- Almost half (49%) of parents said they were currently (10%) experiencing poor mental health or had at some point since having children (39%).
- 55% reported moderate current mental health and one in three (35%) stated good mental health.
- One in five parents (19%) said they felt overwhelmed most of the time, with a similar number reporting feeling burned out/exhausted (22%) and anxious (most of the time).
- 70% of parents who said they had poor mental health said it negatively impacted their children.
- Half (52%) of these parents said it had led to increased anxiety and mental health issues among their children and one third reported it has been the cause of their children struggling with friendships (37%) and problems engaging with school (36%).
- The children’s charity is calling for the Government to:
- Increase funding to family support services
- Take parental status into account
- Launch an awareness campaign to help people understand the impact of parental mental health has on children
Barnardos children’s charity has today released findings from their survey in their latest report: ‘Parental Mental Health and the Impact on Children’. The children’s charity commissioned Amárach research to carry out a nationally representative survey of 390 parents across the country in March 2025.
Results from the survey show that one in ten parents (10%) said they were currently experiencing poor mental health. Additionally, 39% of parents said at some point in the past, since having children, their mental health was poor.
Parents we spoke to with direct experience of poor mental health commented on how it affected their parenting and the impact it had on their children:
‘Feelings of anxiety and low mood will impact my ability to be in the moment with my children, to have fun with them and to give them new experiences.’
‘Nearly like you’re stuck and can’t make decisions because you’re so overwhelmed and then you feel worse because you can’t be the parent you need to be – it’s a horrible feeling’
‘I find that I am much more impatient even when I try not to be. I end up giving out to my child for things that really don’t matter or aren’t her fault and then in turn this makes me feel guilty after which doesn’t help my mental health either’
Stephen Moffatt, National Policy Manager at Barnardos said: ‘Tens of thousands of children and young people living with parents with poor mental health across the country are at elevated risk of developing mental health issues, struggling to engage in school and finding it difficult to build relationships. However, we know that with additional and earlier supports, taking a whole family approach to the issue, we can better protect these children and young people from harm and improve their current wellbeing and future development. At a time when there is considerable focus on poor youth mental health it’s vital we take the opportunity to address one of its biggest drivers, poor parental mental health.”
Heather O’Shea, Project Leader at Barnardos said: “Across all our services we see parents regularly dealing with mental health issues. A significant amount are struggling with it by themselves on top of dealing with other problems, like poverty, domestic violence and poor housing amongst others. At times it can be overwhelming for them and over time we see the impact that can have on their children. However, we know that getting those families the help and support they need as early as possible can make a huge and lasting difference to the lives of those children. Unfortunately, there’s just not enough of it available at the moment.”
Parents
One in five parents (19%) said they felt overwhelmed most of the time, with a similar number reporting feeling burned out/exhausted (22%) and anxious (most of the time). Almost one in ten reported feeling depressed most of the time.
|
How often do you feel: |
Most of the time |
Some of the time |
Never |
|
Overwhelmed |
19% |
60% |
25% |
|
Anxious |
17% |
68% |
16% |
|
Depressed |
8% |
48% |
43% |
|
Burned out/exhausted |
22% |
57% |
25% |
The impact on children
70% of parents who said they had poor mental health said it negatively impacted their children. 52% of these parents said it had led to increased anxiety and mental health issues among their children; 60% agreed it had led their children to struggle to regulate their emotions; 37% reported it has been the cause of their children struggling with friendships.
|
Poor parental mental health/difficulties impact on children |
Agreed |
|
Increased anxiety and mental health difficulties |
52% |
|
Poor routines |
50% |
|
More insecure |
49% |
|
Struggle to regulate their emotions |
60% |
|
Difficulties engaging in school |
36% |
|
Struggling with friendships |
37% |
|
Less confident |
51% |
|
More withdrawn |
36% |
|
Increased attention seeking |
41% |
|
Becoming hyper alert |
40% |
The impact on parenting
Almost seven in ten parents who completed the survey (69%) who experienced poor mental health or were affected by mental health difficulties said it negatively impacted their parenting. Half of these parents (49%) said it led to them being less emotionally available to their children and two thirds (63%) were more impatient and less tolerant with them.
|
Impact on parenting |
|
|
Less emotionally available/more emotionally detached |
49% |
|
Less day to day attention on children |
41% |
|
Decrease in social time with children |
45% |
|
Less able to enforce routines |
54% |
|
Increased feelings of guilt around poor parenting |
65% |
|
Increased difficulty in making parenting decisions |
51% |
|
More impatient/reduce tolerance with children |
63% |
|
Less empathetic |
41% |
|
Lack of energy to perform parenting tasks |
62% |
The Government can reduce the likelihood of the risks of poorer outcomes for children living in households where poor parental mental health is present, whilst also mitigating potential harm these children may face by:
- Increasing funding for intensive family support services: Funding for intensive family support services working with parents facing mental health issues must be increased. Currently, the level of need for whole family support services far outstrips what is available in local communities.
- Recording parental status: The parenting status of all adults engaged with mental health services should be recorded and a referral offer made to all families with children under 18 to a sufficiently funded local family support service.
- Launch a Parental Mental Health Awareness Campaign: We need to help parents feel comfortable discussing mental health, and the government should launch a campaign to raise awareness of its impact on families.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITOR:
Methodology
Barnardos commissioned Amárach Research to carry out a nationally representative survey of 390 parents across the country. This was carried out in March 2025. Additionally, we carried out 10 detailed one to one interviews with parents facing mental health issues supported in Barnardos services between November 2024 and February 2025. Finally, we spoke to staff across our services to get their views on parental mental health and wellbeing issues facing the families we support.
Barnardos Parental Mental Health report here: Parental Mental Health and the Impact on Children
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