Nearly half of parents* with children under 18 reported that their stress was completely overwhelming in 2023, almost double the response of adults without children. This survey finding from the American Psychological Association was one of many resources cited in a public health advisory released by the U.S. Surgeon General on parental stress, mental health, and well-being in October 2024. The advisory—typically reserved for urgent public health issues that need immediate awareness and action—also highlighted the bidirectional interplay between parental mental health and child outcomes.
Disproportionate stress among parents has persisted for more than 10 years, as parents confront increased school violence, social media pressure, rising cost of living, increased social isolation, and worries about their children’s health and safety. Parents are also spending more time with their children and more time working than they were 40 years ago. These factors contribute to stress at levels that can have damaging effects on parents’ mental and physical health.
When parents face high levels of stress, they may experience growing difficulties with mental health symptoms, poor sleep, substance use, and reduced self-efficacy in the parenting role. Parents that are focused on coping with stress may have more difficulty engaging positively with their children, responding in a consistent and attuned manner, and building new skills to support their parenting. As a result, children may experience behavioral health and development challenges.
Some families experience disproportionate exposure to stress.
The parents at the greatest risk of experiencing damaging levels of stress have often experienced ongoing or extreme hardship over time, including early life trauma and adversity, community and interpersonal violence, poverty, and discrimination. These parents are vulnerable to the impacts of chronic stress and may face greater barriers to accessing mental health resources. The situation has grown so dire that maternal mental health and related concerns are now identified as the leading cause of death among pregnant women. Women of color and those experiencing poverty, obstetric complications, or first-time or unplanned pregnancies may have higher levels of pregnancy-related stress. This stress is often influenced by social determinants of health in their communities, such as limited access to health care.
Early childhood home visiting can alleviate parents’ stress.
We’ve released a Research Snapshot Brief that highlights how home visiting can be a key support for parents’ mental health. Home visiting programs can reduce parental stress and support mental well-being by—
- Screening parents to identify mental health concerns and other comprehensive family needs. Programs federally funded by the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program are required to screen parents to identify mental health concerns in addition to other needs. Screenings are a key way to identify and address sources of parental stress and connect parents to services such as childcare and early education and primary care and basic material needs like diapers.
- Supporting healthy pregnancies and nurturing parent-child relationships from the start. Prenatal home visiting programs help parents prepare for a baby and reduce the stress that comes with labor, delivery, and postpartum experiences. After the baby is born, home visitors work with parents to develop self-efficacy and parenting skills, which can reduce parent stress over time and buffer children from the effects of stress. Home visitors also combat the social isolation parents may experience by meeting them where they are most comfortable and providing emotional support.
- Prioritizing parents who are the most vulnerable to experiencing high stress and adversity. Many programs prioritize reaching parents known to face difficulties, such as first-time parents with low incomes, adolescent parents, and parents involved with child welfare services. Some programs have adapted services to meet the needs of families who may face additional challenges that could place their mental health at risk; examples include newcomer families, families experiencing homelessness, and families with substance use challenges.
- Implementing strategies to support parents with mental health conditions. Some programs’ home visiting teams include mental health providers who can deliver psychotherapy in parents’ homes. Certain home visiting programs have also partnered with mental health providers to provide mental health support alongside home visiting services.
Learn more about how home visiting helps to address cumulative stress and supports parents’ mental health.
*We use the word parent, recognizing that parenting roles are inclusive of biological and nonbiological caregivers, such as grandparents and foster parents, who provide care to children.