Factors affecting children’s mental health over time

1. In 2016, Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), launched a third sector voucher scheme, inviting research ideas that could be examined using the Study. The scheme provided analytical support through the Understanding Society Policy Unit. Following a competitive process, a research project by The Children’s Society and Barnardo’s, was one of those selected. Although the two organisations had submitted proposals separately, a joint voucher was awarded as the two research ideas covered similar ground.
2. The joint research proposal developed was to explore trajectories of mental health and examine the factors that are associated with mental health problems among 10- 15 year-olds. The research exploits the longitudinal design of Understanding Society to shed light on factors measured at age 10-11 and 14-15 that are important in determining poorer mental health at age 14-15. In particular, Understanding Society’s longitudinal panel survey enables changes in mental health to be examined over time - identifying risks and protective factors within a household context over the short and long term.
3. We know that one in ten - or three children in every classroom - have a diagnosable mental health disorder and that half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, with three quarters developing by age 24. One of Barnardo’s and The Children’s Society’s main aims was to analyse data from Understanding Society to better understand which factors or combination of factors were significant at ages 10- 11 and 14-15 in determining poorer mental health at age 14-15. This could help to inform both early intervention/prevention programmes and specialist help.
4. In recent years, The Children’s Society has carried out numerous analyses of Understanding Society data on related topics, in particular to explore factors associated with children’s subjective well-being, and how different domains of subjective well-being are associated with different types of mental health problems. Many of the new findings about factors that are important for children’s mental health emerging from the Understanding Society analysis are similar to previous findings that we have reported in subsequent Good Childhood Reports about factors that are important for children’s subjective well-being. Although subjective well-being and mental (ill-) health are related - but distinct - concepts, we felt that it would be useful to consider these findings alongside each other. Therefore, in this briefing paper, we discuss key findings from the new analysis of Understanding Society within the context of other relevant findings from our own previous analysis or the wider research literature on children’s mental health and well-being. This is intended to be an illustrative rather than a comprehensive discussion of other literature on children’s mental health and well-being.