A new study finds an increasing number of mothers in the U.S. are facing mental and physical health challenges. The study was published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine. It surveyed nearly 200,000 U.S. mothers from 2016 to 2023.
By the numbers: The findings reveal a significant decline in maternal mental health, with only about 26% of mothers reporting “excellent” mental health in 2023, compared to 38% in 2016.
Meanwhile, the percentage of mothers rating their mental health as merely “good” increased from 19% to 26%, and those describing it as “fair” or “poor” rose from 6% to 9%.
Physical health ratings also declined, with “excellent” physical health falling from 28% to 24%.
The study also examined fathers during the same period. While their health scores also declined, they consistently reported higher scores than those of mothers.
WHAT’S GOING ON?
The study’s author Jamie Daw, an assistant professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said that while the pandemic may have worsened trends, “these declines originated before the pandemic.” The findings also align with documented increases in depression and anxiety among the general U.S. adult population.
Contributing factors to mothers’ worsening health may include limited access to mental health care, social isolation, rising substance use, inflation, racism, gun violence, and climate change.
Researchers noted that declines were seen across all socioeconomic groups, but were steepest among single, low-income, and publicly insured mothers.
These findings have renewed concerns about maternal health, particularly the need for ongoing support beyond the immediate postpartum period as kids grow and get older.
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