Caregiver and child mental health: Three facts we know and three actions we are taking
By: Laura Ochoa Foschini, Early Years Lead at the Bernard van Leer Foundation
For more than six decades the Bernard van Leer Foundation have worked to improve opportunities for young children and the people who care for them. Three years ago, we chose to pay more attention to caregivers’ mental health, recognizing its crucial role in giving babies and toddlers a good start in life. These are some of our insights with examples of how we have endeavoured with our partners to put our growing knowledge of mental health into action for the early years.
Three facts we know
Young children’s early experiences with caregivers have deep and long effects in their life. Children need caregivers to survive and thrive, from their first moments, through the first months and years of life. Positive caregiving behaviors that are loving, responsive and playful promote brain formation. On the other hand, adverse life circumstances, such as poverty, racial discrimination, displacement and illness can put pressure on families, impacting parents and other caregivers’ mental health and wellbeing. These conditions also create excessive levels of stress in young children, impairing their healthy development, their future learning and their lifelong health.
Pregnancy is a life changing experience that affects women’s mental health. The realities of pregnancy and early parenthood can leave a mark on women’s identity, physical health, social and economic situation. According to WHO, 1 in 5 in low- and middle-income countries experience mental health symptoms during pregnancy and right after birth. Although most women only need light mental health support, adolescent mothers, women living in poverty or in humanitarian contexts, women exposed to domestic and gender-based violence (GBV) and substance abuse, or women living with disability including pre-existing mental or physical health conditions, are at a higher risk of developing mental health conditions and may need further targeted support.
Poor caregivers mental health affects children’s health and development early on and for long. Caregivers experiencing mental health challenges can find building stable and strong relationships with the child, difficult. Research consistently shows that the poor maternal mental health is linked to various adverse childhood outcomes, such as low birth weight, prematurity, difficulties to breastfeed and establish healthy mother-child attachment, developmental delays and various health problems later in life. It is estimated that globally between 15-23% of children live with a parent with mental illness and parental ill-health predisposes these children to mental illness. Reducing stress levels and supporting mental health helps caregivers to be ready to engage in positive parenting practices with their child.
Three actions we are taking
Supporting at-risk caregivers’ mental health. Our most critical work so far has been working with organisations that directly support children and families experiencing displacement and migration. We have partnered up with Amna, a refugee-led organization, and Spring Impact in scaling-up 'Baytna', a hub model for early childhood development (ECD) programming and community healing. Meanwhile, IOM in Colombia has developed a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) methodology to work with Venezuelan migrant families in child-friendly spaces. In Brazil, AVSI is supporting Venezuelans to integrate and provide responsive caregiving to their children, while in Lviv, Ukraine they are delivering critical MHPPS and parent coaching to families in shelters. In the Netherlands, Centering Pregnancy supports Eritrean refugee women with health and psychosocial advice through an innovative, culturally relevant, online and in-person group-based service.
Increasing knowledge and capacity on caregiver mental health. We have supported the development of the WHO Guide for integration of perinatal mental health in maternal and child health services, a tool for maternal and child health (MCH) services to engage in mental health promotion, prevention, treatment and care in low- and middle-income countries. We support ISSA in disseminating knowledge and training local organizations on providing trauma-informed ECD services in response to the Ukrainian war. With the Centre for Urban Mental Health in the University of Amsterdam we are learning about the impact of urban risks and protective factors on child mental health. With Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, we expand research on engaging fathers in nurturing care in low- and middle-income countries. In Peru, we partner with the Ministry of Health to equip frontline health workers with skills on children and family mental health. In Jordan we work with the Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS) to empower mothers to prevent and cope with Postpartum Depression.
Enhancing global advocacy for caregivers’ mental health. Together with United for Global Mental Health, we have created an evidence base to strengthen the case for more investment in child and caregiver mental health. Through Moving Minds Alliance we advocate for more financing and strengthening of ECD investments, including MHPSS, in humanitarian responses globally. We also continuously push national and local governments in our focus countries (Brazil India, Israel, Jordan and the Netherlands) and other funding organisations to integrate caregiver mental health into interventions and services promoting early childhood development.
Our next MHForAll session will be on Tuesday 29th November, 2pm-3pm GMT, where we will we explore the need for integrated perinatal mental health in maternal and child health services and discuss key information from the new Perinatal Guide by The World Health Organization. Register your place now.
