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Having kids brings joys and sorrows in any case - but is raising children linked in some way to depression? New research shows older parents have higher rates of depression, compared with childless adults. In a study of parental status and depression among 17,469 adults over the age of 51, researchers found that having no children, either biological kids or stepchildren, was linked to lower rates of sadness, insomnia and other depressive symptoms, compared with having children. The results held true across all marital status groups, married, divorced or never married.在任何情况下，有了孩子就会带来喜忧掺杂的感受，但抚养孩子同抑郁症有着某种联系吗？一项最新研究显示，与没有孩子的成年人相比，为人父母者年纪大了以后患抑郁症的比例更高。在一项对17,469名51岁以上成年人是否有孩子的状况和抑郁症的研究中，研究人员发现，与有孩子的成年人相比，没有子女──无论是否亲生──的成年人患有悲伤、失眠等抑郁症状率的比率都更低。这个结果在已婚、离异和未婚的所有婚姻状况的群体中都是成立的。
If your teenagers have ever kept you up all night, these findings may ring true. From my standpoint, being a parent has always been kind of like having your heart walking around outside your body; from the moment you give birth, you are never again entirely in control of your happiness. But for me - and I speak only for myself - I wouldn"t choose any other state; I"m happy to take the angst and vulnerability of parenting, along with the many joys.
如果你十几岁的孩子曾经让你彻夜难眠，这些发现可能就是正确的了。在我看来，身为父母始终就像是让心脏在体外游走一般，从孩子出生的那一刻起，你就不能再完全控制自己的幸福。但对我来说，我不会选择任何其它状态；我很高兴承受身为父母的焦虑和脆弱，以及许许多多的乐趣，当然这只是我的个人观点。
That depression is common among women is well-known, as this Working Mother article shows. Postpartum depression, in particular, has been drawing growing attention, afflicting some 15% of new mothers, as Michelle said in her eloquent post on the challenges of returning to work with PPD.
正如《职业母亲》杂志的一篇文章所显示的，众所周知抑郁症在女性中比较常见。尤其是产后抑郁症已经引起了越来越多的关注，约15%的产妇深受其苦，米歇尔在她的文章中就谈到了患产后抑郁症重返工作岗位时面临的挑战。
In this latest study, the most depressed of all were single biological mothers who had never married, and biological mothers whose children had died. The research was published in the Journal of Family Issues.
在这项最新研究中，最抑郁的是从未结婚的有亲生孩子的单身母亲，以及亲生孩子夭折的母亲。这项研究结果发表《家庭问题杂志》上。
On the other hand, staying married seemed to aid happiness across the board, regardless of parental status. Married biological mothers, in particular, were happier than unmarried biological mothers, says the study, led by Regina M. Bures, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Interestingly, whether parents had biological children or stepchildren seemed to make little difference in depression rates.
另一方面，不管是否为人父母，维持婚姻似乎都有助于幸福。佛罗里达大学盖恩斯维尔分校社会学助教赖什(Regina M. Bures)领导的这项研究说，尤其是有亲生孩子的已婚母亲要比同样状况的未婚母亲更加幸福。有趣的是，无论孩子是否亲生，父母患抑郁症的比例都差不多。
The bottom line: If you want to be happy in old age, it may be more important to stay married than to have children. The study also calls into question the notion that having biological children - who presumably might be expected to take care of you in old age - is a ticket to well-being in your golden years.
最根本的是：如果你想晚年幸福，结婚可能比有子女更加重要。这项研究还对拥有亲生子女就有了晚年幸福保证（也就是想当然地认为子女会在你老了以后照顾你）的观念提出了质疑。
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