Children's mental health needs: increasing demands remain unmet...
- Maddie Barrett
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
This feels like a headline we see every week.
But what is the research actually saying about this crisis?
Distress, waitlists and unmet needs: parents’ reports of child psychological difficulties in Aotearoa New Zealand
Kercher et al., 2024
This study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, investigated psychological symptoms (related to anxiety, depression, etc.) and treatment experiences among primary-aged children.
The years between 5-11 are critical for children developing resilience emotional, social, and mental health. Given that adolescents who present with depression, self-harm, and substance use have likely experienced difficulties with depression and anxiety in childhood, this is an incredibly important life stage. And we know that rangitahi Māori experience even higher rates due to systematic disadvantage and racism - a hard truth to sit with.
So early intervention is incredibly important.
The researchers analysed over 350 parental reports, and the results tell us this:
Boys scored higher for conduct, hyperactivity, and peer problems (Kercher et al., 2024).
Between 24.9 and 34.6% of children experienced abnormal-range symptoms. And for services, approximately 32% of children had been recommended for assessment by a doctor or teacher. And a whopping 95% of parents report difficulties seeking assessment/treatment for their child. The biggest barriers reported were long waitlists, high costs, and not knowing how to contact (Kercher et al., 2024).
So what can be done?
Priority actions for improving population youth mental health: an equity framework for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Fleming et al. (2024) provide a framework for addressing the root of the issue.
Increasing treatment availability and reducing wait times are unquestionably important, but alone, they do not reduce the number of children needing these services. In Australia, increased spending on mental health treatment over 11 years did not result in a decline in levels of high psychological distress (Skinner et al., cited in Fleming et al. 2024)
As reported in Kercher et al. (2024), only 50% of parents reported improvements in their children after receiving mental health services.
The solution needs to focus on the systemic factors that continue to feed this problem
Presenting Te Mauri; a six-stage framework that centres equity (Fleming et al. 2024).
Embed and enact te Tiriti: the enactment of the original intentions of te Tiriti holds strong for healing all people in Aotearoa. The values from embedding and enacting te Tiriti are consistent with youth voices on respectful relationships, partnership, and anti-racist actions.
Ensure human rights-based, consumer-driven, and culturally safe approaches. An approach that is strength-based and effective for indigenous populations. It upholds dignity and resilience, and shifts focus from pathology and punishment - a high priority for young people.
Foster leadership and multi-sectoral collaboration: The vital role of effective, collaborative leadership for enhancing population mental health. This is relevant across all sectors and is already a priority among all political parties within parliament.
Address determinants of mental health: the cornerstone of population mental health is access to quality education, stability, housing, basic amenities and social inclusion. Especially the proximal factors that promote the biggest influence within young people's lives; in the home, education and community.
Early access to quality services: pivotal in preventing youth mental distress. There are currently huge gaps in access to care, especially for indigenous and minoritised groups. This involves young people's ecosystems and communities, screening and care that is accessible not only to young people, but to the family who bridge the gap to get them there.
Embed research and evaluation: This means to ensure culturally safe research and reporting that actively benefits communities. As the evidence continues to evolve based on the needs of young people, so should the treatment; it is a cycle that is in constant need of careful attention.
This framework unapologetically prioritises those who need mental health support the most. It is broad, but has governing recommendations for implementation. And most importantly, it does not rely on the actions of one, but advocates for us to encourage collective change to ensure we are looking after our rangitahi as best we can.
Articles
Priority actions for improving population youth mental health: An equity framework for Aotearoa New Zealand (2024) Terry Fleming, Sue Crengle, Roshini Peiris-John,
Jude Ball, Sarah Fortune, Esther S. Yao, Cinnamon Lindsay Latimer, Analosa Veukiso-Ulugia, and Terryann C. Clark
Distress, waitlists and unmet needs: parents’ reports of child psychological difficulties in Aotearoa New Zealand (2024) Amy Kercher, Seona Beattie, Liesje Donkin, Daniel Shepherd.