Preventing Mental Health Problems in Children: The Role of Parents

Running Head: Healthcare
Healthcare
Essay
System04104
4/30/2019

Healthcare 1
Introduction
Mental health problems in children are common in modern days. The mental health of
children directly associated to the psychological and social well-being of children and their
families. Caregivers such as parents, teacher, or family members are directly connected and
responsible for children and adolescent mental health. Despite many adverse effects of
mental health on children and adolescent, most of the countries do not provide any
satisfactory care to those children and adolescents, who are seriously suffering from any
mental health problems (Erskine, Moffitt, Copeland, Costello, Ferrari, Patton, & Scott, 2015).
The present work is based on various facts and stats of Australian children who are suffering
from mental health problems. This work explains the role of parents in preventing mental
health disorders in children. Children who have mental health issues are require for additional
support and care from their families, parents, teachers, and friends. The role of health
professionals is also important as they can persuade and guide adolescents that how they can
avoid mental tensions and other emotional and behavioural factors that cause mental health
issues.
The mental health issues and disorders are some of serious problems for all countries.
It has been found that many aspects related to social, biological and environmental factors
affect the mental health issues of children in society. No one can separate the issues related to
mental stress and fitness of a child from his/her future life development. The mental fitness of
children is directly related to healthy adulthood (O’Brien, Harvey, Howse, Reardon, &
Creswell, 2016). However, can it be possible without the support of family members, or
parents? The answer is no. It cannot be possible to improve such mental-fitness related issues
without parents and their family members because they play an important role in overall
health development and in mental health development as well. Children mental health and
development is somewhat also related to their own individual characteristics as well. Apart
from this, their friends, family members, community environments, teachers, and
neighbourhood also play a crucial role in mental health development. These factors are called
a child's ecology and it is just like our natural ecosystem. Just like each part of our natural
ecosystem interacts with other part and influence each other, every part of the child
ecosystem is also connected with each other part. Therefore, changes in a particular area of a
child's life can disturb or affect the other area (Livheim, Hayes, Ghaderi, Magnusdottir,
Högfeldt, Rowse, & Tengström, A. (2015).

Healthcare 2
How Many children and Adolescents in Australia Faces
Mental Disorder?
According to the Children’s Headline indicators, in 2011 more than 26% of children
are living with housing stress and the major causes behind this is family tension and
separation of parents. However, the number has been decreased in 2016 but it was still 22%
in 2016 (World Health Organization, 2018). According to national survey of Australia on
mental issues and wellbeing, which was conducted in 2013-14, one in every seven children
assessed as a victim of mental health related issues. According to this estimate, more than
560,000 children (4-17 years old) are facing mental health disorders. According to the
National Survey it was found that males have experienced more mental disorder than
females. The percentage of males experienced mental disorder was 16.3% compared to
females, which was 11.5% in the same duration.
Fig. 1 (Source: Australian Government, 2015)
Type of Mental Health Issues in Children
The key question is here, what are the major types of children and adolescent mental
health? In the same survey of Australia, it was found that 7.4% of children and adolescent in
Australia are suffering from ADHD mental disorder, while anxiety in children is the second
major cause of the mental disorder (Maynard, Heyne, Brendel, Bulanda, Thompson, & Pigott,
2018). However, there are some other major types of disorder in the children health and
adolescent are conduct disorder (2.1%), depressive disorder (2.8%) which arises because of

Healthcare 3
child depression etc. Based on these stats, it can be said that in that 298,000 children and
adolescents between 4-17 years old aged are suffering from ADHD mental disorder, 112,000
children and adolescents are suffering from anxiety, and 83,600 children are suffering from a
depressive disorder. However, the major problem is not that children are suffering from one
mental health problems, rather 30% of children between 4-17 years age group, are suffering
from two mental disorders. Although, if we divide the age groups into two age groups (4-11
years and 11-17 years), then it is found that the percentage of males in different age groups
who are suffering from the disorder are almost similar. 16.5% male in 4-11 age groups and
15.9% male in 12-17 years of age group are suffering from mental health problems in
Australia (Fig. 1). However, if compare it with girls then it can be found that there is a little
difference in the number of girls are suffering from mental health problems in different
groups. The stats related to mental health problems in Children and adolescents in different
age groups are 10.6% in 4-11 year-olds and 12.8% in 12-17 years-olds (Fig.2).
Fig. 2 (Source: Australian Government, 2015)