In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

The support of grandparents who are in good health and close by correlates with a lower use of antidepressants in mothers, a new study finds, CNN Health reported on Feb. 16. “Mothers are less likely to purchase antidepressants if their own parents are younger than 70, employed and do not have severe health problems,” said the study's lead author, Dr. Niina Metsä‐Simola, a lecturer and demographics researcher at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Researchers tracked 488,000 mothers of young children in Finland between 2000 and 2014, according to the report published Feb. 15 in Population Studies. The research team collected demographic data, including whether the mother had a partner or was separated, as well as the age, health, distance and employment status of the grandparents, both maternal and paternal. The connection between access to grandparents' help and a lower use of antidepressants was especially strong in mothers who were separated from their partners, the study said. “Grandparents are an important source of support to families with children, and support from others is well known to protect individuals from depression,” Metsä‐Simola said via email.