Parental Age and Growth of Child
Common wisdom indicates that younger parents will have more energy to keep up with young kids, while older parents have more time and experience to take care of them. Could your age as a parent have an effect on the growth of your children, and is there really an appropriate age for children to have the best conditions for child development?
Research shows that there are potential advantages and disadvantages of having children in your life at various periods of age.
Parenting age is growing
A decline in https://teachmixer.com/coloring-pages/family/ family size and delay in childbearing age have been observed in the developed world. Where the average maternal first-born age was 21.4 in 1970, in 2018 it went up to 26.9.
Although it might seem like just a minor pause, a rise in parental age may have consequences for both parents and their offspring's health and well-being. For this reason, both physicians and social theorists have scrutinized the possible consequences of delayed childbearing. While it seems like a relatively small amount, some research has indicated that this delay in having children may have an effect on the outcomes of growth and health.
Although the emphasis is often on the correlation between advanced maternal age and birth defects, some troubling research has indicated decreases in neurocognitive results among older paternal age-related U.S. children. A 2009 research indicated that having an older father during both infancy and adolescence was correlated with subtle impairments in neurocognitive results.
The researchers re-analyzed data on almost 56,000 children given a series of cognitive ability assessments at 8 months, 4 years, and 7 years of age. These assessments looked at the ability to think, including thinking, memory, understanding, focus, comprehension, speaking, and reading. Some engine skills assessments have also been performed.
On all tests, children with older fathers had lower scores, except for those with motor skills. The older the dad was, the greater the correlation between paternal age and low cognitive test scores was. Children with older mothers, by comparison, were more likely to have higher scores on cognitive ability tests.
Although it has been thought for a long time that men could continue fathering children well into old age with no real effect on the health of their children, more recent research indicates that this might simply not be true. Another research published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry indicated that older fathers are related to a certain proportion of the rise in autism.
Autism Causes and Risk Factors
However, while higher paternal age is related to children's health effects and paternal age has risen in recent decades, researchers do not believe it poses a major concern for public health.
What about the influence of maternal age on health outcomes for children? The most apparent biological problem is that birth defects, an elevated risk of premature birth, and low infant birth weight are correlated with increased maternal age.
Studies, however, also indicate that other health issues associated with young motherhood might also occur. One large-scale study showed that kids with poorer health results in terms of height, obesity, self-rated health, and diagnosed health problems were young mothers under the age of 25.
Parenting Age's Psychological Effect
Parental age and the effect on child wellbeing are strongly correlated with biological problems, but what about the emotional impact of parenting at various ages? There were a few studies that looked at the psychological effect on parents and their children of delayed childbearing.
For instance, one study found that later parenthood accomplished by assisted reproductive technology was not associated with detrimental effects on the well-being of children. While there were variations between younger and older mothers on different levels, the researchers found that there were no significant psychosocial benefits in terms of the impact on child well-being for any maternal age group. The research also showed that older mothers appeared to have a higher educational status, higher wages, and were less likely during pregnancy to participate in risky behaviors.
But what about the possible parental health effect of age?
Increasingly, evidence shows that the age at which people become parents first may actually have long-term health effects. Women who become mothers during their late teens and early 20s, for instance, have a higher mortality rate than those who later become parents.
Other studies have suggested that having a first child around age 22 or 23 has a detrimental effect on health during later life. This early parenthood has also been linked to higher rates of depression. One study suggested that between 16% and 44% of adolescent mothers suffered from depression.
Other studies have shown that raising a first child about the age of 22 or 23 in later life has a negative impact on health. Higher rates of depression have also been associated with this early parenthood. One research indicated that depression was experienced by between 16% and 44% of teenage mothers.
However, becoming a parent later in life tends to allow women to attain higher levels of education, establish a long-term relationship, and achieve greater financial security. Adding to this complicated mix is the fact that later motherhood is associated with increased medical complications such as pre-eclampsia, hypertension, and gestational diabetes, some of which may have long-lasting health consequences.
What Do Parents Have to Say?
Beyond the potential biological ramifications of having kids at an older age, what effect might age have on parenting styles?
