Mothers — and fathers — report mental, physical health declines

Since March 2020, life has changed radically for parents of children under 18. Not only have they had to deal with the universal pandemic disruptions on their work and social lives, but also grapple with the pandemic’s impact on their children. Nearly half of parents (48%) said the level of stress in their life has increased compared with before the pandemic. More than 3 in 5 parents with children who are still home for remote learning (62%) said the same.

Similarly, while slightly more than 3 in 10 adults (31%) reported their mental health has worsened compared with before the pandemic, nearly half of mothers who still have children home for remote learning (47%) reported their mental health has worsened; 30% of fathers who still have children home said the same. And while 3 in 4 parents (75%) said they could have used more emotional support than they received since the pandemic started, fathers (82%) were significantly more likely to say they could have used more emotional support than mothers (68%).

When it comes to seeking treatment, parents were more likely than those without children to have received treatment from a mental health professional (32% vs. 12%) and to have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder since the coronavirus pandemic began (24% vs. 9%). Here, too, fathers were more likely than mothers to have received mental health treatment (38% vs. 26%) and to have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder since the start of the pandemic (29% vs. 19%). Additionally, more than half of parents (54%) said they feel like their children could have benefited from receiving treatment from a mental health professional since the pandemic started, particularly parents of tweens ages 8–12 (63%).

Regarding physical changes, 8 in 10 fathers (80%) reported unwanted changes in weight, compared with 66% of mothers since the start of the pandemic. Specifically, 55% of fathers reported gaining weight, with an average weight gain of 45 pounds (median of 20 pounds). On the other hand, 47% of mothers said they gained weight, with an average weight gain of 27 pounds (median of 15 pounds).

Fathers (87%) also were more likely than mothers (77%) to report sleeping more or less than they wanted to since the pandemic started and to say they are drinking more alcohol to cope with stress (48% of fathers vs. 29% of mothers).