Six in ten parents think their child has experienced mental ill health

• New polling also reports significant impacts on family life and siblings
• Findings also report impact on working life of parents

New polling for Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) by The Diffley Partnership has exposed a dramatic concern among parents for their children’s mental wellbeing.

The polling has shown that:

• 50% of parents think their child has experienced mental ill health, with over one quarter considering it moderate or serious
• Nearly 60% of those parents reporting a mental health issue consider it to have a fair or great impact on their family life, with over 60% considering it to have such an effect on their childrens’ friendships and social activities
• Almost half believe their child’s mental health issues have a great or fair impact on the other children in the household
• More than one-quarter of parents with children whom they believe have a mental health issue have had to take time off work as a result

ECHC exists to transform the lives of babies, children and young people in hospital and healthcare so they can be a child first and a patient second. All its work streams are centred around this objective, putting children and young people at the heart of everything it does, and its activity includes support for child and adolescent mental health services. 

It is currently considering enhancing its services for children and wellbeing with a mental health concern to reflect the increased need illustrated by this polling.

Commenting on the polling, ECHC’s Chief Executive Roslyn Neely said: “The data from this poll is deeply concerning. 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.

“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.”

The polling follows a wellbeing and resilience report compiled by ECHC following in-depth consultations with the parents of children and young people who had experience with CAMHS or mental health issues.

Roslyn Neely added: “These in-depth consultations provided us with a wealth of information which, critically, show us that parents explore a range of different sources of help for their children, including CAMHS, GPs and schools.

“ECHC is now discussing the possibility of creating another route down which parents and young people can go.”