Research: The mental health of women born at the beginning of the year is better than those born in December – the reason is “relative age”

In January girls born in December have better mental health as young adults than those born in December. Girls in the first year are also more likely to acquire higher education.

This was found out in a recent study by the research institute Labore in the studywith the title: Born at the right time.

Researchers think that it is the effect of the so-called relative age. Surprisingly, it was not seen in young men in the study.

December those born at the end of January start their studies in Finland almost a year younger than those born at the beginning of January.

Children in the first year are often both mentally and physically more mature. According to previous studies, they get better grades in school and, after entering working life, they succeed there as well.

The result emphasizes that the early benefits brought by the date of birth can have a long impact on adulthood, the research group write.

Surprise was that the difference in mental health was seen specifically in women and not in men. This is what the author of the study, Labore’s specialist researcher, says Tiina Kuuppelomäki.

For example, the youngest in their school class receive more ADHD diagnoses. They tend to focus on boys, as do many conduct disorders.

Therefore, the researchers expected that the problems accumulated by the youngest members of the peer group would also be visible later in men’s lives.

In Kuuppelomäki’s opinion, in light of the results, it is good that the government abandoned the law amendment that would have prohibited postponing a child’s school start.

Going to school can be postponed for a year if the child clearly does not seem ready for school. More postponement decisions have been made for boys.

Closely saying the most significant result of the study was that women born at the beginning of the year use less antidepressants than those born at the end of the year.

Due to depression, they have as many as 20 percent fewer hospital stays than those born at the end of the year.

The difference starts to be seen in women from the age of 23 and is greatest among those under 30 years of age.

The researchers came up with the idea of ​​looking at the effect of the age gap in adulthood by comparing the situation of Finns born near the turn of the year but on different sides of it in the years 1976–1986 at the age of 18–34.

According to Kuuppelomäki, the method used indicates a real cause-and-effect relationship because, for example, the socio-economic background of the family does not affect the exact moment of the child’s birth.

“Parents don’t decide whether a child is born on New Year’s Eve before or after midnight.”