Mental health-related quality of life and the timing of motherhood: a 16-year longitudinal study of a national cohort of young Australian women.
PURPOSE
We examine timing of motherhood in a longitudinal cohort of young Australian women, and its relationship with mental health-related quality of life (SF-36 MHI-5), and with sociodemographic, health behaviour and health-related variables.


METHODS
We analysed longitudinal self-report data from a nationally representative cohort of 10,332 Australian women born 1973-1978, surveyed 6 times between 1996 (aged 18-23) and 2012 (aged 34-39).


RESULTS
Group-based trajectory modelling identified four groups. Normative Mothers (46%, mean age at motherhood 30.5 years) made the transition to motherhood close to the Australian median age. Early Mothers (25%, 25.2 years) and Very Early Mothers (7%, 20.0 years) made this transition earlier; Not Mothers (22%) had not given birth. Generalised linear mixed models showed that all groups improved mean MHI-5 scores over time. Patterns of group differences were complex: Normative and Early Mothers scored consistently highest; Very Early Mothers scored lowest at most surveys; Not Mothers' scores increased relative to others over time. Most effects disappeared after adjustment for confounders. Early and Very Early Mothers showed multiple indicators of social disadvantage, while Not Mothers had very low rates of marriage.


CONCLUSIONS
Timing of motherhood is embedded in sociodemographic and personal contexts. Women with socioeconomic advantages were characterised by higher mental health-related quality of life and later transition to motherhood, but adjustment for relative advantage attenuated differences in mental health-related quality of life. The overall findings suggest a pattern of positive adaptation to circumstances, with mental health-related quality of life improving through early adulthood regardless of timing of motherhood.
['Holden|Libby|L|0000-0003-0951-2611', 'Hockey|Richard|R|0000-0002-7214-5052', 'Ware|Robert S|RS|0000-0002-6129-6736', 'Lee|Christina|C|0000-0003-3138-9867']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D001315:Australia D015331:Cohort Studies D005260:Female D015438:Health Behavior D006801:Humans D008137:Longitudinal Studies D008603:Mental Health D009035:Mothers D011788:Quality of Life D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D013997:Time Factors D055815:Young Adult
Motherhood Longitudinal Trajectories Mental health Predictors