Back to news listing Does parenthood impact mental health?
Starting a family is a big step and a major life change. While most parents would probably agree there can be highs and lows, new research from Next Steps suggests that parenthood is linked with better mental health for your generation.
What we asked you?
We asked you a series of questions in the Age 32 Survey, carefully designed to identify symptoms of anxiety, depression and other emotional difficulties. These included questions like, ‘Have you lost sleep over worry?’ and ‘Have you been constantly under strain?’. You also told us how satisfied you felt with your life, on a scale from zero to ten.
What the researchers found
Over half of your generation (54%) had children and the average age to become a parent was 28. The team of researchers at UCL found that, on the whole, those of you who were parents reported better mental health and life satisfaction at age 32 than those without children. But there were some differences among parents. While mums were more likely to experience poor mental health than dads, their levels of life satisfaction were about the same.
Interestingly though, the gap in life satisfaction between parents and non-parents was larger for male study members compared to female study members. This suggests that parenthood may have a more positive influence on life satisfaction than on mental health, especially for males.
Financial pressures
Mental health and life satisfaction did vary among parents, depending on their social and financial circumstances. Parents who were not living with a partner had lower life satisfaction and poorer mental health than those raising kids with a partner. Those in couples where neither partner was employed reported higher psychological distress and lower life satisfaction than those in couples where both partners were in work.
The researchers also found that having children at a younger age was linked to a higher risk of poor mental health. The older a parent was when they had their first child, the more likely they were to report better mental health and life satisfaction.
Does family size make a difference?
Among female study members, those with multiple children were at a slightly higher risk of reduced life satisfaction and mental health problems than those who had just one child. But this wasn’t the case for males, whose life satisfaction and mental health didn’t seem to vary according to the size of their family.
How about those without children?
Study members without children tended to rate their life satisfaction more highly if they were currently trying for a family. Life satisfaction was lowest for males who said they didn’t want children and for females who were not sure if they wanted to become a parent.
Why this research matters
Parental mental health problems can have a big impact on the lives of parents and on their children. While, overall, those of you with children were at lower risk of poor mental health compared to those without children, some factors, such as not having a cohabiting partner, did increase this risk. Identifying patterns like these is important as it can help service providers target mental health support more effectively.
By continuing to share information with us through future surveys, including about your home lives, we will be able to learn more about what impacts your generation’s mental health.
Director of Next Steps and co-author of this report, Dr Morag Henderson, said:
“Our findings point to the need to better support the mental health of both parents and people without children by addressing gender differences in the workplace, and financial instability.
The inequalities highlighted in this study inform the need for tailored mental health support for different parental experiences, such as younger parents, parents who are not in a cohabiting relationship and for larger families.”
Read the full research report here
Parenthood and mental health: initial findings from Next Steps at age 32, by Rosie Mansfield and Morag Henderson, was published by the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies.
In the press
These findings were reported in the media, including in The Times and on BBC radio:
The Times (£) – Parents happier than childless couples, but not if they start young
BBC World Service – The Newsroom