Is there an ideal time to have children?

In industrialised countries, the age at which men and women enter into a serious relationship and have children is increasingly higher. In Switzerland, the average age at which a married woman has her first child is 30.6 years. More women than ever before are giving birth over the age of 35 - according to doctors, they are so-called «late mothers». Fathers are also getting older. One in five fathers in Switzerland is 40 or older when their child is born. What does this massive social change mean for children and their development?

Older parents have more resources to care for their children.

Research is currently being conducted in particular into the question of how the increased age of parents affects the behaviour and psychological and social mental health of children in the long term. On the one hand, it is known that having children at an older age harbours a number of risks for mother and child, such as pregnancy complications and genetic abnormalities like Down syndrome. On the other hand, older parents usually have a higher income and a better level of education, which means that they have more resources at their disposal to care for their children.

The research we are conducting here at the Telethon Kids Institute in Western Australia with a team of child and adolescent health specialists is looking at how the age of mothers and fathers at the time of their child's birth affects their child's behaviour in childhood and adolescence.

We have investigated a wide range of behavioural problems that can occur in many children at some point in their lives. We distinguish between two categories: internalising behaviours such as sadness, anxiety and somatic symptoms and externalising behaviours. Older parents have more resources to care for their children.patterns such as strong impulsivity, aggressiveness and attention deficit disorder.

Children of older mothers have fewer behavioural problems.

We are fortunate to be able to work with an extensive longitudinal study that has followed over 2000 children and their families from pregnancy through childhood and into adolescence. We have found that the age of the mother - even taking into account other variables such as social and economic circumstances, parental education, smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy - is an important predictor of the child's later behaviour. Our research has shown that as the mother's age increases, the risk of children developing internalising and externalising behavioural problems decreases. Between the ages of 2 and 17, the children of older mothers showed fewer behavioural problems such as anxiety, depression or aggression. This is encouraging news for older mothers.

There are still many questions to be answered. We expect further insights from some of the studies we are working on: For example, we are looking at behavioural problems in early adulthood to see if the mother's age at birth is an indicator of the child's later behaviour in their early 20s. Another study is looking at the experiences of mothers who give birth to their first child at the age of 35 or later. Here we ask the mothers why they have their child at this time of life and what their experiences are. It would be fantastic to find out how best to support mothers at an older age and why the mother's age seems to influence the child's behaviour. With this knowledge, we could help children who may be at risk of developing behavioural problems.

So is there such a thing as the ideal time to have children? The answer is most likely yes - when you are ready. There are advantages and disadvantages to having a child at any age. While our research findings are reassuring for older mums, there are also many positives to having a baby at a younger age. The perfect time can't always be planned.
Picture: Pexels

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jessica Tearne works as a clinical psychologist in a hospital and as a research officer at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, Western Australia. She studies how early childhood experiences from the time of conception influence a child's behaviour and mental health.

JACOBS FOUNDATION
As one of the world's leading charitable foundations, the Jacobs Foundation has been committed to promoting research in the field of child and youth development for 25 years. The Foundation aims to provide sustainable support for future generations by improving their development opportunities.