Parent Stress Is an Urgent Health Issue: U.S. Surgeon General

It’s no secret that being a parent is stressful at times.

Now U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has issued an advisory calling parental stress an “urgent public health issue.” 

“The work of parenting is essential not only for the health of children but also for the health of society,” wrote Surgeon General Murthy. “We know that the well-being of parents and caregivers is directly linked to the well-being of their children.

In the advisory, the surgeon general writes that parents these days are stressed out for wide variety of reasons, some of which have been around forever, some of which are new.

·      Financial stress

·      Childcare stress

·      Challenges with social media

·      Stressed out over comparison with others

·      School pressures

·      Social pressures

The surgeon general also detailed how parents are spending less time with their children but spend more money on childcare.

 “Demands from both work and child caregiving have come at the cost of quality time with one’s partner, sleep, and parental leisure time,” the advisory says.

The advisory also cited a 2023 survey from the American Psychological Association (APA) which found that 33 percent of parents reported high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20 percent of overall adults.

Culture Shift

So how do we improve the situation?

According to the Surgeon General, the nation needs a culture shift on parenting. That includes taking “steps to mitigate stress at every stage.”

The advisory encouraged governments and employers to ensure that parents have access to affordable mental health care, paid family and medical leave, and support groups through local organizations and schools.

“The bottom line is that we’ve got to start seeing mental health as health. It is no less important than our physical health,” said Surgeon General Murthy. “If we can attend to both our mental and physical health, then we have a good chance, you know, of being happy, healthy and fulfilled, and that’s what we all want for ourselves and especially for our kids.”

Related Coverage: In 2022, the Surgeon General released a Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Wellbeing. Read More from FEDmanager.