Why has youth mental health worsened and what can be done: The role of parenting interventions

Background The mental health of young people has deteriorated markedly in recent decades, with rising rates of anxiety, depression, school difficulties, self-harm, and suicidality. Strong evidence shows that parent and family interventions can modify key determinants of youth mental health. However, these interventions remain underutilised in policy and service systems. Method We conducted a narrative review, integrating expert commentary from members of the Parenting & Family Research Alliance (PAFRA). Our goal was to identify modifiable parent and family determinants contributing to rising youth mental health problems and to examine evidence-based interventions and policy strategies that could address these with potential for population-level impact. Results Key modifiable risk and protective factors for youth mental health include social, environmental, and developmental factors. Contemporary challenges (e.g., climate change, technological risks) add considerable stress to young people, with implications for parenting. Bidirectional interactions between youth and parent factors shape mental health outcomes, with contemporary parenting challenges heightening risk. Interventions that educate parents about key risk and protective factors and strengthen emotional communication, stress regulation, and supportive parent-adolescent relationships can enhance resilience and buffer families during rapid social, environmental and economic change. Conclusions Many of the identified drivers of youth mental health decline can be targeted through parenting interventions that provide psycho-education and build parents’ ability to support their young person’s mental health. Scaling evidence-based parent and family interventions, alongside supportive policy and community infrastructures, represents a substantial opportunity to improve youth mental health at a population level.