Researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland have found that support from grandparents can have a significant impact on mother's mental health. In the study that was published in the journal Population Studies, it found that grandparental support can have a positive effect of mothers, especially those who have separated from their partners and have become single parents. The Finnish study examined 116,917 separating mothers and 371,703 non-separating mothers with children under the age of 12 and were examined for at least three years between 2000 and 2014. The researchers compared the prevalence of mothers' antidepressant medications to grandparental characteristics related to their ability to provide support. There was a lower probability of maternal depression with the presence of grandparents who were under the age of 70, who were employed and who did not have severe health problems. Depression was less common if the grandparents were still married and lived near their daughter.

Maternal grandmothers seemingly carried the most weight in impacting the mental health of the mother. "Grandparental characteristics associated with increased potential for providing support and decreased need of receiving support predict a lower likelihood of maternal depression, particularly among separating mothers," the researchers stated in the findings.

Co-author of the study, Dr. Niina Metsa-Simola, spoke with Fox News about the differences in maternal mental health and how it could be a larger issue in the U.S. than in Finland. "This is because Finland is a comprehensive Nordic welfare state that offers relatively generous support measures, including affordable childcare," she said. "Furthermore, multigenerational households (that is, grandparents living together with their adult children and grandchildren) are highly uncommon in Finland." Matt Lundquist, LCSW, MSED, a psychotherapist at Tribeca Therapy in New York City, weighed in with his thoughts on the study. "While there can be psychiatric issues that need attention from a mental health professional, often the kinds of community support, family support, caring and nurturing that new moms and new parents get is incredibly significant," he said.