Health before pregnancy and eligibility for parental leave benefits: a Swedish total population cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Parental leave generosity is protective for mothers' mental health in the postpartum period and beyond. Strong work requirements exist for parents in Sweden to receive more generous benefits which might penalise individuals who, due to poor health, have a weak labour market attachment. The aim of the study was to examine whether mothers with poor health prior to pregnancy are less likely to be eligible for more generous benefits in Sweden.

Methods

We used total population registers to study first-time mothers, aged 25-45 years, who were resident in Sweden and gave birth between 1 January 2009 and 30 September 2013 (n = 151,452). We used logistic regression to examine the association between health one and two consecutive years prior to pregnancy (to assess chronic

SUBMITTER: Heshmati A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11917127 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature