Access to employer-supported paternity leave and workers' self-rated mental health - United States, 2024

BackgroundInternational research suggests there are benefits to paternity leave, including positive impacts on the health and wellness of mothers and children, and mental health among fathers. However, U.S.-based studies remain limited, often relying on localized data. Prior quantitative study which assessed multi-state data was not able to take employer support or lack of support for leave-taking into account.ObjectiveTo assess associations between access to employer-supported paternity leave and mental health among U.S. workers; to examine the distribution of access by industry.MethodsParticipants were a cross-sectional, nationally representative 2024 panel of U.S. adults who responded to a question about paternity leave (n = 2608). A single item assessed paternity leave availability and perceived employer support. Mental health was self-rated (good/very good/excellent versus fair/poor). We estimated associations between paternity leave access and mental health among all participants and among men using survey-weighted quasibinomial logistic regression. Weighted descriptive analyses were conducted by sociodemographic characteristics and industry.ResultsLack of access to paternity leave was associated with fair/poor mental health in the full sample (no access: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.73, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18, 2.54; availability without employer support: aOR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.16, 4.31) and among men (no access: aOR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.22; availability without employer support: aOR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.06, 5.63).ConclusionsAccess to employer-supported paternity leave may be protective for U.S. workers' mental health. Industry-specific access disparities highlight opportunities for workplace interventions.