Early motherhood and mental health in midlife: a study of British and American cohorts.
OBJECTIVE
Examine the relationship between early age at first birth and mental health among women in their fifties.


METHODS
Analysis of data on women from a British 1946 birth cohort study and the U.S. Health and Retirement Study birth cohort of 1931-1941.


RESULTS
In both samples a first birth before 21 years, 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 socioeconomic status, midlife socioeconomic status and midlife health. In the U.S. sample, the association becomes non-significant after controlling for educational attainment.


CONCLUSIONS
Early age at first birth is associated with poorer mental health among women in their fifties in both studies, though the pattern of associations differs.
Department of Sociology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. henretta@ufl.edu
John C
JC
Henretta
Emily M D
EM
Grundy
Lucy C
LC
Okell
Michael E J
ME
Wadsworth
D000293:Adolescent; D001722:Birth Order / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008423:Maternal Age; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D014481:United States