Survey Reveals 44% of Parents Have Missed Work in the Past Year to Address Their Child's Mental Health Needs

Findings show children's mental health crisis shows no sign of slowing as Mightier launches new enterprise business offering

BOSTON, April 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fewer than half of working parents are satisfied with their current pediatric mental health benefits according to a new survey* from Researchscape International commissioned by Mightier, a digital program for children that uses game-based play to build emotional health.

The Massachusetts Psychological Association estimates the average wait time for a family to get pediatric therapy is six months. If a child requires specialized treatment, the wait can extend to a year. Per the National Center for Children in Poverty, children with mental health problems may miss as many as 18 to 22 school days. Further compounding these alarming findings, one-third of working parents report changing or even quitting their jobs in the past two years due to a child's mental health issue, as stated by a recent On Our Sleeves report.

To combat these growing concerns, Mightier has launched "Mightier for Business" that provides employers, health plans (both commercial and Medicaid) and digital health partners a solution to immediate access to pediatric mental health services. Designed for children, Mightier complements and enhances other employee mental health resources by helping promote positive changes in a child, reducing family stress at home and ultimately improving workplace productivity.

The Researchscape International survey found that 86% of working parents think that employers should provide mental health services for the employee's children. Data gathered from the 1,021 survey participants revealed that the need doesn't stop there.

The results show:

• 52% of working parents have experienced work interruptions to address a child's mental health needs
• 44% of those polled have had to miss work due to a child's mental health needs
• 46% of survey participants have discussed a child's mental health needs with a manager or employer
• 81% of the respondents are completely or very interested in having their employee health benefits offer services specific to children's mental health

Other findings included:

• 58% of the surveyed parents reported that their children have suffered from anxiety and/or ADHD
• 61% have sought therapy or mental health services for a child

"We are in the midst of a pediatric mental health crisis. This is impacting children, parents, employers and healthcare providers," said Craig Lund, CEO of Mightier. "The crisis is being exacerbated by challenges with access to care and long waiting times for traditional talk-based therapy. It's no surprise that parents and caregivers are looking to health plans and employers to provide new forms of accessible, high-quality care."

"Employers everywhere are looking at ways to support the mental health of their working families," said Kerry Sain, Board Member at Mightier and former Chief Growth Officer at AETNA. "Mightier for Business provides employers and health plans an efficient new way to get clinically validated and immediately accessible care, that actually helps."

Of those families who have already turned to Mightier as a mental health tool, a Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School study shows that Mightier's technology significantly reduces outbursts and oppositional behavior, and alleviates family stress. Eighty-seven percent of families who use Mightier three times per week in 15-minute increments report positive change after 90 days.

About Mightier
Mightier is a digital program for children that uses game-based play to build emotional health. Developed out of Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Mightier is clinically proven to help kids ages 6 to 14 prepare for life's big emotions. To date, more than 2.5 million games have been played on the Mightier app by more than 100,000 kids. Mightier can be accessed by families directly on Mightier.com or as a mental health benefit through employers, health plans, and Medicaid providers. Learn more at mightier.com.

*On behalf of Mightier, Researchscape International conducted an online survey of 1,021 U.S. parents employed full-time with 6 to 14-year-old children. The survey collected responses from April 14 to 18, 2023; results were weighted to be representative of the overall population by six demographic variables.

Media Contact
Kim MacKenzie for Mightier
[email protected]

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SOURCE Mightier