One small study found that among parents who had their first child after the age of 40 most believed that the best time to become a parent was five to 10 years earlier. Interestingly, most of the over-40 parents still maintained that being an older parent had more advantages than disadvantages. Still, 80% of the mothers and 70% of the fathers said that the optimal age to have children was in the 30s.
Most older parents suggested that their greatest advantage was being more emotionally prepared to be a parent. Some said that being older made them more self-aware, confident, resilient, self-actualized, better able to offer support, and more capable of communicating with a child.
"I know that I'm way more self-aware than I was 20 years ago. I feel like I'm in a better position to communicate better with my child and help them more in life and I understand how to be a supportive, encouraging parent," explained one of the fathers who took part in the study.
A few other advantages cited by the parents who took part in the study included having greater career success, financial security, stronger social relationships, more workplace flexibility, and more time.
One caveat—the study was small (including just 107 participants) and lacked much diversity (most were married and white with above average incomes). The researchers suggest that additional research with a larger and more diverse sample might be more reflective of what exists in the larger population.
This is not to say that being an older parent is all sunshine and roses. Being an older parent had its advantages, some of these participants suggested, but there were also notable pitfalls. Some parents suggested that if they could have, they would have had their children sometime in their 30s. Why?
The most commonly cited reason was that they felt they would have more physical energy to be a parent. Older parents may feel that they do not have the energy to keep up with their always-on-the-go kids.
Some parents also cited difficulties with conceiving, worries about living long enough to raise their children, and concerns over having fewer children than they wanted as major downsides to becoming an older parent.
For many respondents, the 30s represented a sort of middle-ground between the potential pitfalls and benefits of early versus later parenting.
"Parenting in their 30s was imagined to reflect a compromise that maximized the financial and emotional advantages of later parenting while minimizing the risks of age-related infertility, smaller-than-desired family sizes, lack of energy, less lifetime spent with their children, and the potential for age-related stigma," the study's authors wrote.
What About Parental Age and Child Behavior?
In a 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, researchers assessed data collected on more than 15,000 sets of twins. Developmental patterns related to social skills including conduct, peer problems, and social skills were examined. The researchers also compared the impact of parental age against genetic and environmental factors.
What the researchers discovered was that fathers on either end of the age spectrum, either very young or very old, at the time of conception were linked to differing patterns of social development in their children. Analysis of the data further revealed that most of these differences could be linked to genetic factors rather than environmental ones.
Children born to fathers under 25 or over 51 tended to show more prosocial behaviors early in development, but lagged behind their peers born to middle-aged fathers by the time they reached their teens.
"Our results reveal several important aspects of how paternal age at conception may affect offspring," explained Dr. Magdalena Janecka, the study's lead author. "We observed those effects in the general population, which suggests children born to very young or older fathers may find social situations more challenging, even if they do not meet the diagnostic criteria for autism.
"Further, the increased importance of genetic factors observed in the offspring of older, but not very young fathers, suggests that there could be different mechanisms behind the effects at these two extremes of paternal age. Although the resulting behavioral profiles in their offspring were similar, the causes could be vastly different."
So what's the consensus on the best age to be a parent? Clearly, many factors go into shaping how children develop over the course of birth to adulthood, but parenting is one of the most primary and prevalent influences. Parenting at any age has its own set of benefits and challenges, and factors that are unique to each parent's situation and background also play critical roles.
Becoming a parent at either end of the childbearing years—in the early 20s or well into the 40s—may present the greatest number of downsides in terms of both biological and psychosocial risk.
There are trends suggesting that young parents may have more energy to keep up with busy children, but their offspring may experience delayed social development and young parents may be more prone to depression. Older parents may have the benefit of experience and knowledge, but they may also face some increased risks including potential subtle neurocognitive delays in their kids.
No matter what age you choose to become a parent, being aware of the potential challenges you might face might help you be better prepared to tackle the many trials and rewards that come with having children. Such knowledge can also help you maximize the benefits of your age, such as having more experience as an older parent or more energy as a young parent, while taking steps to overcome any weaknesses that might influence your parenting style and the healthy development of your children.
