Blog: Parenting across Scotland looks at the impacts of COVID-19 on parents and carers wellbeing
Public Health Scotland
The national agency for improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland.
Author: Amy Woodhouse , Chief Executive, Parenting across Scotland
Earlier in my career, before Parenting across Scotland and Children in Scotland, I spent 11 years as a mental health researcher. And because of that experience, I feel confident enough to say that we don’t always need new mental health research. Some things have been proven so irrefutably that we don’t need to question them or test them any further.
We know without a shadow of a doubt, for example, that poor mental health and poverty are inextricably linked . ?We also know that parental and child mental health are similarly interconnected . And some of the things that promote good mental wellbeing , such as being connected to others or being physically active, are the same for all ages and populations – they are universally good.
What we don’t always know enough about is what the current stressors are for different groups of people or how they receive support. ?This is where the CEYRIS research has a vital role to play.
Working for a parenting organisation, I cannot tell you how helpful it is to have up to date evidence about parents and carers’ mental wellbeing. I have poured over the data in Report three, which focuses specifically on the experiences of 4785 parents and carers living across Scotland. And I’ve thought hard about what it all means.
Some things the report tells us are actually pretty positive. Most parents and carers are doing ok – 72% were scored as having high or average levels of wellbeing. These are the best results in all 4 rounds of the CEYRIS survey. Things have improved since pandemic times and it is important that we remember this.
But the situation continues to be tougher for parents and carers living in low income households. Their wellbeing is lower overall, and they have less access to support networks. These factors demand attention and a response. ???
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The report findings in relation to parenting support are particularly helpful. Parents / carers with children under 5 were asked about their support requirements. 43% of parents of 2 year olds and 3 year olds respectively said that they wanted to access parenting support but did not because there was nothing on offer. 38% of parents / carers living in low income households indicated similarly. ?We need to use these findings to argue for increased access.
A follow up question was asked about the impact of parenting support on those who had accessed it. The response to this question was intriguing and not necessarily what I would have predicted. Only 29% of parents and carers stated that the support received had had a positive impact on their parenting confidence. This felt low to me. It made me wonder whether the type of support being offered is what parents need or of the quality they deserve.
And this is where statistics can only ever provide part of the picture, as important as they are. We need to speak to parents and carers directly if we want to really understand what their experiences are like and why they feel the way they do. Earlier this year Parenting across Scotland published our own evidence review , bringing together 28 studies published in 2023 that focus on parenting experiences. It focuses on many of the same areas as CEYRIS – including poverty and mental health. The quotes and personal testimonies included are incredibly powerful and can, I think, add useful content to CEYRIS’ findings. I’ve included one quote below :
“We are lonely and isolated. We are cold in our own home. I feel I’ve failed my daughter. My daughter rarely leaves her bed to keep warm. We are arguing as she wants heat on at all times. Just now it’s snowing.”
This is a parent that desperately needs support. But their need is much wider than parenting skills and confidence alone. Their words illustrate why whole family support is so essential, responding as it does to their whole life – their housing, their finances and resources, employment, education, relationships, the works.
We have a collective job ahead to ensure that all families feel supported with the things they really need in order to thrive. CEYRIS may not provide information about how we make that a reality, but by providing evidence about the extent of the need and which parents / carers are struggling most, we are more aware about the scale of the task. That strikes me as useful mental health research.