New research reveals that children’s mental health is significantly affected by socioeconomic hardship, leading to a higher risk of long-term challenges
A new study by the University of Liverpool exposes how early life socioeconomic adversity can have long-lasting effects on children’s mental health, influencing outcomes well into adolescence. The findings underscore the critical importance of timely interventions and tackling inequalities from early years.
Revealing the impact of socioeconomic disadvantages on children’s mental health
Researchers have provided one of the most comprehensive examinations to date of how different types of mental health difficulties impact children across their young years and into adulthood. The researchers focused on internalising mental health difficulties like anxiety or sadness and external behaviour such as impulsivity and defiance. They analysed how these patterns are shaped by early-life socioeconomic disadvantage.
The researchers analysed data from over 15,000 children born around the year 2000 and tracked them through the age of 17, using parent-reported measures. The team found that while different types of mental health difficulties vary by age and sex, the gap between more and less advantaged children remains strikingly stable across time.
Dr Yu Wei Chua, lead author and Research Associate in the Health Inequalities and Policy Research Group at the University of Liverpool, and NIHR Researcher at the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Consortium said: “Our findings show that the mental health gap is already firmly in place by age five, regardless of whether we use income or maternal education to index socioeconomic disadvantage.”
Early interventions through investments in early childhood education and care
The researchers found the following key findings:
- Externalising difficulties (e.g. behavioural problems) remained relatively stable over time, with boys showing higher levels than girls.
- Internalising difficulties (e.g. anxiety and depression) increased with age, particularly among adolescent girls.
- Socioeconomic inequalities were present across all ages and both sexes, with larger gaps observed in externalising difficulties.
- These inequalities did not significantly change between ages five and 17, highlighting the enduring influence of early-life disadvantage.
Although patterns of development and gender differences in mental health are evident, the ongoing inequality indicates that efforts to address these disparities should start in early childhood and continue throughout the school years.
Dr Yu Wei Chua continued: “This research confirms that we cannot wait until problems arise in adolescence to intervene. Mental health inequalities are already entrenched in early childhood. But there is another window of opportunity in adolescence, especially to prevent a further rise in internalising difficulties in adolescents facing disadvantage.”
The study emphasises the urgent need for early interventions by advocating for increased investments in early childhood education and care programmes. It highlights the importance of providing school-based mental health support to ensure that children receive the necessary emotional and psychological assistance during formative years. Additionally, the study stresses the significance of addressing social determinants, such as poverty, access to healthcare, and community resources, to create a holistic support system that fosters the overall well-being and development of children.
Dr Anna Pearce, Senior Research Fellow (Public Health) at the University of Glasgow and the paper’s co-author, concludes: “Reducing child poverty remains fundamental, but it’s equally critical to support families and children across multiple systems—health, education, and social care.”
“Now, we need more research on poverty reduction strategies and the role that families, services and communities play in tackling mental health inequalities.”
