Support for children living with parental mental health difficulties: a narrative review

Purpose: Many adults living with mental health difficulties are parents, their children live with their own difficulties and are recognised as a vulnerable group. This review examines targeted support strategies from peer groups, mental health education, interagency programmes, professional interventions and online support. Papers describing psychological, social and educational impacts upon children living with parental mental health difficulties and experiences of professionals working with them were examined. Identified outcomes of the support strategies were reduced mental health stigma, improved emotional well-being and increased resilience. Design: A narrative literature review was conducted in March 2023. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA), searches of five databases were carried out (Child development and adolescent studies, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MEDLINE, PsychINFO and SocIndex). Papers included were published between January 2017-January 2023, in English, peer reviewed and relating to support and interventions for children aged between 4 and 18 years living with parental mental health difficulties, some selected papers were adult children reflecting on their childhoods. Results: The data extraction process of 15 papers describing differing interventions and support produced findings in three themes. The silencing effects of mental health stigma had influence on professionals, parents and children’s communication; peer group intervention was seen to reduce self-stigma in children. The use of education to reduce transmission saw beneficial outcomes from family focused work, mental health education for children and parents, family education for adult mental health staff and peer groups. The challenges and benefits of peer support saw often difficult circumstances of children navigating friendships when they have a parent with mental health difficulties. Formal peer group interventions provided socialisation which felt safe, improved participant’s self-confidence and social skills. Limitations to be considered are, the concern with presenting an overview of the support available meant the quality of the papers was not assessed, and the variety of methods, participants and settings did not allow direct comparisons. Conclusions: Further research is needed, including longitudinal studies to evaluate the impact of peer support groups on resilience, and mental health education interventions on reducing stigma. The design and benefits of online mental health literacy resources and interagency working for the benefits of vulnerable children and parents effected by mental health difficulties need further exploration. Where support is available, research into whether the beneficial impact for children has a beneficial impact upon their parents’ mental health would be of value to improving the lives children and parents living with mental health difficulties.

Citation

Keeler, J., & Chapman, H. M. (2026). Support for children living with parental mental health difficulties: a narrative review. Children and Youth Services Review, 189, 109154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.109154

Publisher

Elsevier

Journal

Children and Youth Services Review

URI

https://chesterrep.openrepository.com/handle/10034/630076

DOI

10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.109154

Type

Article

Language

en

Description

ISSN

0190-7409

EISSN

1873-7765

Additional Links

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019074092600407X?via%3Dihub