U.S. Surgeon General warns parents that raising children is stressful

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Surgeon General told parents on Wednesday what they probably already know: Raising children is stressful.

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an “Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents,” highlighting the “urgent need to better support parents, caregivers, and families to help our communities thrive.”

The advisory noted that parents have been consistently more likely to report experiencing high levels of stress compared to other adults. For example, 33% of parents reported high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of other adults. It further noted that when stress is severe, it can have a harmful effect on the mental health of parents and caregivers, which in turn also affects the well-being of the children they raise.

“Parents have a profound impact on the health of our children and the health of society. Yet parents and caregivers today face tremendous pressures, from familiar stressors such as worrying about their kids’ health and safety and financial concerns, to new challenges like navigating technology and social media, a youth mental health crisis, an epidemic of loneliness that has hit young people the hardest. As a father of two kids, I feel these pressures too,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “With this Advisory, I am calling for a fundamental shift in how we value and prioritize the mental health and well-being of parents. I am also outlining policies, programs, and individual actions we can all take to support parents and caregivers.”