A U.S. report says parental stress is soaring. Is Canada doing any better?

globalnews.ca:

stress compared with non-parents, a new report by the United States surgeon general said.Experts say the report aligns with mental health indicators in Canada, and there are key changes that can help.The report by U.S. Surgeon General Dr.

Vivek Murthy said that 33 per cent of parents reported high levels of stress in the past month compared with 20 per cent of other adults.According to the report, there are 63 million parents in the United States who have children under the age of 18, in addition to millions of other caregivers.“This population experiences a range of unique stressors that come with raising children; including common demands of parenting, financial strain and economic instability, time demands, concerns about children’s health and safety, parental isolation and loneliness, difficulty managing technology and social media, and cultural pressures,” the report said.“I am calling for a fundamental shift in how we value and prioritize the mental health and well-being of parents. I am also outlining policies, programs, and individual actions we can all take to support parents and caregivers,” Murthy said in a statement.And it’s not just American parents feeling the strain.The advisory said Americans need to shift norms to better foster a culture that values mental health support for caregivers and parents.Among those measures, Murthy recommended “policy changes and expanded community programs that will help ensure parents and caregivers can get paid time off to be with a sick child, secure affordable child care, access reliable mental health care, and benefit from places and initiatives that support social connection and community.”Michael Cooper, vice-president of Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC), said the