One in five Irish parents are experiencing mental health issues, new Barnardos research has warned.

A report released by the children's charity today has found a quarter of parents are anxious 'most of the time' while one in ten suffer from depression.

One in two parents said their mental health has negatively impacted their child.

On Breakfast Briefing today, Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said failing to address your stress and worry can have a real impact on your children.

"Children are very in tune with their parent’s moods,” she said.

“They can notice that Mammy suddenly hasn’t got dressed that morning or Daddy has gone into the sitting room to watch the TV when they wanted to talk about school.

“Children want to be able to go to their parents if they are worried or concerned but if they are seeing that their parents are quite stressed – they won’t go to their parents and children will internalise it.”

 

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Ms Connolly said there are plenty of reasons for parents to feel low.

“It can often be about money or they could be going through parental separation,” she said.

“Various worries can put a lot of strain on a family so I would completely understand some parents might feel overburdened, anxious, stressed.

“What we think is important is parents should say how they’re feeling and get the support they need.”

Normalising mental health

Ms Connolly said she is hoping to normalise parents seeking help for their mental health.

“It’s okay to talk about it, it’s okay to go out and seek some help because when you get that help - things do improve,” she said.

“If you can acknowledge a problem, you’re at the beginning stages of doing something about it.

“We give parents the support they need to do the most important job in the world which is being an effective parent for your children.”

 

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The Barnardos CEO is calling on Government to take action.

“We really want the Government to make it okay for parents to talk about mental health and ensure parents get the support they need so they can be there for their children,” said Ms Connolly.

“If families have all their love for their children, they can be happy together and everyone in the family thrives.”

Ms Connolly added that "help is at hand" for parents who can contact Barnardos if they are struggling with their mental health.

Main image: Hands of a family Image: Paula Solloway / Alamy Stock Photo