Well, duh, you say. Just the fact that you are a mom means you have stress. It's also not news to you that more stress means worse mental health. However, researchers have found that the source of your stress matters. Using nationally representative data, these researchers identified three key predictors of poor mental health:
(1) lack of support, including nobody to provide you emotional help with parenting or give you a break when you need it;
(2) spending too much time with your child. That's right too much time - moms who think they don't spend enough time with their kids don't experience the same negative mental health effects; and
(3) difficulty paying for child care. Other financial difficulties, such as trouble paying for medical care or supplies for the child, lack of health insurance for the child, and missed or delayed health care for the child did not produce the same negative mental effects.
Further, these authors found that having more than one stressor exponentially increased the likelihood that moms experience poor mental health. Moms with two or more stressors were nearly 12 times as likely to have poor mental health compared to moms with no stressors (apparently these women exist, but I have yet to meet them).
So what does this all mean for moms out there? It means get help when you need it - ask your partner, your family, your friends. It means there really is too much time with your child and not enough time for yourself, so don't feel guilty about taking me-time when you need it. (Recall the last flight you took....first put the oxygen mask on yourself, then help children and disabled passengers.) It means as a society we need to do a much better job of helping working moms with childcare strategies they feel good about. Co-op (pdf) anyone?
(1) lack of support, including nobody to provide you emotional help with parenting or give you a break when you need it;
(2) spending too much time with your child. That's right too much time - moms who think they don't spend enough time with their kids don't experience the same negative mental health effects; and
(3) difficulty paying for child care. Other financial difficulties, such as trouble paying for medical care or supplies for the child, lack of health insurance for the child, and missed or delayed health care for the child did not produce the same negative mental effects.
Further, these authors found that having more than one stressor exponentially increased the likelihood that moms experience poor mental health. Moms with two or more stressors were nearly 12 times as likely to have poor mental health compared to moms with no stressors (apparently these women exist, but I have yet to meet them).
So what does this all mean for moms out there? It means get help when you need it - ask your partner, your family, your friends. It means there really is too much time with your child and not enough time for yourself, so don't feel guilty about taking me-time when you need it. (Recall the last flight you took....first put the oxygen mask on yourself, then help children and disabled passengers.) It means as a society we need to do a much better job of helping working moms with childcare strategies they feel good about. Co-op (pdf) anyone?
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