From the Department of Psychiatry, Weill Institute for Neurosciences (Mr. Riano and Dr. Mangurian), and Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (Dr. Mangurian), University of California, San Francisco; Florida State University College of Medicine (Dr. de Faria); Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Dr. Catapano-Friedman); Yale University School of Medicine (Drs. Ravven and Budde); San Mateo County Psychiatry Residency Training Program (Dr. Weissman); Columbia University School of Medicine (Dr. Nzodom); Stanford University School of Medicine (Dr. Alexander).
Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2020 Mar/Apr;28(2):113-126. doi: 10.1097/HRP.0000000000000246.
For decades, national paid maternity leave policies of 12 weeks or more have been established in every industrialized country except the United States. Despite women representing 47% of the current U.S. labor force, only 16% of all employed American workers have access to paid parental leave through their workplace. As many as 23% of employed mothers return to work within ten days of giving birth, because of their inability to pay living expenses without income. We reviewed recent studies on the possible effects of paid maternity leave on the mental and physical health of mothers and children. We found that paid maternity leave is associated with beneficial effects on (1) the mental health of mothers and children, including a decrease in postpartum maternal depression and intimate partner violence, and improved infant attachment and child development, (2) the physical health of mothers and children, including a decrease in infant mortality and in mother and infant rehospitalizations, and an increase in pediatric visit attendance and timely administration of infant immunizations, and (3) breastfeeding, with an increase in its initiation and duration. Given the substantial mental and physical health benefits associated with paid leave, as well as favorable results from studies on its economic impact, the United States is facing a clear, evidence-based mandate to create a national paid maternity leave policy. We recommend a national paid maternity leave policy of at least 12 weeks.
几十年来，除美国以外的所有工业化国家都制定了为期 12 周或以上的带薪产假政策。尽管女性占美国当前劳动力的 47%，但只有 16%的美国受雇工人能够通过工作场所获得带薪育儿假。多达 23%的在职母亲因为没有收入无法支付生活费用，在分娩后十天内就返回工作岗位。我们回顾了关于带薪产假对母亲和儿童身心健康可能产生的影响的最新研究。我们发现，带薪产假与以下方面的有益影响有关：（1）母亲和儿童的心理健康，包括产后抑郁和亲密伴侣暴力的减少，以及婴儿依恋和儿童发育的改善；（2）母亲和儿童的身体健康，包括婴儿死亡率和母婴再次住院率的降低，以及儿科就诊率和婴儿免疫接种及时率的提高；（3）母乳喂养，包括母乳喂养的开始和持续时间的增加。鉴于带薪休假带来的巨大身心健康益处，以及关于其经济影响的研究结果良好，美国面临着制定国家带薪产假政策的明确、基于证据的任务。我们建议制定至少为期 12 周的国家带薪产假政策。
