A large Australian study has found that children who experience the loss of a parent are about twice as likely to have a diagnosable mental health disorder as children living with both biological parents. The research, conducted by Curtin University investigators using nationally representative data, suggests that parental loss is far more widespread than many families or institutions recognise—and that its psychological effects can remain significant throughout childhood and adolescence. Among children who had experienced some form of parental loss, 21.4 per cent met the criteria for at least one mental disorder, compared with 10.8 per cent of children who had not experienced parental loss. The conditions identified included anxiety, depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
The study drew on information from more than 6,300 Australian households with children aged between four and 17 years. Rather than treating parental loss as a single event, the researchers examined several circumstances that can disrupt a child’s relationship with a parent: the death of a biological parent, parental separation, and having a parent in custody. They also assessed whether children were living with both biological parents at the time of the survey. By the age of 17, nearly one-third of children—31.8 per cent—had experienced parental separation, while 2.5 per cent had experienced the death of a biological parent and 0.3 per cent had a parent in custody. Overall, 37.8 per cent were not living with both biological parents.
The findings come from the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, a population-level source designed to estimate the prevalence of mental health conditions among young people. Such surveys are important because clinical studies often capture only children who reach health services, leaving out families facing financial, geographic or cultural barriers to care. In this analysis, researchers compared the proportion of children meeting diagnostic criteria across groups defined by parental circumstances. Because the study was observational, it could identify strong associations but could not prove that parental loss alone directly caused a mental disorder. Other factors, including household income, family conflict, housing instability, parental mental illness and the circumstances surrounding the loss, may also influence outcomes.
The strongest association appeared among children whose parent had died. In this group, 28.8 per cent had a mental disorder, compared with 13.7 per cent of children who had not experienced parental death. The difference was particularly pronounced among younger children, for whom the death of a parent can alter nearly every aspect of daily life at once. A bereaved child may lose emotional security, practical care, financial stability and familiar routines, while also witnessing the distress of surviving family members. Because children’s emotional regulation and understanding of death develop gradually, they may express grief through anxiety, irritability, withdrawal, sleep problems, behavioural changes or difficulties at school rather than through direct statements of sadness.
Parental separation was also associated with poorer mental health, although the measured effect was smaller than that linked to bereavement. Among children whose parents had separated, 20.2 per cent had a mental disorder, compared with 11.9 per cent of children whose parents had not separated. Separation itself can involve a complex combination of experiences, including changes in residence, reduced contact with one parent, conflict between caregivers, altered household finances and the formation of new family arrangements. The psychological impact is therefore unlikely to be determined by separation as a legal or social event alone. The level of conflict, the quality of parenting after separation and the stability of the child’s relationships may all shape whether the transition becomes a sustained source of stress.
Children who had a parent in custody also showed elevated rates of mental disorders. In that group, 21.9 per cent met diagnostic criteria, compared with 13.9 per cent of children without a parent in custody. A parent’s imprisonment can create a form of ambiguous loss: the parent is physically absent, but the relationship may continue through visits, phone calls or written communication. At the same time, children may face stigma, secrecy, disrupted caregiving arrangements and uncertainty about when contact will occur. These pressures can interact with pre-existing disadvantage and may make it difficult for children to explain their experiences to teachers, health professionals or peers. The small proportion of children represented in this category also means that estimates should be interpreted carefully, but the direction of the association is consistent with concerns raised by family and mental health services.
When researchers considered children who were not living with both biological parents as a broader group, 21.3 per cent had a mental disorder, almost double the 10.8 per cent recorded among those living with both parents. This overall measure captures a wide range of family structures and should not be interpreted as evidence that living in a non-traditional household is inherently harmful. Children can thrive in single-parent families, blended families, kinship care, adoptive families and other supportive arrangements. The findings instead point to the potential effects of disruption, loss, instability and unmet support needs. A stable and emotionally responsive caregiving environment may protect children even when a parent is absent, while ongoing conflict or insecurity can increase risk regardless of household composition.
Professor Lauren Breen, lead author of the study from Curtin University’s School of Population Health, said the results demonstrate that parental loss is common and has a measurable relationship with children’s mental health. She emphasised that bereavement remains one of the most distressing experiences a child can face, particularly when support is delayed or difficult to access. Shelley Skinner, chief executive and founder of Lionheart Camp for Kids, which supports grieving children and families, said parental death can intensify the pressures already confronting young people. Even so, she noted that many children who lose a family member grow into healthy and productive adults. The presence of elevated risk at the population level does not determine an individual child’s future; it identifies a group that may benefit from earlier recognition and tailored care.
The researchers argue that services should improve how they identify children experiencing parental loss and connect them with appropriate assistance. Current barriers include long waiting lists, high treatment costs and uncertainty about where to seek help. Potential responses include evidence-based psychological therapies, family-focused bereavement programs, school-based support and clearer referral pathways between hospitals, schools, child protection services, courts and community organisations. Screening should be sensitive rather than automatic, since grief is not itself a mental disorder and children may respond in very different ways. The central message is that parental loss should be treated as an important mental health risk signal, not as a guarantee of illness. Published in the Australian Journal of Psychology, the study provides the first population-level Australian estimates comparing several forms of parental loss with children’s mental health outcomes.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: Parental loss: prevalence estimates and mental health impacts from the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Web References: https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2026.2707204
References: Australian Journal of Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/00049530.2026.2707204
Keywords: parental loss, child mental health, childhood bereavement, grief, parental separation, parental incarceration, anxiety, depression, ADHD, Australian children, adolescent mental health, psychological support
