A report published by The American Psychological Association shows

That mothers who maintain their jobs while their children are in infancy and pre-school years are happier and healthier than their more traditional stay at home moms.

The article, published in the December 2011 issue of APA’s Journal of Family Psychology, included nearly 1,500 mothers who were interviewed after their child was born and in follow-ups over the next 10+ years. Mothers employed part-time appeared to have better overall health and less depression than stay at home moms, while general health and depressive symptoms were essentially the same in both full time and part-time working mothers.

Interestingly, mothers employed part-time had the highest level of sensitivity to their preschool children, spending time, and providing opportunities for them to learn and grow. Obviously full-time employment curtailed a certain amount of attention to the children, but part-time and stay at home mothers came in equal in terms of their involvement with their children.

Perhaps the time away from the children gave the part-time working mothers more appreciation of the time they did spend with them.

Article Source: Working Moms Feel Better than Stay-at-Home Moms, Study Finds.