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Study: Parents of twins more
likely to report mental strains than parents of single babies
Reported July 07, 2008
BARCELONA, Spain: Parents of twins are more likely to report symptoms
of depression and anxiety than those of single-born babies, researchers said
Monday.
In a small study that tracked the parents of about 100 twins and more than
700 single-born babies, Finnish experts found that the parents of twins had
more depression, anxiety and other problems than parents of single-born
babies.
The results were announced Monday at a meeting of the European Society of
Human Reproduction and Embryology in Spain.
"It's stressful to have a baby, and even more stressful to have more
babies," said Dr. Laurence Shaw, deputy medical director of the London
Bridge Fertility, Gynaecology and Genetics Centre.
Shaw, who is unconnected to the Finnish research, said the study's findings
were interesting but might be misinterpreted.
"The message is not that parents of twins are nutters," he said.
But he added, with the rise in twin births due to artificial reproduction
techniques, doctors and parents needed to be more conscious of the true
costs of having twins.
Because many in-vitro fertilization procedures implant more than one embryo
in a woman, there is a one-in-four chance of having twins when using
artificial reproduction techniques. That compares to a one-in-80 chance of
having twins naturally.
"You are not necessarily getting two babies for the price of one," Shaw
said. "The price may be slightly higher."
Women pregnant with twins are susceptible to numerous medical complications
— including premature birth, diabetes and high blood pressure — but few
studies have examined the mental health of parents once the twins are born.
"It's a worrying finding," said Dr. Leila Unkila Kallio, a senior consultant
in gynecology and obstetrics at Helsinki University Central Hospital, the
study's lead researcher.
Kallio and colleagues gave the parents of twins and single-born babies a
questionnaire to fill out when the mothers were pregnant, when the babies
were two months old, and when they were one year old. The study was funded
mostly by Finnish psychiatric agencies and foundations.
Parents of twins were more likely than parents of single babies to report
problems including anxiety, sleeping difficulties, and social dysfunction.
Kallio said the data was insufficient to tell if parents reporting symptoms
might be clinically depressed, have other mental disorders, or be in need of
psychiatric treatment.
"Doctors are very busy, but they need to keep their eyes open," Kallio said.
"Parents of twins are at greater risk of developing mental health symptoms,
which may lead to a more serious mental disorder."
Other experts doubted whether the parents of twins were actually mentally
unhealthy or just overrun by the demands of new parenthood.
"They may have slightly raised anxiety levels, but that doesn't mean it's a
big problem," said Susan Golombok, a professor at the Centre for Family
Research at the University of Cambridge.
"Most parents are quite pleased to have twins," Golombok said. "Just because
they score a few points higher on the mental health questionnaire doesn't
mean they will need to see a psychiatrist." |
