The 2024 Surgeon General Report highlights the needs of parents. The document starts with a quote “Raising children is sacred work. It should matter to all of us.” Being a parent is not easy, unfortunately, as the old saying goes, “Kids do not come with handbooks!”
Every year the Surgeon General advisory report highlights a public health issue and provides recommendations for how it should be addressed. Advisories are reserved for significant public health challenges that require the nations immediate awareness and action.
Here are some of the highlights from the document:
Parents consistently report experiencing high levels of stress compared to other adults
According to 2023 data:
· 33% of parents report high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of other adults.
· 48% of parents say that most days their stress is completely overwhelming compared to 26% among other adults.
Parents and caregivers experience a multitude of unique stressors from raising children
These stressors include, but are not limited to:
· Financial strain, economic instability, and poverty
· Time demands
· Children’s health
· Children’s safety
· Parental isolation and loneliness
· Technology and social media
· Cultural pressures and children’s futures
We must do more to better support parents and caregivers
The work of parenting is essential not only for the health of children but also for the health of society. Amid a youth mental health crisis, the work of raising a child is just as valuable as the work performed in a paid job and critically important when it comes to the impact on the future of society.
The report also highlights some ways based on our roles how we can help. For example, employers can help by expanding policies and programs that support the well-being of parents and caregivers in the workplace, implement training for managers on stress management and work-life harmony, and provide access to comprehensive and affordable high-quality mental health care.
Communities, community organizations and schools can foster open dialogue about parental stress, mental health, and well-being, create opportunities to cultivate supportive social connections among parents and caregivers, and elevate the voices of parents and caregivers to shape community programs and investments.
Family and friends can reach out and offer practical support with household or everyday tasks, connect with parents and caregivers in your life on a regular basis, learn about mental health challenges parents and caregivers may face.
At K-State Research and Extension our Stress and Resiliency team along with Family Community Wellness Agents and Family and Child Development agents are here to support parents. We provide a range of services and partner with other community entities to provide support whether it is working on affordable and quality childcare or providing educational services around stress and mental health.
In the Cottonwood District, we partner with the Barton County Health Department to provide Becoming a Mom classes that support prenatal families and we hope to provide the same service in Ellis County in the near future. The goal is to bring families together at the very beginning of their parenting journey to support each other as well build the relationships with community services so parents know where to go when they need extra support.
We also offer Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) which is a suicide prevention program as well as other topics around mental health such as stress and stress management.
We have wide range of educational materials in our bookstore to support parents with fact sheets covering topics such as child development, screen time, family meals, and choosing appropriate childcare. https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/
Finally, we partner with schools from child care to the university level to provide programming based on the needs of the teachers, students, and parents.
To read the entire Surgeon General report: https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/parents/index.html.
Monique Koerner is the Family and Community Wellness Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. You may reach her at: 785-628-9430 or moniquek@ksu.edu.
