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. 2013 Jan 1;26(1):285-301.
doi: 10.1007/s00148-012-0437-5.

Effects of early maternal employment on maternal health and well-being

Pinka Chatterji  1 , Sara Markowitz, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn
Affiliations

Effects of early maternal employment on maternal health and well-being

Pinka Chatterji et al. J Popul Econ. .

Abstract

This study uses data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study on Early Child Care to examine the effects of maternal employment on maternal mental and overall health, self-reported parenting stress, and parenting quality. These outcomes are measured when children are 6 months old. Among mothers of 6-month-old infants, maternal work hours are positively associated with depressive symptoms and parenting stress and negatively associated with self-rated overall health. However, maternal employment is not associated with quality of parenting at 6 months, based on trained assessors' observations of maternal sensitivity.

Keywords: Family leave; Maternal employment; Maternal health; Maternity leave.

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