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High Risk People

Image by Loic Leray
Image by Micah & Sammie Chaffin

Parental characteristics → Increased risk for children

  • Emotional unavailability or withdrawal

  • Inconsistent routines and caregiving responses

  • Difficulty managing stress and daily responsibilities

​Mental illmess in adults with children aecls their parental skills. availability, quality of and capacity to care for theirchildren's (DHS 2004.p.7. Tanner 2o0o. p. 289).

  • Reduced emotional security

  • Increased exposure to stress and uncertainty

  • Greater vulnerability to developmental and wellbeing challenges

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High Risk Group

The Department of Health and Ageing (DH, 2004) indicated that children born to parents with mental disorders do not constitute a homogeneous group and that their level of risk varies according to social, cultural, and individual contexts. In its document entitled 'Principles and Actions for Services and Workers Supporting Children of Parents with Mental Illness' (PaSPew), the department emphasizes the importance of identifying, organizing, and implementing guidelines and strategies tailored to specific groups that may be more vulnerable. These groups need targeted and responsive approaches to reduce the cumulative impacts of parents' mental health problems on the physical and psychological health as well as the development of children (DH, 2004, p. 5).

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

  • Children with special needs or disabilities

  • Children from refugee and migrant backgrounds (Briggs, 2012, p. 122)

  • Families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

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This research also suggests that the experiences of refugee and migrant families may place children at greater risk of vulnerability, particularly if parents have experienced traumatic experiences due to war, displacement, persecution, or other life adversities. These experiences can cause significant psychological stress for parents, affecting their emotional connection and parenting skills, which in turn can increase risks to children's mental and physical health and development.

A seeming consensus has emerged in Australia and other Western resettlement countries that most refugee children and adolescents with mental health problems are not accessing mental health care, although there is very little empirical research to document it.(De Anstiss, H., & University of South Australia School of Health Sciences, 2010)

Similarly, children with parents with mental illnesses who live in socially or geographically isolated homes may face higher levels of risk. This includes families living in remote or rural areas and those from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, who may face barriers to accessing information, services, and practical support. Limited connections to local communities and limited access to appropriate services further exacerbate the challenges these children face.

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