First-time parents’ happiness declines

Can make them less likely to have a second child, according to new research

LONDON: It is supposed to be one of the happiest times in a person’s life, and for most people their first experience of parenting is exactly that.

However, after the initial excitement, most first-time parents will experience a decline in life satisfaction, which can make them less likely to have a second child, according to new research.

It has long been known that stresses such as lack of sleep, having less time to work on a relationship with a partner, and financial worries can place great strain on new parents.

Now researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, say they have quantified the effect.

By analysing responses from mothers and fathers, the German Socio-Economic Study – a national survey carried out every year, in which 20 000 people are asked to rate their general life satisfaction on a scale of one to 10 – found that after an initial increase in happiness immediately before and after the birth of a first child, people experienced a decline in selfreported happiness equivalent to on average 1.4 units on the scale.

Professor Mikko Myrskylä, of the Max Planck Institute, said the decline was greater than that observed in other studies of people who suffered unemployment, divorce or even a bereavement – although this was partly explained by the fact that, in early parenthood, people report high levels of happiness, so the decline is sharper.

“There are great expectations, happiness goes up and it may stay up immediately after birth. But for a large number of parents, there is a dramatic drop in happiness,” he said. “The majority experience some decline in happiness.”

Among parents whose happiness declined by three units, 58 out of 100 went on to have a second child within 10 years. Among those who reported no decline in happiness, 66 out of 100 had a second child in that time.

Myrskylä said the decision not to have more than one child had been a big contributor to falling birth rates in the developed world. “There is more or less a taboo regarding the wellbeing of new parents,” he said.

“The medical profession is starting to acknowledge this and postpartum depression is getting more and more attention, but it’s still something that is thought of as something that should only be experienced positively.”

Vivien Waterfield, deputy chief executive of charity Home-Start UK, which provides support to thousands of new parents each year, said: “The birth of a child, especially the first, is a huge change and can mean new pressures for parents. In the first few weeks and months it is really important that parents who need extra support get it. But, it’s also important that parents know there is help out there and that it’s okay to ask for it.” – The Independent