Stay-at-home parents ‘have worse mental health’

STAY-AT-HOME mothers and fathers are more likely to suffer from mental health problems, a study by the International Longevity Centre has found.

Men and women who were “homemakers” at 55 were more likely to have suffered from psychological problems in both childhood and adulthood than other groups, researchers discovered. The data, published by the centre today in two studies, show that having a mental health problem in childhood was associated with a 2.8 times greater likelihood of being a homemaker at 55.

The researchers said that while much research had previously been done into the link between having a mental health problem and being longterm unemployed or sick, it had not previously shown a direct link between looking after a home and suffering from psychological problems.

Sarah Vickerstaff, of the University of Kent, who led the research on one of the reports, said that the pattern was likely to be partly down to children with mental health problems being less likely to stay in work as adults, but that being out of work as an adult could compound the problem.

“I think there’s the question of whether mental distress in childhood is more likely to lead to someone not being in the labour market and whether that for women especially is reflected in them being homemakers,” she said. “But then we know from other research that people who are out of the labour market for any length of time and want to be employed can have problems with their mental health.”

She added that the effect had been stronger in men, suggesting that they were more adversely affected by being out of work and needed more mental health support than previously thought.

“The research helps identify that homemakers, with more ‘limited connections’ to the labour market, could benefit from the provision and promotion of mental health services, due to the association between psychological distress earlier in the life course and being a homemaker in later life,” the study said.

It added that earlier intervention with children who were struggling with their mental health could help reduce the incidence of problems later on. Prof Jenny Head, of UCL, who also worked on the data, said it was hoped that the study would encourage better assistance for children to help them stay in work as adults. “Interventions at all ages are going to be relevant to helping people stay in work at older ages,” she said. “If you have mental health problems as an adult you also need support to remain in work.”

David Sinclair, director of the International Longevity Centre UK, said: “It is clear from this research that some of the drivers for unemployment in our fifties are determined very early in our lives.”