Study title: Impact of Parental Mental Health and Poverty on the Health of the Next Generation: A Multi-Trajectory Analysis Using the UK Millennium Cohort Study
Quick read summary
The study examines how parental mental health and poverty during childhood affect health later in life. It looks at both maternal and paternal mental health and their combined impact with poverty on children’s health.
Researchers used data from 10,500 children in the UK Millennium Cohort Study, tracking poverty and parental mental health from when the children were 9 months old to 14 years old. They then analysed how these factors affected the children’s mental health at age 17.
Five different patterns of poverty and parental mental health were identified.
Children who experienced poverty and poor parental mental health (53% of the sample) had worse outcomes.
Those exposed to both persistent poverty and poor parental mental health were at higher risk for socioemotional problems, mental health issues, and cognitive disabilities.
The study estimates that 40% of socioemotional problems at age 17 are due to persistent parental mental health issues and poverty.
Research summary
This study examined data from the millennium cohort study (MCS), a large national longitudinal study of children born in the UK between September 2000 and January 2002, and followed up through seven survey waves. The initial sample included all children born during these timeframes and eligible to receive child benefit [16]. We used data from the birth survey, when the children were around 9 months old, with subsequent follow-ups at 3, 5, 7, 11, and 14 years of age and the most recent wave (child age 17), which was conducted in 2018–2019.
It found evidence that both primary caregiver (typically the child’s mother) and secondary caregiver (usually the child’s father, step-parents/partner) poor mental health co-occur with family poverty in one in 10 children, with more than half of UK children being exposed to some degree of poverty and parental (caregivers) mental health problems, alone or in combination.
These exposures, in isolation or in combination, were strongly associated with adverse mental and behavioural health outcomes.
It found that mental health problems in both caregivers, alongside family poverty, combine to have large negative impacts on the mental health of the next generation.
Over 10% of children experienced persistent poverty and persistent poor mental health in both caregivers up to the age of 14 years, which was associated with over 4 times the odds of adolescent socioemotional behavioural problems and more than a 2-fold increased risk of mental health problems at the age of 17 years.
Why are these findings important?
Child poverty and poor caregiver mental health problems act together across childhood developmental stages, with large negative impacts on the health of the next generation.
Policies and interventions to reduce child poverty and parental mental health problems could result in a substantial reduction in poor health across the life course of the UK population.
The study is unique as it is the first to explore the life course mental health and poverty trajectories of both parental caregivers and their impacts on the health of the next generation at the point of transition to adulthood.
This evidence supports the intuitive hypothesis that children’s and adolescents’ well-being depends to a large extent on the family environment.
Who is this evidence useful for?
Anyone involved in shaping policy or services on a national or local level, to improve the lives of families and children. Anyone who works in mental health, especially children’s and adolescents’ mental health services.
Read the full research paper
Acknowledgments
This work was co-authored by NIHR ARC NENC Director Professor Eileen Kaner, and NIHR ARC NENC Co-Director, Professor Ruth McGovern.
It was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Policy Research Programme (ORACLE: OveRcoming Adverse ChiLdhood Experiences, Grant reference number NIHR200717) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration South London (NIHR ARC South London) at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.