When it comes to raising kids, having more may not make you merrier.

　　说到养育孩子，生更多孩子不一定会让你更快乐。

　　A new study from Australia found that having a second child worsens parents’ mental health.

　　澳大利亚的一项新研究发现，生二胎会让父母的心理健康状况变得更糟。

　　Researchers from the University of Melbourne combed through 16 years of data from the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia Survey. They found both parents showed improvements in mental health after having their first child. But a second child doubles parents’ time pressure, adding further stress to their lives and negatively affecting their mental health.

　　墨尔本大学的研究人员梳理了来自澳大利亚家庭、收入和劳动力动态调查的16年的数据。他们发现，父母双方在生完第一个孩子后，心理健康状况都有所改善。但是第二个孩子会使父母的时间压力加倍，给他们的生活增加了更多的压力，并对他们的心理健康产生负面影响。

　　Bianca Rodriguez, a marriage and family therapist, says the study’s findings are consistent with her professional experience.

　　婚姻和家庭治疗师比安卡.罗德里格斯说，这项研究的结果与她的职业经验相符。

　　“It’s been said that having one child is what you’d expect but having two is like having 10,” Rodriguez, who’s based in Los Angeles, told The Post. “This is because the amount of attention required for two children is not doubled, it’s exponentially greater because now you have the added dynamic between the children to manage.”

　　住在洛杉矶的罗德里格斯告诉《华盛顿邮报》：“据说第一个孩子是在你的期待中出生的，但生两个孩子就像生10个孩子一样。这是因为两个孩子需要的关注量不是翻倍增加，而是成好几倍增加，因为现在你需要管理孩子之间的互动。”

　　The study also found that a second child has a greater impact on a mother’s mental health than a father’s.

　　研究还发现，第二个孩子对母亲心理健康的影响要大于父亲。

　　“Fathers get a mental health boost with their first child, but also see their mental health decline with the second child,” the researchers wrote in a column for The Conversation. “But, unlike mothers, fathers’ mental health plateaus over time. Clearly, fathers aren’t facing the same chronic time pressure as mothers over the long term.”

　　研究人员在谈话的一个专栏中写道：“有了第一个孩子后，父亲的心理健康状况会得到提升，但有了第二个孩子后，父亲的心理健康状况会下降。”但与母亲不同的是，父亲的心理健康状况会随着时间的推移稳定下来。很明显，从长期来看，父亲们并没有像母亲们那样面临同样持久的时间压力。

　　Researchers say mothers experience higher stress levels when it comes to raising kids because traditionally females are saddled with more of the child care responsibilities at home. The study advises “collectivizing childcare” and investing in school buses, lunch programs and more flexible work policies so fathers can have a bigger role at home.

　　研究人员称，在抚养孩子方面，母亲们承受着更大的压力，因为传统上女性在家承担着更多的育儿责任。该研究建议“集体化育儿”，投资于校车、午餐项目和更灵活的工作政策，以便父亲在家庭中发挥更大作用。