Hiding In Plain Sight: Burnt Out Parents Worry About Their Kid’s Mental Health

Healthcare Hiding In Plain Sight: Burnt Out Parents Worry About Their Kid’s Mental Health Cathy Cassata Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about health and mental health New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Aug 12, 2022, 11:52am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The mother/daughter bond.

Kaiser Permanente Constantly feeling swamped can lead to burnout. For working parents who are concerned about their children’s mental health, navigating work, and caring for their kids can cause additional stress. Now that back-to-school season is here, parents’ concerns for kids may be exacerbated.

According to The Great Collide report, a majority of working parents and caregivers said their work is affected by their children’s mental health and behavior. Disruptions include feelings of stress, distraction, and hopelessness. Furthermore, parents are afraid of facing negative consequences, such as losing their jobs, if the attention they give their children interferes with their work.

To tend to their children’s mental health, more than half of working parents reported missing work more than once per month. They also said that they interrupted their workday at least once a month to address their teenager’s mental health needs. While the mental health of children and teens was a concern before the pandemic, Dr.

Lateefah Watford , a psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente in Georgia, said the pandemic has worsened the issue. She said “pediatricians have seen an increase in depression, anxiety and social and emotional issues among their patients. ” Even as society comes out of the pandemic, the mental health effects on kids will continue, as will the need for parents to dedicate time and effort to support their children.

As working parents continue to navigate these challenges, experts share ways employers can help. MORE FOR YOU CDC: Salmonella Outbreak Has Left 279 Ill, 26 Hospitalized In 29 States Canadians End Up In ICU After Attending ‘Covid Party’ White House Mandates Pfizer Vaccines for Millions of Citizens . .

. Before the FDA Clinical or Safety Reviews Have Been Made Public Encourage Honest Conversation While mental health is often stigmatized and viewed differently than physical health, Watford said supervisors should create an environment of psychological safety where coworkers can talk about mental health as it relates to them or their family. This can open up conversations about workplace support available and encourage supervisors to give employees grace during difficult times.

“The companies that do well in cultivating this kind of environment are doing well financially as far as managing workplace absenteeism and also presentism,” said Watford. Dr. Sindhu Pandit , Global Clinical Lead, Healthcare and Life Sciences at Salesforce, agreed.

She said companies need to look for opportunities to have check-ins about mental health rather than simply referring employees to handouts and videos that cover the topic. “To get to productive, effective workforces, we have to keep employees well and focus on well-being,” said Pandit. Bringing up resources one-on-one rather than in public platforms may be more effective, she added.

For instance, in a private meeting, asking if there are specific needs employees are looking for or if they have questions about mental health and addiction care benefits can provide the opportunity to open up. Provide Flexibility Having access to paid time off to care for loved ones is the ideal scenario for employees. But Chia-Chia Chang, a coordinator in the Office for Total Worker Health® in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, pointed out that some gig, precarious, or temporary workers, don’t have benefits that provide for paid time off.

In these cases, or in cases where time off has been exhausted, flexible schedules can give people control and autonomy in when, how, and where they work. “This way, they can adjust their hours as needed so they can take care of their family,” said Chang. Flexibility in how work is conducted can also help with burnout.

To provide flexibility, Pandit suggested thinking of burnout and stress like a dimmer light rather than something that can be turned on and off with a switch. “Some people aren’t used to saying they need help or that they’re stressed out. So if you can offer them some flexibility with small things, like cutting out video calls, you can help keep the light from burning out,” she said.

Lead by Example It’s also important for managers and leaders to model the ways in which they manage their time to care for loved ones. For instance, a supervisor sharing that they leave on time every day because they need to care for their grandchild who is struggling can set a healthy precedent. “He’s not doing that to share TMI [too much information]; he’s doing that to show he has a life outside of work.

And then employees know that they can do that too because it’s good for them, too,” said Chang. Communicate Clearly For many people, the pandemic has provided job insecurity, pay cuts, issues with working remotely, and confusing return to in-office policies. Stating clearly and often to workers what they can expect from their employer can reduce stress in one area of their life as they deal with other stressful aspects like caring for their kids.

“We find this to be a promising factor for helping parents deal with all that’s going on, so they can ensure and advance the mental health of their children,” said Chang. The “Hiding in Plain Sight” Blog is a series for the 2022 documentary Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness, produced and directed by Ewers Brothers Productions, executive produced by Ken Burns, and presented by WETA, the PBS flagship station in our nation’s capital, which premiered on June 27 & 28 at 9/8c in primetime on PBS stations nationwide and is now streaming on Amazon Prime. #WellBeings #WellBeingsLive You are not alone.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, whether they are considering suicide or not, please call the toll-free National Suicide Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) to speak with a trained crisis counselor. If you don’t want to talk on the phone, you can also text. Crisis Text Line offers free mental health support.

Text “10-18” or “SCRUBS” to 741741 for help. The call and text lines are open 24 hours a day. Cathy Cassata Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.