August 28, 2024
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Two ways to reduce parental stress in America: Changing the way American society views parenting and creating a paid family leave program, Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy says.
Parents are stressed out to the point that it has become a public health concern, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy warned in an advisory Wednesday.
"In addition to the traditional challenges of parenting — protecting children from harm, worrying about finances, managing teenagers who are searching for independence — there are new stressors that previous generations didn't have to consider," Murthy said in the advisory. "These include the complexity of managing social media, parents' concerns about the youth mental health crisis, and an epidemic of loneliness that disproportionately affects young people and parents, just to name a few."
The advisory seeks to bring attention to the unique stressors that parents face and how this stress can affect the mental health and well-being, not just of moms and dads, but also of the children they are raising. The report refers to the well-being of parents and caregivers as a "critical and underappreciated public health priority" and offers specific steps that policymakers, employers, health care providers, researchers, community members and parents can take to address the mental health concerns that parental stress can cause.
"Something has to change," Murthy wrote in a New York Times essay published Wednesday as a companion piece to his advisory. "It begins with fundamentally shifting how we value parenting, recognizing that the work of raising a child is crucial to the health and well-being of all society. This change must extend to policies, programs and individual actions designed to make this vital work easier."
About 63 million parents live with children under 18, and millions of other caregivers have the primary responsibility of raising children, the report said. Murthy cited a 2023 study by the American Psychological Association that found 48% of parents reported overwhelming stress compared to 26% of people without kids. Half of parents said when they feel stressed, they can't bring themselves to do anything. By contrast, only 28% of non-parents reported the same issue. Also, 42% of parents reported being so stressed that they feel numb compared to 22% of people without children.
Financial strain, children's health and safety, time demands and parental isolation and loneliness are some of the main factors affecting parents' mental health, according to the report. Murthy referred to studies showing "parental health conditions can have far-reaching and profound implications for children, families as a whole, and society, including increased health care costs and reduced economic productivity." The report cited social determinants, such as community violence, racism and poverty, as disproportionately affecting certain parents and caregivers.
Murthy also discussed his own experience as a father, saying that fatherhood was the "toughest and most rewarding job" he has had and called parenting "sacred work."
As a society, Murthy said we need to value time spent parenting the way we value time spent working, not expect parents and caregivers to raise children entirely on their own, talk openly about the stress and struggles that come with parenting, and foster a culture of connection among parents to combat loneliness and isolation.
Specific actions Murthy recommended to governmental bodies, schools, community organizations, health care providers and researchers included:
• Establishing a national paid family and medical leave program
• Providing comprehensive and affordable high-quality mental health care through employers
• Strengthening school-based support programs
• Screening parents and caregivers for mental health conditions
• Conducting studies to better understand, prevent and improve mental health conditions in parents and caregivers
