A research paper has been published by Prof Paul Ramchandani entitled 'Depression in and playfulness in fathers and young infants: A matched design comparison study'. Key findings include:

1. playful behaviours at 3-months differ between depressed and non-depressed fathers;
2. depressed fathers use less playful excitation, gentle touch and active engagement;
3. coding measures focusing on fathers may accurately detect and classify playfulness;
4. unique features of paternal play could be a target for future family interventions.

You can download the paper via this link.