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from the well duh files....

Depression might be part of being a parent

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A study by Florida State and Vanderbilt Universities finds parents have significantly higher levels of depression than do adults who do not have children.

Florida State Professor Robin Simon and Vanderbilt's Ranae Evenson said even more surprising was their discovery that symptoms of depression do not go away when the children grow up and move out of the house.

The researchers, who analyzed data from the National Survey of Families and Households, theorize parents are still involved in their adult children's lives and continue to be concerned about them. That has an emotional cost, they said.

The researchers also determined there is no type of parent who reports less depression than non-parents. That, Simon said, is significant because other major adult roles in the United States, such as being married and employed, are associated with enhanced emotional well-being.

The study appears in the American Sociological Association's Journal of Health and Social Behavior,