The mental health of a parent may have even more impact on their children than previously realized, according to the results of a new study.
This is especially concerning at a time when parents are reporting such high levels of stress and struggle that it has been deemed an “urgent crisis.”
Parents who report that their mental health is only “poor” or “fair” have kids who are more likely to have their lives disrupted by more severe ADHD symptoms and more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders.
The Correlation Seems Significant
The study, published in Pediatric Reports, examined data for kids between ages 6 and 11 from 2019 to 2022. The rates of anxiety and depression in kids increased during this period, a statistic commonly attributed to COVID-19, which robbed many kids of loved ones, social interactions, and many of their typical experiences and diversions.
However, the study also discovered “significant associations between severe childhood anxiety and ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ caregiver rankings of mental and emotional health for both the 2020 and 2022 survey years.”
There was also a correlation between parents reporting “fair” or “good” mental health with the prevalence of children diagnosed with ADHD or ADD.
Isn’t ADHD Genetic, Though?
Well, sort of.
The exact cause of ADHD is still unknown. Still, research suggests it comes from multiple factors, including genetics, environment, and neurological differences (which also come from a combination of genetics and environmental factors).
Still, this study’s data isn’t suggesting that a parent is “causing” their kids’ ADHD by having their own mental health struggles, only that there’s some correlation. In fact, one study last year, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, considered other possibilities for causality, including that parenting a child with ADHD added stress factors for parents, increasing the likelihood of mental health struggles.
That study also examined the mental health struggles of parents who themselves have ADHD, finding that mothers with ADHD also likely face more mental health difficulties than their non-ADHD counterparts.
The Genetic Aspect Is Important, Too
The genetic aspect cannot be overlooked. ADHD and anxiety disorders are heritable traits and may have gone undiagnosed in previous generations.
A 2023 study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports found that while about 20% of adults have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, as many as 55% who do not have a diagnosis have symptoms that would support one.
What that may mean, in short, is that self-reported “poor” or “fair” mental health could, for many parents, describe an undiagnosed but still heritable anxiety disorder.
It’s also relevant that untreated ADHD can result in poorer mental health by adulthood, meaning that adults with undiagnosed ADHD may be more likely to both report poorer mental health and have kids with ADHD.
What Conclusions Can We Draw From This Data?
The conclusion the researchers drew was that there is a need for more community resources across the U.S. to support kids with mental health and developmental needs and to support parents in seeking mental health support.
As parents, one very valuable takeaway from this study is that when you help yourself, you help your child. Taking steps to protect your own mental health can sometimes feel selfish and indulgent, but it is actually part of caring for your family.
This means that we must recognize and meet our own needs, which can include taking breaks, getting enough rest, and seeking mental health care when necessary.
What Else Can We Do?
Our kids not only inherit our genes, but they also learn behaviors from us.
That means that when we practice good self-care, we model it for our children. They learn to treat themselves the way we treat ourselves, so actively modeling self-care, positive self-talk, and other healthy choices helps influence them to have more positive behaviors and outlooks.