Caring for parents has become a public health priority

By Dennis Archambault

The stress of parenting in the United States has become a public health crisis, according to Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., MPH, the U.S. Surgeon General. In a commentary following the release of an advisory last month, he noted that, “The stress and mental health challenges faced by parents — just like loneliness, workplace well-being and the impact of social media on youth mental health — aren’t always visible, but they can take a steep toll. It’s time to recognize they constitute a serious public health concern for our country.

“Stress is tougher to manage when you feel you’re on your own, which is why it’s particularly concerning that so many parents, single parents most of all, report feeling lonelier than other adults. Additionally, parents are stretched for time. Compared with just a few decades ago, mothers and fathers spend more time working and more time caring for their children, leaving them less time for rest, leisure and relationships. Stress, loneliness and exhaustion can easily affect people’s mental health and well-being. And we know that the mental health of parents has a direct impact on the mental health of children.”

From the pressures of feeding the family, supporting personal and academic development of their children, and preventing harm from the growing violence in society, many parents are becoming mentally and physically ill, and their children are feeling the fallout from this. Studies show that children from households with fewer resources are three times as likely to be substantiated for abuse and about seven times more likely to be substantiated for neglect than other children. Concentrated poverty in communities also has been associated with increased rates of child abuse fatalities, according to Casey Family Programs.

Dr. Murthy expressed concern that as challenging as it is for children to experience healthy development in our society, the risk of losing parents to loneliness and isolation is even more critical. Last year, he released an advisory on the public health crisis of loneliness and reiterated that parents are acutely vulnerable to this, despite seemingly surrounded by family.

Locally, the Wayne County Great Start Collaborative  supports families, particularly those experiencing poverty.

“In the past few years we have made progress, expanding access to early childhood education, maternal health programs and a mental health crisis hotline for kids and adults. We have much more to do, however, to make parenting sustainable,” Dr. Murthy noted in his commentary. “This means bolstering financial support for families, including child tax credits. It also means ensuring all parents can get paid time off to be with a new baby or a sick child, secure affordable childcare when they need it and have access to reliable mental health care for themselves and their children. And it requires addressing pervasive sources of anguish and worry that parents are often left to manage on their own, including the harms of social media and the scourge of gun violence.

“Having safe, affordable before- and after-school care programs, predictable work schedules that allow parents to plan childcare and workplace leadership that understands the complex demands on parents can help immensely. Safe playgrounds, libraries and community centers can give children places to play and learn and also serve as valuable settings for parents to gather and build social connection.”

Dennis Archambault is vice president of Public Affairs for Authority Health. For more information on the family and child health programs at Authority Health visit www.authorityhealth.org or call 313-824-1000.