Many parents who are struggling with mental health concerns are loving and effective parents. However, parents’ mental health concerns can impact their young children in a number of ways. Whether illness is chronic or acute, impacts can be seen.
Whether illness is chronic or acute, impacts can be seen.
There are several factors that impact a family’s vulnerability and resiliency.
The community, loved ones, and service providers can provide support to families in which one or more caregivers have mental health concerns. The following list provides suggestions for support.
To access mental health services in Saskatchewan, please visit: www.saskatchewan.ca
Paternal (or partner) postpartum depression has been associated with adverse emotional and behavioural outcomes for children aged 3-5 years and an increased risk of conduct disorders in the children.
Those whose partners are experiencing postpartum depression often take over the role of primary caregiver during the time that their spouse is unable to do so. The young child may have to adapt to a new primary caregiver. If a caregiver experiences later onset depression, the attachment relationship that has already formed with the child may be impacted.
There are some factors that impact children prenatally that will have an impact on their future mental health. These include:
Approximately, 1 in 5 women experiences mental health concerns during and after pregnancy. For more information about postpartum depression and mental health issues, the impact on women, and how women can be supported, please see the Maternal Mental Health Section.
Although most research on postpartum depression has focused on the mother, partners of women who have experienced depression are 50% more likely to experience depression themselves. Partner depression may occur when the mother is experiencing postpartum depression, but often has a later onset.
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
OKWe may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Google reCaptcha Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
Emotional well-being includes developing self-awareness, being confident, and being able to self-regulate. Self-regulation means that children are encouraged to “feel” their emotions and to express them in a way that is appropriate for the situation, and safe for both themselves and others.
Emotions are important as they help children understand the world around them. Children need to understand that all emotions are okay to feel – there are no good or bad emotions. Children learn to express their emotions and recognize feelings by watching their caregivers.
Caregivers can help children develop emotional well-being by:
Children need places, people, and objects around them that promote and support health, safety, and well-being. Some examples of environmental well-being include having safe places to explore and play, having clean water to drink, having a safe community to develop connections in, and having infrastructure that supports families.
Caregivers can support children’s environmental well-being by:
Mental well-being is sometimes referred to as cognitive or intellectual development and refers to the child’s ability to think and reason. Mental well-being includes fostering children’s ability to organize their ideas and thoughts, make sense of the world they live in, and acquire new skills and knowledge as part of lifelong learning and mental development.
Supporting children’s mental development does not require special skills or equipment. Caregivers can nurture mental well-being by:
External Link
Warm, affectionate, respectful, and consistent caregivers help children develop socially. Adults who model positive language, interactions, and social behaviours promote social development and well-being. Learning self-control, emotional regulation, curiosity, and communication skills are all part of social well-being.
Young children develop a sense of connection and trust, a sense of belonging, and a well-developed support system when adults around them show genuine interest and concern for their health and well-being. Caregivers must also demonstrate that they care, accept the child, and be affirming.
Caregivers can help children’s social well-being by:
Spiritual well-being can include religious beliefs, but it is also much more than this. Spiritual well-being involves having a connection to something outside of ourselves. This connection can include feeling like you belong in a community, having a sense of your culture and traditions, developing personal values and ethics, feeling a connection to nature, and connecting to a higher being.
Our experience with spiritual well-being changes throughout life. Children engage the world with wonder, curiosity, amazement, and observation.
Caregivers help children develop spiritual well-being in many ways, including:
Physical well-being in young children refers to children’s growth in height and weight, gross and fine motor skill development, organ development, and physical abilities. Children develop at their own pace.
The early years are a time for tremendous and rapid physical growth and development. Sleep, hydration, movement, exploration, play, nutrition, and physical health play a role in development. Ensuring physical well-being includes attending well-child check-ups, receiving scheduled vaccines, and seeking medical care for the child if needed.
It is important to remember that children differ physically from adults in many ways. Some ways include having thinner skin, a higher respiratory rate, and less muscle tone. These differences must be considered when supporting children’s physical well-being.
Caregivers can support children’s physical development by:
