Understanding the relationship between unmet social needs and parental mental health in multicultural and regional/rural communities

Many families in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and regional or rural communities face difficulties accessing basic supports, including food, employment, child care and health care. This study analysed data from parents/carers in New South Wales communities. Families were more likely to experience unmet needs when parents were experiencing high levels of psychological distress, were of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background, had lower parental education, were young (under 25 years of age), or where there were child developmental concerns. The authors stressed the need for services to be culturally sensitive and family-centred to routinely screen for social needs and parental mental health when working families experiencing disadvantage.

Why is this important?

• Many families in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and regional or rural communities have unmet needs due to difficulties accessing basic supports such as food, child care, employment assistance and health care. Lack of access to these basic supports can also be a barrier to accessing health and social supports or services.
• Understanding which families are most at risk can help services and policymakers provide better support and improve access to care.

What did they do?

• Researchers undertook secondary analysis* of data from 288 parents and carers of young children (aged six months to three years) living in CALD communities in South Western Sydney and rural/regional communities in New South Wales who were involved in a randomised control trial.
• They measured the presence or absence of unmet social needs for food, housing, employment, child care, education and utilities.
• The authors also examined whether parental mental health, child developmental concerns and family characteristics were associated with higher or lower levels of unmet need.

What did they find?

• Most families (61%) reported at least one unmet social need. The most common unmet support needs were for food assistance, mental health support, employment and child care.
• Families were more likely to experience unmet needs when:
  • parents were experiencing higher levels of psychological distress
  • there were child developmental concerns
  • there were lower levels of parental education
  • parents were from CALD backgrounds
  • parents were single, divorced or in de facto relationships
  • parents were under 25.
• The association between many of these factors and unmet needs was bidirectional. This means several factors could be both the cause and consequence of unmet needs.
• Families who received an intervention that screened for social needs and who were supported via service navigation had a significantly lower rate of unmet needs over time when compared to those that didn’t.

What does this mean for practice?

• Services should consider routinely screening for social needs such as food insecurity, employment difficulties and housing concerns, as well as supporting service navigation for families experiencing disadvantage.
• Services should consider parental mental health alongside families’ unmet social needs, as these issues can affect each other and may require coordinated support.
• Family support services must be culturally sensitive and recognise the additional challenges faced by single-parent and non-traditional families. Where possible, services should aim to facilitate access to child care, employment support and food assistance as needed.

*Note: Secondary analysis means that the participant data was collected as part of another research study.

This summary is one of the child mental health research highlights for August 2026, prepared by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).