UK Parents Worry Most About Children’s Mental Health: According to new research with parents released by Action for Children, mothers and fathers in the UK are more likely to worry about their child’s mental state than any other aspect of their health – with two in five stating that emotional wellbeing was a primary concern for them. Almost half of mothers with children under 18 (47%) stated that mental health and emotional wellbeing was a primary concern. Fathers were less likely to state this, with the proportion dropping to around a third (32%).

UK Parents Worry Most About Children’s Mental Health

The online survey, which interviewed 9,015 adults across the UK – of whom 2,267 were parents of children aged under 18 – also found that mothers (37%) were more likely to worry about what their children were eating than fathers, of whom only around a quarter (27%) were concerned about their children’s diet and weight.

Around a fifth of all the parent’s interviewed suggested that they were worried about serious illnesses, such as cancer (21%), whilst other were more worried about longer term conditions such as diabetes or asthma (20%). A further one in ten cited food allergies or intolerances as their primary concern.

Sir Tony Hawkshead, chief executive of Action for Children, suggested that the charity was looking to the government to improve early support for families in order to ensure that concerns did not become major issues in the future.

The Local Government Association, which represents local authorities in England and Wales, released a statement through a spokesperson which said that local councils play an important role in ensuring that children and families receive the help they need ‘sooner rather than later’. The LGA emphasised that children’s services teams were under more pressure than ever to ensure that the right support is delivered at the right time, although focussing funding on targeting the causes, not symptoms of health and mental-health related issues should be the priority.