PARENTS UNDER PRESSURE: A US Surgeon General’s Advisory
Parental stress is an urgent public health issue. Parents are the most essential of resources for children. We need them healthy! They need more support!
From the Advisory:
The work of parenting is essential not only for the health of children but also for the health of society. Amid a youth mental health crisis, the work of raising a child is just as valuable as the work performed in a paid job and critically important when it comes to the impact on the future of society.
Advisory Key Takeaways Include:
Parents consistently report experiencing high levels of stress compared to other adults
According to 2023 data:
• 33% of parents report high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of other adults.
• 48% of parents say that most days their stress is completely overwhelming compared to 26% among other adults.
Parents and caregivers experience a multitude of unique stressors from raising children
These stressors include, but are not limited to:
• Financial strain, economic instability, and poverty
• Time demands
• Children’s health
• Children’s safety
• Parental isolation and loneliness
• Technology and social media
• Cultural pressures and children’s futures
Mental health conditions disproportionately affect some parents and caregivers, reflecting broader social determinants of health
Circumstances like family or community violence, poverty and racism and discrimination, among other circumstances, can increase the risk for mental health conditions. Further, the mental health conditions experienced by parents and caregivers can manifest differently based on the gender of the parent and the family structure, among other factors.
