of lying, violence, drug abuse, sex, etc
    CISD records of violence, drugs, sex, etc
    police reports of violence, drugs, shootings, etc
    myspace of violence, drug abuse, sex, pornography, etc
    emails to/from the: ad litem, psychologist, therapist
    I have always loved & wanted my daughter & will never, ever, ever give up trying to rescue her.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The following injustice is happening right now, in Montgomery County, Texas, under our laws & in our courts.
    In July, 2009, I was massacred in a 3½ year custody battle for my 6½ year old daughter.
    Convicted child molesters have more access to their children than I do.
    Calls, letters, & gifts are intercepted, & I have no visitation.
    The mother also secreted her 2 month & 14 month old babies 1200 miles from their father & for 15½ years, her family prevented all contact.
    The mother’s history & pattern of relentless hostility, aggression, alienation, & medical mistreatment was well known to psychologist Dr Edward G Silverman, therapist Theresa Burbank, ad litem Lynn Coleman, the attorneys, et.al.
    http://www.courthouseforum.com
    Honorable Judge Suzanne Stovall continued the case for years because the mother’s discovery was incomplete, but contradictorily refused to compel the mother to produce discovery.
    Judge Suzanne Stovall inconsistently ruled on motions, laws, or rules to favor the mother.
    Judge Suzanne Stovall ignored the overwhelming certified/certifiable evidence of violence, hostility, aggression, & abuse by the mother, her family & her friends.
    My lawyers complained that Judge Suzanne Stovall favored the mother.
    Judge Suzanne Stovall punished me with over 20% plus an additional $100, monthly child support.
    For 3 years, I pleaded for a trial or in some way, to present a case.
    Despite 3 years of Hearings, Rule 11’s, hundreds of emails, letters, & conversations, Judge Suzanne Stovall refused to compel the mother to produce discovery, yet granted the mother years of continuances because her discovery was incomplete; including continuing a preferentially set trial.
    The mother & lawyers knew how devastating her discovery would be, but Judge Suzanne Stovall refused to compel production.
    Judge Suzanne Stovall disregarded over 3 years & over 300 exhibited provable charges of Contempt against the mother, including failure to pay child support, interfering with child custody, & worse.
    It has required the written threat of a Writ of Habeas Corpus for the mother to surrender my daughter to me.
    I paid the jury fee & adamantly insisted on a trial, but without a trial, Judge Suzanne Stovall signed a Final Decree that was written to remove me from my daughter’s life.
    Aggravated perjury, forged letters, falsified evidence, unsupported, inconsistent, & unchallenged false accusations, by the mother, CPS, et al., outweighed exhaustive undisputed facts, certified evidence, sworn statements, & objective/testable/verifiable documentation, disproving the accusations, & proving neglect & abuse by the mother.
    For years, the mother has secreted our daughter to doctors, & medically mistreated her.
    For at least 15 months, the mother yo-yoed my daughter on steroids.
    But when pediatricians & specialists examined, x-rayed, diagnosed, & ordered treatment for a real & progressing condition, the mother rejected the doctors with the knowledge and support of Judge Stovall, Elaine Baggerley, Theresa Burbank , Edward G Silverman, & Lynn Coleman.
    Though always invited and always updated, Ad litem, Lynn Coleman, and the mother refused to attend any doctor’s appointments.
    Elaine Baggerley of CPS began diagnosing my daughter as ADHD, and more, on their first meeting.
    Even with the mother’s sworn statements of medically abusing/neglecting my daughter & with the doctors corroborating records of her mistreatment, Judge Suzanne Stovall took my daughter from me & placed her into the mother’s sole custody.
    The mother continues to deliberately, medically mistreat my daughter, neglects her dental care, & the high risk lifestyles exposes my daughter to diseases.
    The mother had a history and pattern of medically mistreating her other children with steroids, psychiatric drugs, numerous prescriptions, OTC medicines, etc.
    Depositions, CISD records, Sworn statements, & other Certified & Certifiable evidence revealed a home with

    ReplyDelete
  3. My friend:

    Your story is heartbreaking, and is a sad example of how unfair and destructive our family court system is. What will be your next step?

    ReplyDelete

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