Mothers report worse mental health in new report

More American mothers reported worse mental health in 2023 than in 2016 in a national survey. Photo 123RF

More American mothers reported worse mental health in 2023 than in 2016 in a national survey, though many said they were in good health, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, researchers analysed self-reported mental health ratings from some 198,000 mothers with children age 17 and younger.

In 2023, 26% of the mothers who responded said their mental health was “excellent,” compared with 38% of mothers in 2016.

While 19% of mothers reported good mental health in 2016, some 26% said the same in 2023.

During the same period, fair or poor mental health ratings rose from 5.5% to 8.5%.

The self-reported decline in mental health occurred across all sociodemographic groups.

However, self-reported mental health status was significantly lower among mothers who were born in the United States, single, less educated or whose children were publicly insured or uninsured.

Poor parental mental health can have intergenerational consequences, including increased risks for adverse birth outcomes and developmental delays in children, according to the study.

“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,” Jamie Daw, one of the study’s authors, said in a statement.

“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,” added Daw, who is an assistant professor of health policy and management at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.