Parenthood Pressures: Do Caregivers Experience Higher Levels of Stress?

As seasoned parents will often tell you, raising children is one of the most challenging and most rewarding jobs they’ve ever had. Unconditional love makes all those sleepless nights, toddler temper tantrums, adolescent ups and downs, and teenage angst worth it in the end. Although the power of love helps soften the trials and tribulations of parenthood, high stress levels still have a lingering effect on mental well-being.

According to the 2024 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, “Over the past decade, parents have been consistently more likely to report experiencing high levels of stress compared to other adults. In 2023, 33% of parents reported high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of other adults.” Parents and caregivers are under pressure, and the effects are noticeable. “When stress is severe or prolonged, it can have a deleterious effect; 41% of parents say that most days they are so stressed they cannot function.”

Clearly, parents and caregivers need support, which starts by understanding the unique factors that affect their lives, including:

• Societal expectations and pressures
• Concerns for child safety and health
• Difficulty managing time demands
• Financial strain and responsibility
• Neglected self-care
• Loneliness and isolation

The role of parents and caregivers is essential for creating a functional and healthy society, and one that deserves respect and support. In supporting your client’s goals for providing benefit offerings that improve the lives of their employees, identifying areas of impact is important.

Within the workplace, parents and caregivers feel the most supported when leaders:

• Encourage communication: Promoting an atmosphere that encourages open discussion and dialog about mental wellness issues validates employees’ experiences.
• Increase support: Improving organizational policies and providing human-focused services like Kindly Human makes team members feel valued.
• Educate and train: Providing stress management training for upper-level staff demonstrates a commitment to maintaining a supportive work culture.
• Improve access to services: Ensuring employees understand how to access their mental wellness benefits prevents underutilization support.

Supported caregivers support everyone

Parents and caregivers are the backbone of society, and their impact is huge. Your clients are looking for real solutions to support this important section of their workforce. Offering pre-clinical peer support to clients enables them to address the real-world needs of their team right when it’s needed. By adding Kindly Human to benefit offerings, your clients can demonstrate this support and make a statement that caregivers are not only valuable, they’re vital.