[Paper] New research led by Dr Hosozawa on parenting stress during the first three years using Maternal and Child Health Handbook data is published.

Using data recorded in the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, this study analyzed trajectories of parenting stress from 1 month to 3 years after birth among 3,133 mothers participating in the Tokyo Teen Cohort.

• Five trajectory patterns were identified: persistently low (54.0%), persistently moderate (22.9%), gradually decreasing (9.5%), late increasing (8.5%), and persistently high (5.0%).
• First-time motherhood was associated with high parenting stress in the early postpartum period, and preterm birth was associated with persistently high stress.

These findings highlight the importance of repeatedly assessing parenting stress throughout early childhood and suggest that the Maternal and Child Health Handbook could help identify parents in need of support at an early stage.
Journal: JCPP Advances
Authors: Oikawa N, Hosozawa M*, Yamasaki S, Ando S, Miyashita M, Baba K, Niimura J, Nakajima N, Yamaguchi S, Morimoto Y, Kanata S, Iso H, Hiraiwa-Hasegawa M, Kasai K, Nishida A.
Title: Perinatal predictors of parenting stress trajectories during the first 3 years of parenthood: A Maternal and Child Health Handbook cohort study.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.70154