Having too many kids impacts the parent's mental health

In half the countries studied, scientists observed an increased risk of depression among parents with the most children. — AFP

Having children can be hard work!

Moreover, kids aren’t necessarily your health’s best allies, as revealed by a new study conducted in 24 countries around the world.

More precisely, it’s the number of children you have that could have an impact on both your physical and mental health, even after they’ve left home.

To say that children can be detrimental to their parents’ health is undoubtedly a little harsh, but the number of children in the family could actually play a role in parental well-being, as well as in the risk of developing certain diseases.

These are the findings of a study conducted by researchers from several universities and schools around the world – including the University of Rhode Island in the United States and the University of Padua in Italy – among adults aged 50 and over in 24 middle- and high-income countries in North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe.

The aim was to assess a potential link between the number of children and several health indicators in older adults.

Mental health impact

“Our main motivation for this study is really population ageing globally. There are multiple studies that look at the connection between children and an aspect of health or life expectancy.

“While various aspects of health have been studied, there are few studies that look at this relationship across various nations and we are aware of none that compare multiple dimensions of health across multiple countries,” explains Dr Nekehia Quashie, assistant professor of health studies and one of the paper’s authors, in a news release.

The researchers analysed cross-sectional data from 166,739 adults aged 50 and over in 24 countries, spanning a period from 1992 to 2017.

Five health indicators, including self-rated health, depression and chronic conditions, were compared with the number of children the participants had.

Published in The Journals of Gerontology – Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, the study findings suggest a potential association between the number of children and the impact on health, but this is far from universal.

“What we found is that in the majority of countries we analysed, more children are associated with poorer health outcomes later in life – especially for chronic conditions and depression,” says Dr Quashie.

Perception versus reality

As a result of their analysis, the scientists observed an increased risk of depression among participants with the most children in half of all the countries studied.

The same was true for the risk of chronic disease, but this time in 11 of the 24 countries included in the study.

Last but not least, the trend was reversed for one of the indicators: self-rated health.

Participants aged 50 and over with the fewest children were more likely to report poor health in six countries: China, Estonia, France, Israel, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

“The variation in country contexts may reflect differences in the cultural value on children, having a more limited formal infrastructure by which to support older adults, or other localised conditions,” the study news release explains.

The researchers also found disparities between countries.

In the USA, for example, they found no significant link between fertility and health in people aged 50 and over.

Conversely, participants with many children – i.e. four or more – were more likely to see their health impacted, for at least three indicators, in Greece, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Czech Republic.

The research was unable to identify the cause of this association, although the scientists point to the potential influence of economic, social, emotional and biological burdens.

“Children can be great, and having larger numbers of children can increase your potential supply of support for when you may be in need as you age – and that might be common across the board.

“But children do also present strains across the life course as well,” comments Dr Quashie.

These initial findings should give rise to further, more in-depth research to determine the mechanisms behind this association, and provide a more universal picture. – AFP Relaxnews