Surgeon General’s Advisory: Parental Stress Is At Alarming Level

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has issued a public health advisory on the mental health and wellbeing of parents, citing financial strain, time demands, social media and cultural pressures as major stressors.

According to the advisory, 33% of parents report high levels of stress over the course of a month, compared to 20% of adults who are not parents. Additionally, 48% of parents said most days their stress is completely overwhelming, compared to 26% of adults who are not parents.

“The stresses parents and caregivers have today are being passed to children in direct and indirect ways, impacting families and communities across America,” Murthy wrote in the report. “Yet in modern society, parenting is often portrayed as a less important, less valued pursuit. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

The advisory calls attention to the importance of parental stress, mental health and wellbeing, stressors unique to parent and the relationship between parental mental health and child outcomes.

According to Murthy, circumstances like family or community violence, poverty, racism and discrimination can increase the risk for mental health conditions, which can be passed from parent to child.

The advisory also offers ways to take action based on whether you are a policymaker, employer, community organization, social services system, researcher, family and friends, or parents and caregivers.

One of the major stressors noted in the advisory is time demands, which includes an increase in time spent on both work commitments and family responsibilities. These time demands can create family conflicts, which can be particularly challenging to navigate.

According to experts, family conflicts can be managed with improved communication skills, such as routinely checking in with family members to openly discuss how they are feeling and setting clear boundaries and expectations.

Cultural expectations and pressures were cited as another stressor and parents of school-aged children will know all too well the stress that arises as new school years arrive.

For those who are feeling overwhelmed, there are five stress-free ways to prep for the new year: set clear expectations, establish daily routines, encourage healthy sleep habits,  develop a homework routine, and take time to meal prep.

Technology and social media can cause a lot of stress for parents who are trying to protect their children from online harms, and many millennial parents are turning to resources to help them navigate the new world of technology.

These resources include the Family Online Safety Institute, which offers free digital parenting resources, Qustodio, which is a parental control app for children’s phones, and Bark Parental Controls, which uses AI to detect issues like bullying, depression and suicidal ideation.

Time demands on parents can also cause stress when it comes to feeding their families during the week. With so many responsibilities to juggle, it can be difficult to find an easy way to make sure your family is well fed.

According to the experts, there are five hacks for stress-free meal prepping: buying pre-cut and pre-packaged ingredients, doubling a recipe so you can save and freeze half for future meals, buying items in bulk to cut costs and time spent shopping, ordering groceries online, and investing in meal delivery services.