It has been proven that science today goes much further; it doesn’t stay in the laboratories but reaches the offices of psychologists and psychiatrists. Stress is one of the most prominent mental illnesses of the 21st century. Supporting this theory is the recent study “Parenting Stressors and Morning Cortisol in a Sample of Working Mothers.” This study analyzes how parental and work stress impact cortisol levels among working mothers. This research was conducted by Leah D. Doane, Amy R. Kremen, and Clancy Blair at the University of Pennsylvania.
The double daily burden of being a mother and having a job outside the home has a biological impact
Specifically, the study compared the stress hormone levels of a group of women who worked outside the home and had children with those of women who were not mothers. This research involved 109 women, and the results were clear. The double daily burden of being a mother and having a job outside the home has a biological impact starting in the early hours of the morning. The data is conclusive: women with children show higher cortisol levels around the clock, compared to those without children. In addition, the data also reveal that the stress of working mothers does not increase if they have more children than one.
How did the study work? Of the sample of women in this research, 52% worked 40 or more hours per week, and the vast majority (94.6%) worked 20 or more hours, with only three mothers working less than 20 hours. Urine samples were taken from all of them three times a day: in the morning, during the workday, and before bed. Scientists then measured levels of stress hormones, including cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. This, according to the official data from the study mentioned above. To complete the study, participants filled out a questionnaire with demographic information and an assessment of stress at home and at work. Remember that in this type of study, every little bit counts, since although it aims to reveal a pattern, the truth is that each case is different.
The physical and psychological consequences are proven
The scientists are clear in their results. On the one hand, working mothers reported experiencing high demands both at work and at home and low control over their situations, something that is tremendously related to stress. And this isn’t something to be taken lightly. The physical and psychological consequences are proven. Maintaining these elevated levels of stress hormones all day long causes everything from headaches and intestinal problems to an increased risk of heart disease and a decline in the immune system’s defenses. In addition to the clear psychological consequences, especially focused on depression, anxiety, and fatigue.
The body prepares itself, so to speak, for daily challenges by activating a hormonal alert system
The study also concluded that both parental stress and work stress cause the aforementioned outcomes. Furthermore, the women were monitored on non-working days, so that during their days off, the mothers’ hormonal activation and cortisol levels changed. The results suggest that the body prepares itself, so to speak, for daily challenges by activating a hormonal alert system. If this activation persists chronically, it can lead to fatigue, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. In other words, the discomfort that people who live this type of lifestyle often experience.
The study, therefore, puts into scientifically supported terms that household stress combined with work stress are two combinations that alter the nervous system, and this, in turn, impacts responses in other parts of the body. Likewise, the results suggest that support programs for working mothers, work-life balance measures, and self-care strategies can reduce the emotional and hormonal burden associated with stress. These types of daily rhythms definitely leave a measurable biological footprint and, to the extent possible, are best controlled.
