08/18/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/18/2022 07:27
NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Dotdash Meredith's Verywell Mind and Parents released findings from Mental Health Days & Kids: A Verywell Mind & Parents Study. The study examines the benefits and barriers of mental health days for children and how economic divides prevent access and availability to mental health days.
The Mental Health Days & Kids survey indicates favorable perception and support of mental health days for kids but concerns around legitimacy and reception from others hold steadfast. Results showed more than half of parents (55%) have let their child take a mental health day from school or other obligations, and an additional 32% say they would consider it. And while 3 in 4 parents believe mental health days are effective tools, 46% would not tell friends or family that their child had taken a mental health day.
"The pandemic, canceled activities, and remote learning contributed to an increasing kids' mental health crisis, prompting many states to permit kids to take mental health days from school so they could focus on managing their symptoms," said Amy Morin, LCSW, editor-in-chief, Verywell Mind. "While challenges like socioeconomic status and lingering stigmas still prevent widespread use, our survey results show the beginning of parents' acceptance of mental health days, which gives us hope that more parents and schools will follow suit."
Grace Bastidas, editor-in-chief of Parents, said, "Presently, over half the country does not have legislation for mental health days in schools, and even where it is mandated, 1 in 5 parents can't afford to let their kids take one. They simply can't miss work or pay for unexpected childcare, so taking a day to reset and recharge becomes a question of privilege for many families."
Findings and analysis of the survey can be found in separate stories on Verywell Mind and Parents, detailing the use and impact of mental health days as a growing number of U.S. states allow them as an excused absence from school. Some of the most significant survey results include:
Awareness & Acceptance Has Grown But Some Stigma Remains
Parents welcome mental health days.
But a quarter cite stigma as a barrier.
Usage of Mental Health Days Coincides with School Availability and Income
Schools in wealthy neighborhoods are more likely to offer mental health days.
Parents let their children take mental health days where schools permit.
Parents Rely on Their Kids and Schools to Suggest a Mental Health Day
Kids and schools are speaking up.
For more information on the Mental Health Days & Kids: A Verywell Mind & Parents Study, and insights into the current state of mental health, visit Verywell Mind and Parents.
Methodology
Verywell Mind and Parents surveyed over 1,000 American parents across a wide range of demographics including age, race, income, geographic location, and sexual orientation. Respondents are all parents or guardians of a child between the ages of 8-12 (tweens) or 13-17 (teens).
About Verywell
Verywell Mind is one of the largest mental health sites in the world, serving 6 million people a year during their moments of need. The award-winning publication is committed to providing inclusive mental health information through thousands of expert-written, medically-reviewed articles across hundreds of topics and empowers readers to get the mental health treatment they deserve. Verywell Mind is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
About Parents
For nearly 100 years, Parents has provided its audience of 9 million monthly caregivers with trustworthy advice and a supportive community as they raise the next generation of confident and compassionate kids. Parents' team of editors, writers, and experts are by your side as a current and practical source of information for the big life decisions and memory making moments in the constantly evolving scope of parenthood. Parents is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
SOURCE Verywell