• Almost half (49%) of parents said they were currently (10%) experiencing poor mental health or had at some point since having children (39%).
• 55% reported moderate current mental health and one in three (35%) stated good mental health.
• One in five parents (19%) said they felt overwhelmed most of the time, with a similar number reporting feeling burned out/exhausted (22%) and anxious (most of the time).
• 70% of parents who said they had poor mental health said it negatively impacted their children.
  • Half (52%) of these parents said it had led to increased anxiety and mental health issues among their children and one third reported it has been the cause of their children struggling with friendships (37%) and problems engaging with school (36%).
• The children’s charity is calling for the Government to:
  • Increase funding to family support services
  • Take parental status into account
  • Launch an awareness campaign to help people understand the impact of parental mental health has on children

Barnardos children’s charity has released findings from their survey in their latest report: ‘Parental Mental Health and the Impact on Children’. The children’s charity commissioned Amárach research to carry out a nationally representative survey of 390 parents across the country in March 2025.

Results from the survey show that one in ten parents (10%) said they were currently experiencing poor mental health. Additionally, 39% of parents said at some point in the past, since having children, their mental health was poor.

Parents we spoke to with direct experience of poor mental health commented on how it affected their parenting and the impact it had on their children:

‘Feelings of anxiety and low mood will impact my ability to be in the moment with my children, to have fun with them and to give them new experiences.’

‘Nearly like you’re stuck and can’t make decisions because you’re so overwhelmed and then you feel worse because you can’t be the parent you need to be – it’s a horrible feeling’

‘I find that I am much more impatient even when I try not to be. I end up giving out to my child for things that really don’t matter or aren’t her fault and then in turn this makes me feel guilty after which doesn’t help my mental health either’

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