Monday, March 6, 2006

Parenthood & Depression (The News Isn't Good)

You know that old expression, "A new baby is a bundle of joy?" Well, guess what, it's not. According to a recent study by Florida State and Vanderbilt universities and published in teh American Sociological Association's Journal of Health and Social Behavior, people with children exhibit higher levels of depression than those who are childless. This fact held true whether the kids were toddlers or had long been out of the home, living as adults on their own. While the researchers did find that parents with young kids--those under 18--were less depressed than parents of older, adult children, they were still more depressed than their barren peers.

And there was no gender gap: Both men and women appear to be equally afflicted. Interestingly, the research showed that stepparents tend to be spared the higher rates of depression and, as a result, have more in common with the childless sample of the study. Further--and with all due apologies to all those biological mothers and fathers out there--the researchers could find no instance where being a parent provided any sort of ongoing, tangible emotional lift. Even when the nest is finally empty and the parents supposedly have newfound peace and quiet, it seems their children still continue to cause them enough angst to sour a mood.