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How COVID-19 has impacted the parents of young people in the UK

Five years on from the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, we wanted to contribute to the nationwide understanding of the lasting impact of such an extreme world event on mental health. To achieve this, we commissioned a mental health impact survey on young adults and their guardians.

The surveys were completed by 1001 parents who have children aged 18-25, as well as 1001 18–25-year-olds, to capture a variety of perspectives on this complex set of experiences. Below are key findings about the parents of young people that we were able to gather. Findings about 18-24-year-olds can be found here.

All research was conducted by Censuswide. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.

Table of contents

How parents perceive the toll of COVID-19 on their children

One of the purposes of our survey was to establish whether parents had noticed mental health challenges in their children. Of those surveyed, 31% of parents felt their child's mental health has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic.

41% of parents surveyed believe their child has struggled with anxiety, with 14% saying they have seen their child experience panic attacks. A further 21% reported their child experiencing depression and 20% have shown concerns for their child seeming socially withdrawn since the onset of the pandemic.

The impact of children’s mental health on parents

For parents who had children struggling with their mental health throughout the pandemic, the impact may have been extensive. Studies have found that parents of children with metal health concerns have increased instances of anxiety and depression themselves.

The concern from parents was clear in the survey, with 58% of parents saying they found it difficult to help their child adjust to the world after lockdown. Of the parents surveyed, 63% didn't believe they were able to adequately understand the challenges their child faced due to lockdown.

23% of parents said they feel guilty about the experiences their child missed due to the pandemic, which is concerning when you consider the negative impact of parental guilt on both the parents’ and their children’s mental health. A further 11% said they feel lost on how to help their child, and 10% noted feeling they had failed as a parent overall dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The impact of COVID-19 on parents’ mental health

Alongside their parenting responsibilities, many parents experienced further pressures during the lockdown around childcare and work. Parents were more than twice as likely to report reduced income as well as being more likely to have been furloughed than adults without children in the house. These areas of additional stress contributed to recorded distress in parents during the pandemic.

Loss was also a significant area of struggle with 92.3% of COVID-19 deaths occurring in people aged 60 and over, meaning that many people would have lost their parents while still facing the challenge of parenting and working during the pandemic. Studies have shown the unique difficulties faced by grieving parents, and the need for improved support.

Of those we surveyed, 19% of parents worry more about their own mental health than they did before the pandemic, with 23% feeling their own mental health has been negatively impacted.

Long-term pressures faced by parents after COVID-19

The impact that COVID-19 had on the way parents support their children as an ongoing issue is also worth evaluating. 41% of mothers felt that COVID-19 changed the way they parent, with 67% saying they feel a need to focus more on their child's emotional wellbeing than before the pandemic. This may add to parenting stress, which can have an impact on parental wellbeing.

Especially in the case of those whose children are at working age, 35% of parents we surveyed feel that the pandemic negatively impacted their child's financial security, with 34% saying their child has struggled to make the steps towards independence. This can be a concern for families as it has been recorded in a survey that two fifths of parents were suffering from increased stress or family arguments due to their children living at home longer, with one in ten saying it had caused them to go into debt.

Why this matters to us

Accessible and high-quality mental health support are at the heart of everything we do and, with research like this survey, we are better able to establish the needs of both young people and their parents. We can see that the COVID-19 pandemic is still impacting the parents of young people five years later and believe that there is more to be done in supporting parents as they navigate the world both for themselves, and for their children.

As we work to put a spotlight on this issue, we hope that we can reduce stigma around seeking support for mental health concerns and encourage both parents and young people to explore the help available to them.

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