70% of UK mothers feel overloaded, study finds

Seven in 10 UK mothers feel overloaded and almost half have a mental health issue such as anxiety or depression, new research finds.

A survey of mothers’ experiences in 12 European countries also found most of those in Britain still do the majority of household tasks and caregiving alone, and that the UK was among the worst for motherhood disadvantaging a woman’s career.

The research was conducted by pan-European campaign group Make Mothers Matter, which surveyed 800 mothers in each of the 12 countries about the psychological impact of giving birth and the pressures of motherhood.

It found that 71 per cent of UK mothers feel overloaded, compared with 67 per cent across Europe, while 47 per cent report mental health issues including burnout, compared with 50 per cent in Europe as a whole.

Some 31 per cent of UK respondents felt motherhood had a negative effect on their career, higher than the 27 per cent average, with Ireland the highest at 36 per cent.

However, some measures showed UK mothers find it easier to balance work and caring. Only 11 per cent said their partner did not take paternity leave, far lower than the 25 per cent average across the 12 countries.

The findings prompted calls for GPs and NHS maternity and health visiting services to routinely ask mothers about their mental wellbeing and provide more help to those who need it.

Prof Alain Gregoire, a perinatal psychiatrist and honorary president of the Maternal Mental Alliance UK, said that despite improvements in NHS care in recent years, too many mothers were left “suffering in silence.”

“Much of the suffering maternal mental ill-health causes goes undetected, despite mothers’ repeated contact with maternity staff, health visitors and GPs.

“There’s a stigma associated with seeking mental health help and support, there’s not enough of that around, so women face enormous barriers to getting help, and health professionals don’t get enough training in spotting maternal mental health problems.”

He said easy access to talking therapies, which offer psychological support, would “provide an unstigmatised way of accessing help and relieve huge amounts of the suffering for mothers and families.”

Angela McConville, chief executive of the NCT parenting charity, said: “Pregnancy, birth and early parenthood are periods of heightened vulnerability, but significant gaps remain in the care and services offered to women and new parents, particularly after birth.

“After birth, women need services that provide localised mental health support, unbiased and evidence-based information, and regular, reliable touchpoints, from health visitors through to postnatal GP check-ups.”

“Instead, many women encounter a fragmented postnatal care system that is dangerously underfunded and understaffed, leaving them feeling isolated at a time when support is most critical.”

Make Mothers Matter said mothers across Europe are experiencing higher levels of stress, cognitive overload and emotional exhaustion today than when it undertook a similar survey in 2011.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Every mother deserves to feel supported when it comes to their mental health, and we are determined to ensure help is there when it’s needed.

“A wide range of support is available on the NHS for new and expectant mothers, including access to specialist perinatal services, talking therapies and help from health visitors.

“We are investing more in mental health services with an extra £688m this year, we’ve hired an extra 7,000 mental health workers, and we’re providing more NHS talking therapies.”