Wellness Wednesday: Parental Stress

The United States Surgeon General says parental stress is now a public health issue, and there's an urgent need to better support parents, caregivers and families.

According to data from 2023, 48% of parents say most days their stress is completely overwhelming, compared to 26% among other adults.

OU Health Chief of Psychiatry Dr. Britta Ostermeyer joined News 9 to discuss ways to ease the stress.

Ostermeyer said there are several factors that can contribute to stress in parents.

"Financial stressors are significant these days. Life has become very complex, both parents are usually working or we have a lot of single or Ostermeyer said. "At the end of the day, there is often not enough time for the children and making time and being involved is “At the

She said stress can be transmitted to children, so parents should be cautious and do their best to spend quality time with them.

"We need to make time and we need to take precautions of really compartmentalizing stress over here but dedicated family time with the children and be present with need to Ostermeyer said.

She said that another factor of stress for all people is spending too much time on social media.

Ostermeyer said parents may have stress from comparing their lives to others' on social media.

"It is important that we create lives with real people and what we need to do is we need to be mindful," Ostermeyer said.

She stressed the importance of fostering connections outside of the internet, which can be positive for families.

"It takes a small village to raise children and unfortunately, we don't see that anymore. There is missing support by neighborhoods and family for children who need to be raised,” Ostermeyer said.

She said that focusing on community and spiritual wellness can be a way to avoid stress.

"There's a lot of good that flows out of that and there's a commitment and there is a sense of belonging that is positive and gives us good guidance," Ostermeyer said.

For more information on resources to help with stress, CLICK HERE.