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By Stephen Beech
Mothers have suffered “significant” declines in their mental health over the last decade, according to new research.
There have also been “smaller but notable” decreases in maternal physical well-being since 2016, say scientists.
The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, reveals a “concerning” decline in self-reported mental health among mothers in the United States between 2016 and 2023.
Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York, also found “modest but measurable” declines in self-reported physical health over the same period.
The team analyzed data from 198,417 mothers who participated in the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), an annual poll of households with children aged up to 17.
Most participating mothers were over the age of 30.
Dr. Jamie Daw, Assistant Professor of health policy and management at Columbia Mailman School, said: “Although high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality have been well documented, national data on the health status of mothers beyond pregnancy and the first year postpartum is lacking.”
The findings show that the percentage of mothers reporting “excellent” mental health plummeted from 38% in 2016 to 26% in 2023.
The proportion reporting “excellent” physical health also declined from 28% to 24%.
The percentage of mothers rating their mental health as “fair” or “poor” rose by 63.6% from 5.5% in 2016 to 9% in 2023.
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Declines in maternal mental health originated before the Covid pandemic and were observed in nearly every socio-economic subgroup examined, according to the research team.
The proportion of fathers reporting excellent physical health also declined, from 30% to 26.4%, although changes in mental health were less pronounced.
Fathers reported substantially better mental and physical health than mothers in all years of the study.
The research team also examined disparities in maternal mental and physical health and found that the prevalence of “fair” and “poor” mental and physical health was considerably higher among mothers of lower educational attainment, single mothers, and those whose children have Medicaid or are uninsured.
The research team emphasized the intergenerational consequences of poor parental mental health – including increased risks of adverse birth outcomes, developmental delays, and mental health issues in children.
Dr. Daw said: “Maternal mood disorders, in particular, can have long-term effects on children, directly by affecting development, and indirectly, by increasing the chance of exposure to co-occurring risks such as parental substance use and lower household resources.
“Our results highlight the rising tide of worsening mental health among parenting women as a key target for efforts to improve maternal and child health in the US.
“We found consistently worse health outcomes for mothers compared to fathers, suggesting that mothers may need additional consideration and attention in policies aimed at supporting parental health and especially mental health.”
He added: “In all cases, our study underscores the need for more comprehensive research on the health and well-being of US parents more broadly, and we urge support for more interventions that support prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental health outcomes.”