Biological Factors of Nutrition and Gender in Child Development
Research shows that there are potential advantages and disadvantages of having children in your life at various periods of age.
Parenting age is growing
A decline in https://teachmixer.com/coloring-pages/family/ family size and delay in childbearing age have been observed in the developed world. Where the average maternal first-born age was 21.4 in 1970, in 2018 it went up to 26.9.
Although it might seem like just a minor pause, a rise in parental age may have consequences for both parents and their offspring's health and well-being. For this reason, both physicians and social theorists have scrutinized the possible consequences of delayed childbearing. While it seems like a relatively small amount, some research has indicated that this delay in having children may have an effect on the outcomes of growth and health.
Although the emphasis is often on the correlation between advanced maternal age and birth defects, some troubling research has indicated decreases in neurocognitive results among older paternal age-related U.S. children. A 2009 research indicated that having an older father during both infancy and adolescence was correlated with subtle impairments in neurocognitive results.
The researchers re-analyzed data on almost 56,000 children given a series of cognitive ability assessments at 8 months, 4 years, and 7 years of age. These assessments looked at the ability to think, including thinking, memory, understanding, focus, comprehension, speaking, and reading. Some engine skills assessments have also been performed.
On all tests, children with older fathers had lower scores, except for those with motor skills. The older the dad was, the greater the correlation between paternal age and low cognitive test scores was. Children with older mothers, by comparison, were more likely to have higher scores on cognitive ability tests.
Although it has been thought for a long time that men could continue fathering children well into old age with no real effect on the health of their children, more recent research indicates that this might simply not be true. Another research published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry indicated that older fathers are related to a certain proportion of the rise in autism.
Autism Causes and Risk Factors
However, while higher paternal age is related to children's health effects and paternal age has risen in recent decades, researchers do not believe it poses a major concern for public health.
What about the influence of maternal age on health outcomes for children? The most apparent biological problem is that birth defects, an elevated risk of premature birth, and low infant birth weight are correlated with increased maternal age.
Studies, however, also indicate that other health issues associated with young motherhood might also occur. One large-scale study showed that kids with poorer health results in terms of height, obesity, self-rated health, and diagnosed health problems were young mothers under the age of 25.
Parenting Age's Psychological Effect
Parental age and the effect on child wellbeing are strongly correlated with biological problems, but what about the emotional impact of parenting at various ages? There were a few studies that looked at the psychological effect on parents and their children of delayed childbearing.
For instance, one study found that later parenthood accomplished by assisted reproductive technology was not associated with detrimental effects on the well-being of children. While there were variations between younger and older mothers on different levels, the researchers found that there were no significant psychosocial benefits in terms of the impact on child well-being for any maternal age group. The research also showed that older mothers appeared to have a higher educational status, higher wages, and were less likely during pregnancy to participate in risky behaviors.
But what about the possible parental health effect of age?
Increasingly, evidence shows that the age at which people become parents first may actually have long-term health effects. Women who become mothers during their late teens and early 20s, for instance, have a higher mortality rate than those who later become parents.
Other studies have suggested that having a first child around age 22 or 23 has a detrimental effect on health during later life. This early parenthood has also been linked to higher rates of depression. One study suggested that between 16% and 44% of adolescent mothers suffered from depression.
Other studies have shown that raising a first child about the age of 22 or 23 in later life has a negative impact on health. Higher rates of depression have also been associated with this early parenthood. One research indicated that depression was experienced by between 16% and 44% of teenage mothers.
However, becoming a parent later in life tends to allow women to attain higher levels of education, establish a long-term relationship, and achieve greater financial security. Adding to this complicated mix is the fact that later motherhood is associated with increased medical complications such as pre-eclampsia, hypertension, and gestational diabetes, some of which may have long-lasting health consequences.
What Do Parents Have to Say?
Beyond the potential biological ramifications of having kids at an older age, what effect might age have on parenting styles?
