Parenthood Improves Mental Health

Having a child helps in improving parents' mental health, a new study says.

To analyze the hidden benefits of parenthood, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington (UOW), interviewed more than 6,600 parents, part of the New Zealand longitudinal Survey of Family, Income and Employment (SoFIE).

The participants included both men and women - single, married or co-habiting. Factors like marital or partner status, career and family income were taken into consideration.

Researchers Sarah McKenzie and Dr. Kristie Carter found the first baby's arrival boosting parents' mental health and bringing down their psychological distress. However, they didn't find any extra benefits associated with having more children after the first one.

"This is good news for new parents in New Zealand as it shows the effects of becoming a parent for the first time tends to have a positive effect on parents' mental health. Whereas, no real impact on mental health was found for parents having subsequent (second, third or fourth) children," McKenzie said in a news release. "However, it's important to note the improvements in mental health and psychological distress are positive, but not large in our findings."

Both men and women were found to be getting benefits from parenthood.

"Interestingly, unlike some overseas studies, we didn't find any major differences between men and women in changes in mental health and becoming a parent for the first time," McKenzie said.

Results of the study have been published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

This is not the first study to explore the benefits of parenthood. A study conducted by a team of Denmark researchers last year found that having a child increases parents' chances of living longer.

According to the findings published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, having at least one child lowers the risks of early death, especially for women.