Dr. P's Pediatric Journal Club
The study
In 1987-1988, the National Survey of Families and Households interviewed and tested 9,000 people for:
--> Whether they had children (= 3/4) or not (= 1/4).
--> Data on socio-economic status.
What the study found
--> Higher rates of
depression were seen at younger ages, in women, in Blacks, in persons with less education, in those not employed full-time, in those with lower family incomes, and in non-married adults.
--> As a group, parents reported significantly higher rates of depression, compared to childless adults. >> This was especially true of parents with young children.
>> On the other hand, "
empty nesters" reported the same levels of depression as childless adults.
What this study suggests
Parents, especially those with young children, report higher rates of depression compared to childless adults.
Dr. P comments
OK, by now you have given up the myth of parenthood being a time of uninterrupted bliss and joy.
More likely, especially if your kids are young, aside from the fun and excitement and good times and joy, it is a time of relentless demands and responsibilities and dilemmas and worries. It's a stressful time - at least to some extent - no matter what your life circumstances might be.
Add to the mix a general lack of appreciation (by partners, families, friends, society) of how hard and how important a job parenting is. Is it any wonder that most parents become depressed some of the time?
I have no pat explanations, except to say that we in the U.S. provide less support for parents (time off work, high quality
child care, resources for parents who choose not to work outside the home) than all the other industrialized countries. I wonder: is the level of parental depression in those cultures less than in ours?
Other than moving to Finland, any suggestions that might help? Here are some things I have learned:
>> Children are best served when their parents are living happy and fulfulling lives, whether that means engaging in full time work outside the home or devoting full time as a stay-at-home parent or a combination of the two.
>> Parents often become depressed when they make the mistake of giving up all the things that used to be meaningful to them in their childless days: keeping close friends, working on maintaining and making time for a loving supportive relationship with their partner, keeping up with their long term interests in the world, etc. In short, having a life outside of the kids.
>> Parents may become depressed if they are consumed with the notion of "infant determinism" - a theory popularized by some parenting gurus - i.e., the need to be a perfect parent because every little thing one does with your child is fraught with significance for their long term development. One false move and the child will be an endlessly neurotic, unhappy adult. Since the perfect parent has yet to exist, guilt is inevitable.
>> Parents may become depressed when they view themselves inadequate to provide their child with the skills needed to overcome the new threats to children of the 21st century, threats which were inconceiveable and largely unknown when we were kids (drugs, early sex, early exposure to inappropriate content on the media, etc.)
The good news of this study for you should be a confirmation of your complicated feelings about being a parent. Don't get me wrong, there is (I hope) plenty of joy and fulfillment coming your way. But so too is there almost always a downside, one that parents are rarely given permission to talk about or even feel.
Anyway you look at it, parenting is a tough job. Sure, you get depressed and stressed. But, as this study tells us, you are not alone. In fact, you're not even weird. You're just human.
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Article cited:
"Clarifying the relationship between parenthood and depression."
Evenson R and Simon R.
Journal of Health and Social Behavior. December, 2005
Related Topics:
How to Be A Positive Parent,
Welcome to Parenthood Technorati Tags: parenting, depression, stress
译文:
抚养孩子能给你带来快乐吗？
P博士的育儿杂志俱乐部
调查研究
1987到1988间，一个有9000人参与的关于家庭和住户的调查在全国展开，这个调查涉及到：
-->他们是否有孩子 （有3/4）（没有1/4）
-->患有忧郁症的程度为多少
--> 处于怎样的社会经济地位
研究发现
患有忧郁症比例比较高的人群主要集中在年轻人，妇女，黑人，还有那些受教育程度不高，没有固定工作，家庭收入水平较低以及未婚的大龄人士。
研究表明，作为一个群体，和没有孩子的夫妻相比，有孩子的夫妻患有忧郁症的比例明显高得多。
>>这种现象在年轻父母的身上尤其突出。
>>另一方面，守空巢者（指子女长大并离开家后的父母）被认为和那些没有孩子的夫妻患有忧郁症的程度一样。
研究表明
父母，特别是那些孩子还很小的父母，和没有孩子的夫妇相比，患忧郁症的比例更高。
P博士评语
那么，现在你们可以抛弃亲子关系能带来持续的幸福和快乐的美好时光这个神话了。
更有可能的是，特别是当你的孩子还小时，除了能享受到快乐，新鲜，幸福和愉悦外，在这个时期你还会经历任性的要求，责任，困境和担忧。这是一段神经紧绷的时期——至少在某种程度上——无论你处于什么样的生活环境。
除了这一团糟以外，人们还普遍缺乏一种对为人父母这项工作是多么艰苦，多么重要的理解（这个理解来自伴侣，家庭，朋友，社会），是否有人怀疑过大多数父母有时会因此变得消沉丧气？
我没有什么恰当的解释，除了说，在美国我们对父母提供的支持（假期，高质量的儿童保健，给那些选择在家里工作的父母提供的资源）比其他任何工业化国家所提供的都要少。我猜想，是不是那些国家父母患抑郁症的程度比我们国家的要轻？
除了搬到芬兰，是否还有别的建议可以帮得上忙？这里有我学到的一些东西：
>>当他们的父母生活幸福甜蜜时，孩子们可以得到最好的照顾，而是否这样要看父母是把所有的时间花在忙于外面的工作，还是他们投入所有时间做一个全职父亲/母亲，又或者是前面两者的结合。
>>当父母们做出放弃一些事情的错误决定时，他们常常会变得抑郁，在他们没有孩子的那段时期里这些事情对他们来说意义重大：拥有知心朋友，花时间去努力保持和他们的伴侣互爱互助的关系，保持他们在这个世界上长久的爱好，等等。总而言之，拥有一种没有孩子烦扰的生活。
>>如果父母们相信“婴儿决定论”这个育儿专家们大肆鼓吹的理论时，他们会变得抑郁。这个理论认为，必须成为一个完美的父母是因为每一个细微的事情都会对孩子的长期发展带来深刻的影响。一个错误的举动将会导致孩子长大后成为一个病态、消沉的人。既然“完美父母”这个概念是确实存在的，那么一般父母犯错变得不可避免。
>> 当父母们认为他们没有能力给自己的孩子提供去克服困难的技巧时，他们会变得抑郁。这些困难是21世纪新出现的，也可能是在当年父母们还是孩子的时候对他们来说难于预料的大问题（如毒品，早期性教育，过早的受到媒体报道的不健康内容的影响，等等。）
这项研究给你带来的好消息是，你可以确定的知道即将为人父母的复杂情感，你即将得到许多的欢乐和满足，但同时你也总会有很多棘手的事要面对，而这些事父母们很少有机会去谈论甚至去感受。
无论你怎么看待它，为人父母都是一项艰苦的工作。当然了，你会感受到沮丧和重压。但是，正如这项研究告诉我们的，你并不是孤军奋战。事实上，你并不是超人，你只是个人。
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文章引用：
《辨析为人父母与抑郁症的关系》 Evenson R and Simon R
《健康与社会行为》杂志 2005年12月
http://www.asanet.org/galleries/default-file/EvensonSimonJHSBDec05.pdf
相关主题：怎样成为一个积极的人，欢迎来到父母天地
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