Three in five parents think their child has suffered with mental health – poll

Three out of five parents believe their child has experienced issues with mental health, according to “deeply concerning” research.

Of the 60% of parents who think their child has suffered from mental ill health at some point in their life, over a quarter (27%) considered their condition to be either moderate or severe.

Pollsters at the Diffley Partnership carried out the research, which found that amongst those who believed their child had suffered mental ill health, 59% said family and everyday life had been affected.

A total of 62% of parents also said their child’s friendships and social activities had been impacted.

Meanwhile, more than two fifths (44%) said their child’s mental health issues had impacted on other children in the family – with over a quarter (28%) of parents who believe their child has had mental health issues having taken time off work as a result.

The research was carried out for the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC), whose chief executive, Roslyn Neely, said: “The data from this poll is deeply concerning.”

She added: “The truth is that we simply don’t know enough about the impact that life in the 2020s – with a period of social exclusion layered on top of unprecedented social media exposure – is having on young people’s mental health.

“However, what we do know is that we are seeing more problems than ever before, and we believe we can play a part in solving them.”

The ECHC was set up to work with children and young people in hospital and those requiring ongoing healthcare so they can be “a child first and a patient second”.

The charity is now considering enhancing services dealing with mental health to reflect what it believes is the increased need highlighted by the poll.

While parents who believe their child has mental health problems can seek help from sources such as GPs, schools and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), the ECHC is now “discussing the possibility of creating another route down which parents and young people can go”, Ms Neely said.

She stated: “We are working on a ground-breaking programme which will not only help the young people experiencing mental ill health, but their families too.

“There is no more time to wait. We cannot simply cross our fingers and hope that our young people work out any problems without help. There is too much at stake.”