That’s no joke. Parenting can be dangerous for your mental health.
A recent report released by the Surgeon General last month stated that “parents are consistently more likely than other adults to report experiencing high levels of stress.”
“Parents have a significant impact on the health of their children and the health of our society,” said Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, in a statement. “Health and safety, economic concerns, new challenges such as technology and social media use, the youth mental health crisis, and the loneliness epidemic that is hitting young people the hardest.”
According to the Surgeon General’s recommendations, 33% of parents have reported high levels of stress in the past month, compared with 20% of other adults.
The report notes that when parental stress is severe or prolonged, it can negatively impact the mental health of each child as well as the parents.
The advisory added that “approximately 63 million parents in the United States live with children under the age of 18.”
What stressors does the Surgeon General list for parents?
Parents must also deal with many other issues while raising children, which can lead to poor mental health. The Surgeon General said those factors include:
What is the overall purpose of this recommendation?
The Surgeon General said the recommendations “call for shifts in culture, policies and programs to ensure all parents and caregivers thrive.”
An advisory from the Surgeon General is a “public statement that calls the attention of the American public to an urgent public health problem and provides recommendations on how to address it. An advisory requires immediate national awareness and Reserved for serious public health issues that require action.”
