Maria Lyster Andersen

• Ponkilainen, Maria; Einiö, Elina; Kolk, Martin; Fallesen, Peter; Torvik, Fartein Ask & Andersen, Maria Lyster [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Changing Landscapes of Parenthood: Childbearing Among Same‐Sex and Different‐Sex Couples in the Nordic Countries. Population and Development Review. ISSN 0098-7921. doi: 10.1111/padr.70068. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract The Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland were among the first countries to acknowledge same‐sex couples’ partnership and parenthood rights in their legislation. We explore trends over time in the share of female same‐sex and different‐sex couples that have children following their legal union and variation by socioeconomic status. Using harmonized register data, we assess couples’ likelihood of having a child over time, with a focus on education and income. We find strong increases in female couples’ likelihood of having a child, resulting in a sharply increasing prevalence, approaching near parity with different‐sex couples in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway around 2010. Finland diverges from the other countries in terms of its later and less steep increase. Higher education is associated with a higher likelihood of having a child, whereas we find a less clear gradient by income level. The results suggest that legal changes, together with more supportive wider cultural and normative societal environments, have made same‐sex parenthood more achievable in the Nordic countries. These changes are concurrent with the observed increase in parenthood. Following this increase, female couples today are nearly as likely as different‐sex couples to have children within a legal union.

• Andersen, Maria Lyster; Hart, Rannveig Kaldager; Sunde, Hans Fredrik; Davies, Neil Martin & Torvik, Fartein Ask (2026). The cost of caring: Gendered health and labor market effects of grandparenthood. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). ISSN 0027-8424. 123(22). doi: 10.1073/pnas.2535409123. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  While the effects of the transition to parenthood are well researched, less is known about how the transition to grandparenthood affects health and labor market outcomes. Using comprehensive Norwegian register data covering the entire population born between 1950 and 1960, we examine the effects of first-born grandchildren born during 2007–2018. Employing event-study models with person-year records, we compare grandparents to not-yet grandparents. Our findings reveal a sharp increase in the likelihood of respiratory infections during the first two years of grandparenthood, with infections increasing by 56% for women and 31% for men. Additionally, grandparenthood modestly reduces the likelihood of doctor’s visits related to mental disorders (4.5%) and cardiovascular health (3.3%). Grandmothers also see a decline in musculoskeletal-related visits (3.8%). These health-related changes coincide with notable gendered effects on labor market participation. Ten years after the birth of their first grandchild, employed women are 12% less likely to hold full-time positions compared to a 2% reduction for men. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the transition to grandparenthood significantly reshapes health and economic outcomes for both women and men. The larger effects observed for women likely reflect their greater involvement in informal childcare provision. Our results underscore the intersection of health, family dynamics, and gendered labor market behaviors in late adulthood.

• Andersen, Maria Lyster; Sunde, Hans Fredrik; Hart, Rannveig Kaldager & Torvik, Fartein Ask (2026). Parenthood and mental health throughout the life course: A total population study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. ISSN 0933-7954. p. 1–14. doi: 10.1007/s00127-026-03091-7. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Do parents or childless adults have better mental health? The answer could vary by life phases, but past studies exploring the link between parenthood and mental health have not considered the entire life course. This study investigates the association between parenthood and mental health in an entire population and further looks at how parenthood interacts with factors such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status. We used comprehensive Norwegian register data covering the entire population aged 31–80 years old (N = 2,234,087) to explore the relationship between parenthood and mental health conditions from 2006 to 2019. We used logistic regression models for population-wide analyses and conditional logistic models for analyses of discordant same-sex sibling sets and monozygotic twin pairs. Parenthood was associated with a lower risk of mental disorders (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.67–0.68 for women; OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.59–0.60 for men), including depressive and anxiety disorders. Fathers also had a minor reduction in risk of symptoms related to mental illness (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97–0.98), while mothers had a slightly elevated risk of symptoms (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.09–1.10). Overall, mental health disparities between parents and non-parents persisted throughout life and were more pronounced among men and those with low educational attainment. Our findings were consistent in sibling- and twin-matched analyses. Our findings highlight parenthood as a significant indicator of mental health inequalities throughout adulthood and old age.

• Ponkilainen, Maria; Einiö, Elina; Kolk, Martin; Fallesen, Peter; Torvik, Fartein Ask & Andersen, Maria Lyster [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2025). Changing landscapes of parenthood: childbearing among same-sex and different-sex couples in the Nordic countries. Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. doi: 10.4054/mpidr-wp-2025-023. Full text in Research Archive
• Andersen, Maria Lyster; Hart, Rannveig Kaldager; Sunde, Hans Fredrik; Davies, Neil Martin & Torvik, Fartein Ask (2025). The Cost of Caring: Gendered Health and Labour Market Effects of Grandparenthood. Social Science Research Network (SSRN). doi: 10.2139/ssrn.5717325. Full text in Research Archive
• Andersen, Maria Lyster; Sunde, Hans Fredrik; Hart, Rannveig Kaldager & Torvik, Fartein Ask (2024). Parenthood, Mental Disorders, and Symptoms Through Adulthood: A Total Population Study. medRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2024.10.29.24315908. Full text in Research Archive

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• Andersen, Maria Lyster (2026). Bestemor tar rekninga: – Kva skal eg med pengar når eg har barnebarn? [Internet]. NRK. doi: https:/www.nrk.no/vestland/ny-fhi-studie_-bestemodrer-jobbar-mindre-og-far-lagare-inntekt-1.17921211. Full text in Research Archive
• Andersen, Maria Lyster (2026). Bestemor tar regninga - FHI. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Bestemødre jobber mindre, får lavere inntekt, og oftere luftveisinfeksjoner. Men hun har færre psykiske plager sammenlignet med de på samme alder som ikke har fått barnebarn enda. Det viser en ny studie fra FHI.

• Andersen, Maria Lyster; Torvik, Fartein Ask; Hanevik, Hans Ivar; Bensnes, Simon Søbstad & Hart, Rannveig Kaldager (2026). Careers on Hold? Earnings, Sick Leave, and Mental Health after Assisted Reproduction. Full text in Research Archive
• Andersen, Maria Lyster (2025). The Cost of Caring: Gendered Health and Labour Market Effects of Grandparenthood. Full text in Research Archive
• Andersen, Maria Lyster (2024). Parenthood and Mental Health: from adulthood to old age. Full text in Research Archive
• Torvik, Fartein Ask; Sunde, Hans Fredrik; Andersen, Maria Lyster; Kinge, Jonas Minet & Nordmo, Magnus (2024). Sosial ulikhet, psykisk helse og genetikk. Full text in Research Archive
• Andersen, Maria Lyster; Reme, Bjørn-Atle & Wörn, Jonathan (2025). Thematic Issue of the Public Health Report 2025 – Mental Health of Children and Adolescents; Chapter 5: Social Inequalities in Mental Health Among Children and Adolescents. Folkehelseinstituttet. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Barn av foreldre med lav inntekt eller utdanning har økt risiko for å oppleve psykiske helseproblemer. Vi ser størst sosial ulikhet hos barn med ADHD, en diagnose som er vanlig i ung alder og blant gutter.

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