Early versus late entry into parenthood and mental health outcomes in Norway: A Bayesian longitudinal analysis of life satisfaction and depressive tendencies by gender and SES.

Early parenthood was associated with higher life satisfaction at age 40 for both genders.

• Data were drawn from the Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behavior Study (NLHBS) using the 2000, 2007, and 2017 waves
• Life satisfaction was assessed at ages 30 and 40
• Early parenthood was defined as becoming a parent between ages 23-30
• Bayesian multigroup structural equation models by gender were used to investigate these associations

Early parenthood was linked to lower depressive tendencies in midlife compared to later parenthood among females, but not among males.

• Depressive tendencies were assessed at ages 30 and 40
• Later parenthood was defined as becoming a parent between ages 30-40
• The gender difference in this association was a key finding of the study
• Between-gender differences in this effect were described as 'not credible' in the overall analysis

Higher life satisfaction at age 23 predicted early parenthood for both genders, indicating selection effects into parenthood timing.

• Selection effects were explicitly accounted for in the Bayesian structural equation models
• Higher life satisfaction at age 23 predicted early parenthood for both males and females
• Females' own education at age 30 predicted later parenthood
• The study noted the importance of accounting for health-related selection into parenthood

Between-gender and SES differences in mental health outcomes associated with parenthood were not credible.

• Both own SES and parental SES were examined as moderators
• Bayesian multigroup structural equation models were estimated separately by gender
• Despite examining multiple subgroups, credible differences by gender or SES were not found
• The study examined parenthood timing, gender, parental SES, and own SES simultaneously

Parenthood overall was associated with greater life satisfaction in midlife in a Norwegian sample.

• The study used data from the Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behavior Study (NLHBS)
• The Norwegian context is characterized as a Nordic welfare state
• Midlife was assessed at age 40
• The findings were interpreted in the context of declining fertility rates across countries such as Norway

The study employed Bayesian multigroup structural equation models to examine associations between parenthood timing, SES, and mental health outcomes.

• Data were drawn from the 2000, 2007, and 2017 waves of the NLHBS
• Models were estimated separately by gender as multigroup analyses
• Both own SES and parental SES were included as predictors
• Parenthood timing was categorized into two periods: ages 23-30 and ages 30-40
• Mental health outcomes included both life satisfaction and depressive tendencies