According to one study, the number of children is better for the mental health of women

Think University researchers have analyzed data of more than 55,000 women of the UK Biobank, the British health database. their goal? Check the effects of the number of children on the spread of mental disorders. Results: Women who had at least one child introduced the risk of being suffering from depression or bipolar disorder without a child.

However, this security does not follow a linear argument. Study published in Emotional disorder journal It is revealed that the optimal threshold will be two children. Below, the risk of mental disorders is high, and beyond that, the protective effect seems to be stable or slightly reverse.

Why two children instead of one or three?

Many explanations have been put forward. Balance between social stimulation and mental loads plays an important role. With two children, mothers often benefit from the sharing of a more structured family network and interaction, while to avoid emotional or affordable overloads that can be a large family.

Organic and hormonal factors can also intervene. Pregnancy and delivery causes neurobiological changes that affect mood and anxiety. Balance is offered between these benefits and frequent hormonal turmoil -related risks from two pregnancies.

Boundary to keep in mind

Although a large number of participants are included in this study and the variables such as age, lifestyle or medical history are taken into consideration, this does not allow a reason and impact relationship. It is also possible that other factors, such as family support or socio-economic status, play a major role in mental health of mothers.

Ultimately, these results provide interesting ways to understand the relationship between paternity and mental welfare, while remembering that psychological health depends on the congestion of factors beyond the simple number of children.