Centre for Policy on Ageing



Early motherhood and mental health in midlife — a study of British and American cohorts
Author(s)	John C Henretta, Emily M D Grundy, Lucy C Okell
Journal title	Aging & Mental Health, vol 12, no 5, September 2008
Publisher	Taylor & Francis, September 2008
Pages	pp 605-614
Source	http://www.tandfonline.com
Keywords	Mother ; Mental health [elderly] ; Middle aged ; Comparison ; United Kingdom ; United States of America.
Annotation	The relationship between early age at first birth and mental health in women in their 50s was examined by analysis of data from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (MRC NSHD, also known as the British 1946 Birth Cohort) and the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) cohort of 1931-1941. In both samples, a first birth before age 21 compared to a later first birth is associated with poorer mental health. The association between early first birth and poorer mental health persists in the British study even after controlling for early socio-economic status, midlife socioeconomic status and midlife health. In the US sample, the association becomes non-significant after controlling for educational attainment. Early age at first birth is associated with poorer mental health in women in their fifties in both studies, though the pattern of associations differ. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-081124237 A
Classmark	SRM: D: SE: 48: 8: 7T
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.