Overview

• The share of mothers rating their mental health as excellent fell from 38% in 2016 to 26% in 2023 while those reporting fair or poor rose from 5.5% to 8.5%.
• Single mothers and those with uninsured or Medicaid-insured children experienced the steepest declines in self-reported mental health.
• Mothers consistently reported worse mental health than fathers, with 1 in 12 mothers versus 1 in 22 fathers describing their well-being as fair or poor in 2023.
• Experts say the downward trend predates COVID-19 but was intensified by pandemic-related isolation, rising living costs and lack of paid parental leave.
• Researchers urge sustained policy interventions to ease financial pressures, expand childcare access and establish national paid parental leave.