Why do people who have children live longer than the childless?

Most parents at some point probably think that children take several years of their life, but it turns out all the opposite. The presence of children is associated with an increase in life expectancy. A new study examining this effect attributes it to nursing, which parents receive from children when they reach the age of honor.

Given the lack of normal sleep, young parents may think, like in the old joke, that life has ended for them, but statistics prove the opposite. Many studies have confirmed that people who have children actually live longer than those who never raised them, but these jobs could not explain why this is happening and whether it is due to fertility.

What the results of the study say

Dr. Karin Modig of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden tried to answer this question, at least for the Swedes. Using extensive databases of the Swedish population, she studied the years of death of people born between 1911 and 1925. It turned out that if a man has at least one child, after reaching the age of 60 he can count on an additional two years of life, compared to the childless. For women, the difference was 1.5 years. With a sample size of more than 1.4 million people, these figures look reliable.

Modig reported in her article in the Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health that the gap in mortality rates with age is growing. For example, a 70-year-old Swede born at the time that was included in the Modig studies had a 3.3 percent chance of dying before reaching 71 if he was childless and only 2.9 percent if he had at least one Child. By the age of 90, these figures were 17.7 and 16.2 percent.

The difference was approximately twice that of unmarried men (including widowers and divorced ones), compared to married ones.

Help in old age

Modig attributes this difference to the support that children provide to older parents trying to cope with the changes that age brings. It's not just about direct help, but also about the fact that children help older parents cope with bureaucracy, for example, in the health care system and in finding a suitable place to live.

Alternative theories

Previously, many other theories have been proposed that attempted to explain the life expectancy of people who became parents. The birth of children reduces the risk of developing some cancers in women, but may also have additional, yet unknown benefits. On the other hand, it is quite possible that people who have children are initially healthier. Nevertheless, many scientists do not support most of such theories, at least as a major factor.

The idea that children help extend the life of parents, providing support and medical care, is consistent with the observations of Modig. In her study, the oldest people showed the greatest differences in the level of mortality. Most alternative hypotheses suggest that the difference in mortality should decrease with age, as opposed to what was identified in the new study. It was also established that the sex of children had a negligible effect on the life expectancy of parents.