Mental health and parenthood – A longitudinal study of the relationship between self-reported mental health and parenthood

Abstract

According to previous studies, the relationship between parenthood and mental health is not straightforward. One reason could be that selection effects on parenthood are seldom accounted for. Using the unique Northern Swedish Cohort dataset, following individuals from age 16 to 43 (n = 1001), this study examines whether there is a selection effect of self-reported mental health in adolescence into parenthood; and whether entry into parenthood is related to subsequent mental health after controlling for prior mental health. Our results show no evidence of a selection effect for women, but men with poor mental health at age 16 were less likely to become fathers. Having children improved women's subsequent mental health after controlling for adolescent mental health, something that was not true for men. Our result reinforces the need for future research of the complex relationship between mental health and parenthood through focusing on, for example, timing of parenthood as well as through using different mental health measures.

Keywords:

• family formation
• mental health
• health selection
• longitudinal
• sociology
• Sweden

Acknowledgements

The authors want to thank the anonymous reviewers whose comments and suggestions helped improve this manuscript.

Funding

This study has been supported by The Swedish Research Council FORMAS (dnr 259-2012-37) and Swedish Research Council (dnr 344-2011-5478).