Children of stressed fathers are at greater risk of developing PTSD and , according to a new study.

Researchers found life's pressures can change the DNA of a man's sperm - leading to brain development changes in his yet unborn baby.

It's widely known that a mother's environment during pregnancy, including factors such as poor diet, stress and infection, can negatively impact the offspring.

Learning how a father's behavior and environment can impact his child's development could lead to the detection and prevention of many mental health disorders.

'Researchers have known for years that stress can increase the risk of mental disorders,' Dr Tracy Bale, professor of neuroscience at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told Daily Mail Online. 'What’s interesting here is that we are finding intergenerational effects.'

Researchers, led by Dr Bale, conducted a mice experiment to examine how a father's lifestyle impacts his children.

Previously, the team has found male mice experiencing chronic periods of mild stress passed down genetic coding for a less effective hormonal response to stress in children.

Three major hormones are released by the nervous system when the body is under stress. These are adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. Collectively, these hormones send our bodies into 'fight or flight' mode, which is important to the body's ability to cope with the effects of stress.

Stress resulted in changes in sperms genetic material known as microRNA, which plays a key role in which genes become functional proteins.

Dailymail