Parental loss: prevalence estimates and mental health impacts from the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and mental health impacts of parental loss in children and adolescents under 18 years. METHOD: A nationally representative sample of households with children aged 4-17 years was recruited in 2013-2014, with 6,310 parents/carers of eligible households (response rate = 55%). Primary carers completed a questionnaire about biological parental loss (death, incarceration, separation) and mental health disorders. RESULTS: At 17 years, 0.3% had a parent in custody, 2.5% had a biological parent die, 31.8% had separated parents, and 37.8% were not living with both biological parents. Across loss types, the proportion of children and adolescents with a mental disorder was 21.4% and highest for parental death (28.8%), followed by having a parent in custody (21.9%), and parents having separated (20.2%). Mental disorder was highest (38.3%) for 4-11-year-old children whose biological parent had died. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to provide national prevalence estimates of death of a biological parent, parental incarceration, and parental separation in Australia. Among parental loss types, parental bereavement had the highest risk of mental disorders. Findings support the need to ensure relevant and effective services are accessible to and meet the needs of bereaved children and adolescents.