The number of younger people living with a mental health diagnosis in Europe has been rising over the past decades. How does this influence the transition to parenthood? Researchers from the University of Helsinki and of the Population Research Institute at the Family Foundation of Finland examined the associations between mental health and the likelihood of becoming a parent among young adults. This is of timely relevance as across Europe, more and more people are postponing parenthood, contributing to a significant decline in fertility rates since the 2010s.
The study used high-quality register data from Finland, including all men and women born in Finland in 1980-1995 (n=1,210,662). The individuals’ data were followed from their 16th birthday until their first childbirth (or to the end of the follow-up period in 2019, death, or emigration from Finland). The goal was to estimate the likelihood of having a child among people with mental health conditions compared to those without.
The study found that both young men and women diagnosed with mental conditions are far less likely to become parents compared to those without such diagnoses. The strongest associations were found for schizophrenia: persons diagnosed with this were highly unlikely to have their first child by age 39.
Men's parenthood decisions appear to be affected more severely
One of the most striking findings, however, were the gender differences. Men were far less likely than women with the same diagnoses to become parents, especially across common mental conditions. For example, men with mood disorders were 38% less likely to have a first child compared to men without it, whereas the corresponding difference for women was only 21%; anxiety disorders—23% for men as compared to only 10% for women; and substance use issues —25% for men vs. only 8% for women.
Although not examined directly in this study, a possible explanation for the gender differences may include differences in how men and women report symptoms. Women are more likely to recognise even subtle emotional changes and report mild–moderate symptoms, whereas men typically report more severe cases.
The authors also explored the role of partnership status in the link between mental health and parenthood. People with mental health issues may have challenges in forming or maintaining stable partnerships, which could partly explain their lower rates of parenthood. Again, the study found a clear pattern: men diagnosed with mental health conditions were significantly less likely to cohabit (i.e., live with a partner) than women with similar diagnoses.
These results highlight the need for accessible, high-quality mental health services for young people. Early prevention and effective treatment of mental health issues have already been shown to improve a wide range of life outcomes (e.g., Fusar-Poli et al., 2021; Hoare et al., 2021), and these benefits may extend to fertility outcomes as well. From a demographic perspective, strengthening mental health support could help more people achieve their family goals.
References:
Fusar‐Poli, P., Correll, C. U., Arango, C., Berk, M., Patel, V., & Ioannidis, J. P. (2021). Preventive psychiatry: a blueprint for improving the mental health of young people. World Psychiatry, 20(2): 200-221.
Hoare, E., Collins, S., Marx, W., Callaly, E., Moxham-Smith, R., Cuijpers, P., ... & Berk, M. (2021). Universal depression prevention: An umbrella review of meta-analyses. Journal of psychiatric research: 144, 483-493.