One small study found that among parents who had their first child after the age of 40 most believed that the best time to become a parent was five to 10 years earlier. Interestingly, most of the over-40 parents still maintained that being an older parent had more advantages than disadvantages. Still, 80% of the mothers and 70% of the fathers said that the optimal age to have children was in the 30s.
Most older parents suggested that their greatest advantage was being more emotionally prepared to be a parent. Some said that being older made them more self-aware, confident, resilient, self-actualized, better able to offer support, and more capable of communicating with a child.
"I know that I'm way more self-aware than I was 20 years ago. I feel like I'm in a better position to communicate better with my child and help them more in life and I understand how to be a supportive, encouraging parent," explained one of the fathers who took part in the study.
A few other advantages cited by the parents who took part in the study included having greater career success, financial security, stronger social relationships, more workplace flexibility, and more time.
One caveat—the study was small (including just 107 participants) and lacked much diversity (most were married and white with above average incomes). The researchers suggest that additional research with a larger and more diverse sample might be more reflective of what exists in the larger population.
This is not to say that being an older parent is all sunshine and roses. Being an older parent had its advantages, some of these participants suggested, but there were also notable pitfalls. Some parents suggested that if they could have, they would have had their children sometime in their 30s. Why?
The most commonly cited reason was that they felt they would have more physical energy to be a parent. Older parents may feel that they do not have the energy to keep up with their always-on-the-go kids.
Some parents also cited difficulties with conceiving, worries about living long enough to raise their children, and concerns over having fewer children than they wanted as major downsides to becoming an older parent.
For many respondents, the 30s represented a sort of middle-ground between the potential pitfalls and benefits of early versus later parenting.
"Parenting in their 30s was imagined to reflect a compromise that maximized the financial and emotional advantages of later parenting while minimizing the risks of age-related infertility, smaller-than-desired family sizes, lack of energy, less lifetime spent with their children, and the potential for age-related stigma," the study's authors wrote.
What About Parental Age and Child Behavior?
In a 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, researchers assessed data collected on more than 15,000 sets of twins. Developmental patterns related to social skills including conduct, peer problems, and social skills were examined. The researchers also compared the impact of parental age against genetic and environmental factors.
What the researchers discovered was that fathers on either end of the age spectrum, either very young or very old, at the time of conception were linked to differing patterns of social development in their children. Analysis of the data further revealed that most of these differences could be linked to genetic factors rather than environmental ones.
Children born to fathers under 25 or over 51 tended to show more prosocial behaviors early in development, but lagged behind their peers born to middle-aged fathers by the time they reached their teens.
"Our results reveal several important aspects of how paternal age at conception may affect offspring," explained Dr. Magdalena Janecka, the study's lead author. "We observed those effects in the general population, which suggests children born to very young or older fathers may find social situations more challenging, even if they do not meet the diagnostic criteria for autism.
"Further, the increased importance of genetic factors observed in the offspring of older, but not very young fathers, suggests that there could be different mechanisms behind the effects at these two extremes of paternal age. Although the resulting behavioral profiles in their offspring were similar, the causes could be vastly different."
So what's the consensus on the best age to be a parent? Clearly, many factors go into shaping how children develop over the course of birth to adulthood, but parenting is one of the most primary and prevalent influences. Parenting at any age has its own set of benefits and challenges, and factors that are unique to each parent's situation and background also play critical roles.
Becoming a parent at either end of the childbearing years—in the early 20s or well into the 40s—may present the greatest number of downsides in terms of both biological and psychosocial risk.
There are trends suggesting that young parents may have more energy to keep up with busy children, but their offspring may experience delayed social development and young parents may be more prone to depression. Older parents may have the benefit of experience and knowledge, but they may also face some increased risks including potential subtle neurocognitive delays in their kids.
No matter what age you choose to become a parent, being aware of the potential challenges you might face might help you be better prepared to tackle the many trials and rewards that come with having children. Such knowledge can also help you maximize the benefits of your age, such as having more experience as an older parent or more energy as a young parent, while taking steps to overcome any weaknesses that might influence your parenting style and the healthy development of your children.
Biological Factors of Nutrition and Gender in Child Development
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