U.S. Moms Report Large Decline In Mental Health In Recent Years

A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found the percentage of mothers reporting “excellent” mental health has plummeted from 38.4% to just 25.8%. Conversely, the prevalence of “fair/poor” mental health rose from 5.5% to 8.5%. Physical health also saw a decline, with the share of mothers rating their health as “excellent” dropping from 28.0% to 23.9%. Alarmingly, these negative health outcomes were observed across socioeconomic groups, though single mothers, those with lower education, and those with publicly insured children fared particularly poorly. The study’s authors noted that their findings “are supportive of the claim made by some scholars that maternal mortality may be a canary in the coal mine for women’s health more broadly.” The authors cited factors like limited mental healthcare access, social isolation, substance abuse, and broader societal stressors as potential contributors. (CBS News)