Highlights in child mental health research: September 2026

Prepared by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS)

Military families raising neurodivergent children

This qualitative study explored how British Armed Forces families raising neurodivergent children accessed and maintained support while managing relocation and deployment. Families described supports as fragmented and frequently disrupted by moves, with parents often acting as the main coordinators of care. Maintaining support came with substantial emotional, occupational and financial costs. The authors highlight the importance of coordinated services, proactive communication and effective handovers to reduce disruption and support family wellbeing.

Adverse childhood experiences and mental health during the transition to fatherhood

This quantitative study examined the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health among 718 first-time Australian fathers. A dose-response relationship was identified, meaning that fathers’ depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and wellbeing generally worsened as the number of ACEs increased. Childhood sexual abuse, feeling unloved and verbal abuse were the childhood adversities most consistently associated with higher depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower wellbeing among new fathers.

Intergenerational child protection contact and child and adolescent mental health

This data linkage study examined mental health outcomes among more than 75,000 Australian young people from families with different intergenerational patterns of child protection contact. The study found that young people’s own child protection involvement was more strongly associated with their mental health outcomes than a parental history of child protection contact alone. The highest rates of poor mental health were observed among ‘cycle maintainer’ families, where both children and parents had child protection contact.

Interventions to improving the health and socio-economic wellbeing of young parents

This scoping review examined 13 studies of interventions designed to improve the health and socio-economic wellbeing of young parents (aged 10–24) across seven African countries. Most interventions focused on young mothers. Interventions that provided counselling, peer support, mentoring or group-based psychosocial support were generally associated with improvements in wellbeing, confidence, coping skills and social functioning. Several interventions reported broader benefits beyond mental health, including improved parenting skills, stronger social support, increased school participation, greater financial independence and improved access to sexual and reproductive health services.