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Having kids brings joys and sorrows in any case - but is raising children linked in some way to depression? New research shows older parents have higher rates of depression, compared with childless adults. In a study of parental status and depression among 17,469 adults over the age of 51, researchers found that having no children, either biological kids or stepchildren, was linked to lower rates of sadness, insomnia and other depressive symptoms, compared with having children. The results held true across all marital status groups, married, divorced or never married.
If your teenagers have ever kept you up all night, these findings may ring true. From my standpoint, being a parent has always been kind of like having your heart walking around outside your body; from the moment you give birth, you are never again entirely in control of your happiness. But for me - and I speak only for myself - I wouldn't choose any other state; I'm happy to take the angst and vulnerability of parenting, along with the many joys.
That depression is common among women is well-known, as this Working Mother article shows. Postpartum depression, in particular, has been drawing growing attention, afflicting some 15% of new mothers, as Michelle said in her eloquent post on the challenges of returning to work with PPD.
In this latest study, the most depressed of all were single biological mothers who had never married, and biological mothers whose children had died. The research was published in the Journal of Family Issues.
On the other hand, staying married seemed to aid happiness across the board, regardless of parental status. Married biological mothers, in particular, were happier than unmarried biological mothers, says the study, led by Regina M. Bures, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Interestingly, whether parents had biological children or stepchildren seemed to make little difference in depression rates.
The bottom line: If you want to be happy in old age, it may be more important to stay married than to have children. The study also calls into question the notion that having biological children - who presumably might be expected to take care of you in old age - is a ticket to well-being in your golden years. 2009-12-25
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