Children of older mums have fewer emotional and behavioural problems, according to a new Danish study.
A new study of 4,741 mothers and children in Denmark, published in
The European Journal of Developmental Psychology, has found that
older mums resort less to verbal and physical punishment when compared with younger mothers. The research also demonstrated that children of older mamas have fewer behavioural, social and emotional problems.
The study controlled for social and economic factors like income and education, and the authors largely attributed the findings to older mums having more patience than their younger counterparts.
Most previous research suggests that the older women are when they give birth, the greater the health risks are for their children. Childbearing at older ages is understood to increase the risk of negative pregnancy outcomes, as well as increase the risk that the children will develop Alzheimer's disease, hypertension, and diabetes later in life.
However, despite the risks associated with delaying starting a family, various contradictory studies have found that children of older mums are healthier, taller and obtain more education than the children of younger mothers.
Researchers claim that this is because (at least in industrialised countries) educational opportunities are increasing, and people are getting healthier by the year. In other words, it pays off to be born later in your mother's lifetime.
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