Medicine and health
New study highlights role of fathers’ drinking in foetal alcohol spectrum disorder
12 September 2025
- It's a well-known fact that foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in children is caused by mothers who drink during pregnancy. But it turns out that the father's drinking habits could also affect a child's growth and development.
- A team of international researchers — including contributors from Stellenbosch University (SU) — found that a father's alcohol use may have a small but direct negative impact on a child's development by the age of seven. A father's drinking contributes to the harm caused by alcohol use during pregnancy.
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