Parenthood can have adverse mental health

Professor Robin Simon and colleagues from Florida State University has reported in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior the reports of their study conducted in 13,017 adults in which they found that adults who had plans of not having children’s experienced less depression compared to the parents who had children’s. The study claims controversies views expressed by earlier researchers who had reported parenthood brings more joy and relaxed life. The study recruits were asked to fill in a questionnaire which contained questions relating to their depression and mental status. Researchers feel that adults with children are more depressed due to their responsibility and family burden compared to adults with no children as they feel they have no life restriction and responsibility of their family.

But critics of the study feel that the study is not complete as the questionnaire did not contain questions which ask for the benefits or happy being in adults with children and they feel that parenthood is very important for lifelong personality development and childlessness only increases depression and loneliness in life. Moreover, the research was done in a country which is different from a country like India were parenthood and children’s are considered a big boon to life and these results are views of a particular country and the study results cannot be accepted universally.