Parenthood, Mental Disorders, and Symptoms Through Adulthood: A Total Population Study

During recent decades, parenthood has declined in many Western countries. Simultaneously, mental disorders have become more prevalent. We investigated the link between parenthood and mental health in the entire Norwegian-born population aged 31 to 80 from 2006 to 2019 (n=2,234,087). We used logistic regression models on national register data and included sibling- and twin-matched analyses to address unobserved confounders. Parenthood was associated with a lower risk of mental disorders, including depressive and anxiety disorders. For symptoms related to mental disorders, fathers had a reduced risk, while mothers had a slightly elevated risk. Mental health disparities between parents and non-parents were greater among men than among women and persisted across adulthood, before reducing at older ages. Our main findings were largely consistent in sibling- and twin-matched designs. The disparity between parents and non-parents increased over the study period, suggesting stronger selection into parenthood. Our findings highlight parenthood as a significant indicator of mental health inequalities, with its importance growing over time.