Parental Mental Health - 2024
Parental Mental Health and the Impact on Children (2024) is a report outlining outlining the prevalence of poor parental mental health and the impact it has on children across the country. One in five (20%) parents said they are currently experiencing poor mental health.
The report outlines findings of a survey conducted by Amarach Research of a nationally representative survey of 300 parents and 15 one-to-one interviews with parents currently supported through Barnardos services.
Download a Copy of the Parental Mental Health Report & Executive Summary
What you told us about your Parental Mental Health
I had no energy, no motivation, no desire to look to the future. It takes over your mind, like a nasty weed growing and smothering all good thoughts.”
Anxiety leaves me feeling very tired physically and mentally which in turn affects my mood and again my tolerance for my children’s perfectly normal behaviours. I find myself snapping at them."
- One in five (20%) parents said they are currently experiencing poor mental health
- Almost one quarter (23%) reported feeling anxious most of the time, one in five (19%) feel overwhelmed most of the time, one in ten (9%) feel depressed most of the time and one third (31%) feel burned out/exhausted most of the time
- 48% of parents who experienced poor mental health said it had a moderately negative impact on their children and worryingly more than one in ten (12%) said it had a considerable negative impact on their children
Tiredness takes over – therefore I do not have the energy to make sure I cook a good meal or spend quality time with my children."
- Two-thirds (66%) of parents said that at some point they had poor mental health and wellbeing with one in five (20%) parents said they currently had poor mental health.
- 46% of parents said it affected their children emotionally and mentally, leading to issues around low mood and increasing anxiety
- One-third (33%) said it affected family dynamics, strained family relationships and increased conflict within the home
Inability to attend fully or listen to my children, felt like I couldn’t be present…often spent time in bed complaining of 'headache' to avoid interactions."
Barnardos Recommends
- Develop
Develop a campaign raising the awareness of the impact of parental mental health on children, whilst seeking to address any stigma associated with it
- Increase
Increase funding for targeted intensive family supports for parents facing mental health issues
- Record and Offer
Record the parenting status of all adults engaged with mental health services and automatically offer a referral to local family/parenting support services to all parents with children under 18 who are engaging with adult mental health services
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