This blog post is part of a series designed to spark conversation! To read future posts in the series, you can view all ELCA Innovation Blog posts here.

Parents under pressure

This past summer, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents. A Surgeon General’s Advisory is “a public statement that calls the American people’s attention to an urgent public health issue and provides recommendations for how it should be addressed. Advisories are reserved for significant public health challenges that require the nation’s immediate awareness and action.” In short, an advisory is serious.

The advisory paints a picture of an interconnected web of issues that contribute to parental and caregiver stress, loneliness, and mental health conditions. Some of the stand-out figures include:

  • Nearly 3-in-4 parents are extremely or somewhat worried that their child will struggle with anxiety or depression.
  • School shootings, or the possibility of one, are a significant source of stress for 74% of parents.
  • Approximately 65% of parents and guardians, and 77% of single parents in particular, experienced loneliness, compared to 55% of non-parents.
  • In the last decade, childcare prices have grown by approximately 26% in the U.S.

How can the church respond?

In his foreword to the advisory, the surgeon general states, “Raising children is sacred work. It should matter to all of us.” The advisory makes it clear that the church can take action to respond to this challenge with faith leaders and communities being called out specifically to:

  1. Foster open dialogue about parental stress, mental health, and well-being in culturally appropriate ways.
  2. Create opportunities to cultivate supportive social connections among parents and caregivers.

But how might the church and other faith communities respond to this call for action? Last year, the ELCA Innovation Lab partnered with Try Tank Research Institute and the Presbyterian Church (USA) to conduct a national research study that sought to understand shifting trends in the faith lives of young adults, with a particular focus on young adult parents or prospective parents (those hoping to have children).

This study revealed more about shifting spiritual and religious practices, identities, and affiliations. It also dug into parents’ worries and priorities. Over the next few weeks, we’ll post brief insights and reflections based on this research that we hope will spark conversation, ideas, and action in your community. You can read the full report any time and direct your questions, comments, and reflections to Lab@elca.org!

Further Reading

  1. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents.
  2. An opinion column from Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, featured in the New York Times.
  3. Resources from UNICEF that explore and provide tips for talking about mental health with young people and tips for caregivers and parents as they care for themselves.
  4. The ELCA’s social message on The Body of Christ and Mental Illness which was adopted in 2012 by the ELC Church Council.