Mental and physical health of mothers appears to be declining - All socio-economic groups show decline; the poor report it most of all

By: Tom Cloyd - 3 min. read (Published: 2025-05-29; reviewed: 2025-05-29:1140 Pacific Time (USA))

A major study of a large group of mothers has revealed strong indicators of a disturbing loss of mental health in the decade prior to 2023. “Mental health declines occurred across all socio-economic subgroups; however, mental and physical health status was significantly lower for single female parents, those with lower educational attainment, and those with publicly insured children.”¹

Page contents…

• Maternal health in the USA concerns public health leaders and researchers
• Who was studied, and how
• Summary of results
• Significance of the study, and ongoing concerns
• References ^
• Notes ^

 

Maternal health in the USA concerns public health leaders and researchers

A 2024 Advisory report by the US Surgeon General states that “Financial stress related to child care costs, health and education expenses, and employment and income insecurity is an important contributor to parental stress….One-in-four U.S. parents said there have been times in the past year when they did not have enough money for basic needs…”²

Such advisories are issued to address “significant public health challenges”³. This advisory notes that financial stress is but one problem parent face:

“Throughout their lifespan, parents and caregivers often face heightened stressors, including financial strain and economic instability, time demands, concerns over children’s health and safety, parental isolation and loneliness, difficulty managing technology and social media, and cultural pressures.”²

In this context, a maternal health crisis has been identified by multiple researchers, “…defined by recent increases in maternal mortality and stark inequities in pregnancy-related deaths by race, geography, and socio-economic status.”¹

Little attention has been given in research to the overall state of maternal health in the US, although studies of specific subpopulations have been done.¹ A May 27, 2025 report published in JAMA Internal Medicine by researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health addresses this important subject.

Who was studied, and how

A nationally representative sample of almost 200,000 mothers was studied, in order to make inferences about a national maternal population of approximately 42 million mothers. Their average age was 39. Most were biological, step, foster, or adoptive parents. In some cases, the parental status was unknown, or the child’s caregiver was a relative. Almost all had private or public health insurance for their child, but about 7% did not. The children’s ages ranged from 0 to 17 years.¹

The research subjects self-reported on the state of their physical and mental health, on a 4-point “Likert” scale (excellent, very good, good, fair/poor). Reports were obtained annually, from 2016 to 2023.¹

Summary of results

Mental health declines were reported across all socio-economic strata, and were much more notable than physical health declines. Especially concerning was the finding that this decline was greatest “…among mothers who were US born, single parents, less educated, and those with publicly insured or uninsured children.”¹ The group reporting that their mental health was “fair or poor” rose a very worrying 63.3 percent from 2016 to 2023.⁴

Significance of the study, and ongoing concerns

The study’s purpose was simply to observe and track changes over time. The study design did not formally allow for causal analysis, but we still can say several things at this point:

• Careful statistical analysis of the data indicates that less than half of the decline in mental health can be attributed to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.⁴
• Other factors are negatively affecting maternal mental health, and these urgently need study. Why? Because experts report that poor maternal has a “ripple effect” across generations, affecting both childhood development and long term mental health in children.⁵
• It is suggested that ongoing monitoring of maternal mental health could be obtained by adding mental health screening tools to existing ongoing national surveys.⁴

References ^{^}

Columbia University. (2025-05-27). US Mothers’ Mental Health Plummets in New Study. Science Blog. Retrieved 2025-05-29 from https://scienceblog.com/us-mothers-mental-health-plummets-in-new-study/

Daw, J. R., MacCallum-Bridges, C. L., & Admon, L. K. (2025). Trends and Disparities in Maternal Self-Reported Mental and Physical Health. JAMA Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.1260

Thomas, A. T. (2025-05-27). Only 25% of moms in US report “excellent” mental health, marking an alarming decline. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/moms-mental-health-declining-study/story?id=122229228

US Surgeon General. (2024). Parents under pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents. US Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/parents-under-pressure.pdf

Notes ^{^}

 

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