Study finds lengthier maternity leave curbs moms' depression

Rachael Ng

Extending paid maternity leave has lowered the chance of new mothers having postnatal depression, researchers at the University of Hong Kong's nursing school found.

Postnatal depression is a prevalent and serious mental health condition that can affect mothers up to 12 months after childbirth. In Hong Kong, about 30 percent of new mothers experience postnatal depression, higher than the global average of 18 percent.

The findings came from a joint study by researchers from HKU, Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore and the University of British Columbia in Canada. A total of 1,414 mothers were surveyed in the study.

One group of mothers gave birth between August and December 2020, before the SAR government extended the statutory paid maternity leave from 10 to 14 weeks. Another group comprised those who gave birth between December 2020 and July 2022, after the policy implementation.

Women of childbearing age - around 25 to 34 years old - have the highest workforce participation rate of 80 percent, making them the biggest beneficiaries of the policy.

The mean age of the mothers who took part in the study was 32. Most of them worked in skilled occupations.

The researchers found that extending Hong Kong's statutory paid maternity leave from 10 to 14 weeks in 2020 led to a significant improvement in maternal mental health.

Postnatal depression symptoms decreased 22 percent after the extended paid maternity leave. There was also a 33 percent drop in mothers saying baby care was affected by their negative emotions.

Quan Jianchao, clinical assistant professor at HKU School of Public Health, said the extension did not lead to more mothers exiting the workforce, which shows the new policy supports the retention of highly skilled and educated female workers. "Even a modest change in policy - an additional four weeks of paid leave - was associated with significant mental health benefits," he said.

But Quan continued to express concerns about maternal mental health.

"One-third of the participants in our sample had probable postnatal depression, while other estimates have put the figure at 16 percent to 30 percent of Hong Kong mothers, depending on the timing of the assessment," he said. "All these estimates are high compared to other Asian and Western societies."

Neighboring governments have been increasing funding for paid parental leave as part of family-friendly initiatives.

Ellie Bostwick Andres, one of the principal investigators and a senior research fellow in the Lien Centre for Palliative Care at Duke-NUS Medical School, said Singapore announced plans for an additional 10 weeks entirely paid by the government, bringing total paid leave to 30 weeks by 2026.

rachael.ng@singtaonewscorp.com