A study of mothers' health

The physical and mental health of the mothers of 991 children being examined in phase five of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Child Development Study was assessed through two questionnaires which were designed to show changes in health status rather than to indicate defined disease. Less than one in five of the mothers gave no positive responses to the questionnaire on physical health and less than two in five gave no positive responses to the questionnaire on psychological health. The general level of health was lower than anticipated. Younger mothers showed more positive responses overall than older mothers and more frequent positive responses correlated significantly with family size and the presence of younger children in the family. It is considered that pressure of child rearing, especially in the larger families and in families with preschool aged children contribute to this lower health status.