Even as the stigma around mental health recedes, working parents are still struggling in silence in many cases. (Photo: Shutterstock)
More than half of American workers say they have had to interrupt or miss work to deal with a mental health issue affecting their children, a new study has found.
The report by "On Our Sleeves," a national project to promote children's mental health, polled more than 3,000 working parents nationwide, and found that they are increasingly stressed by their children's mental health issues, and that the issue is affecting them at work.
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"Concerns about the mental health of children have always existed, but amid the pandemic, they've become increasingly more visible and more urgent," said Marti Bledsoe Post, lead study author and executive director of On Our Sleeves. "Now, working parents are seemingly stuck in a tug-of-war, trying to focus on their children's needs while also navigating work responsibilities."
Worried, but still afraid to open up
The report suggested that even as the stigma around mental health recedes, working parents are still struggling in silence in many cases. The researchers found that 53% of working parents said they had missed work at least once per month to deal with their children's mental health, and 54% said they had interrupted their work to answer communication about their child's mental health needs during business hours.
At the same time, there was a lack of comfort in discussing the issue at work. Although 85% of working parents said it was a good idea to talk about children's mental health, relatively few had done so with management or colleagues. Only 20% said they had talked to their managers about the issue, while 23% said they had talked about this issue with their HR department. Even with workplace colleagues, relatively few (21%) said they had discussed concerns about their children's' mental health.
Another finding of the report: although 72% of respondents who had experienced a mental health issue with their children said their employer was understanding of such issues, a relatively high number of parents still had concerns about how these issues could affect their careers.
"Almost half of Mental Health-Disrupted parents felt they could potentially lose their job (45%) or would not be considered for promotions (43%) if their child's mental health concerns interfered with their work," the report said.
How employers can help
The report includes several tips for employers, saying that a company's culture can help ease the stigma around mental health issues. Companies should provide resources to help parents deal with the issue and develop confidence, the report said.
Including mental health in any overall discussion of health and wellbeing, providing materials such as books and videos, and forming a support network such as an Employee Resource Group, are some of the steps an employer can take, the report said.
"We understand that some parents are hesitant to seek help for emotional and mental support for their children, but it's time for that to change – and that change can be possible if companies take action," said Vinita Clements, Executive Vice President & Chief of Human Resources at Nationwide Insurance, whose Foundation funded the study. "It's our responsibility as business leaders to create a safe space in which employees feel comfortable communicating about mental health at work and ultimately receive the help needed to support their families."
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