Parental stress is an urgent public health issue, U.S. surgeon general says in new advisory

Parents are stressed out, which can deteriorate their mental health and well-being — which in turn can negatively affect children, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in an advisory Wednesday.

Murthy — who in the past has issued advisories related to gun violence, social media use and a youth mental health crisis tied to an "epidemic of loneliness" across the country — called for changes to national attitudes toward parenting and caregiving in the advisory, titled "Parents Under Pressure."

"The work of parenting is essential not only for the health of children but also for the health of society. Additionally, we know that the well-being of parents and caregivers is directly linked to the well-being of their children," wrote Murthy in the advisory, highlighting his own experience raising children.