Poverty raises mental health risks for children with intellectual disabilities, study finds

Poverty raises mental health risks for children with intellectual disabilities, study finds

The findings showed that children from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to experience low mood, anxiety, physical symptoms linked to stress, behaviour problems, and difficulties relating to other children.

Children with intellectual disabilities who grow up in disadvantaged families are more likely to experience mental health problems than those from better-off households, a new study has found.

The findings suggest that financial difficulties and limited access to support may add to the challenges these children already face.

The study, published in JCPP Advances, examined 2,778 children and young people aged between four and 25. Researchers found that those living in deprived neighbourhoods, whose parents had lower levels of education or who qualified for free school meals, were more likely to experience emotional and behavioural problems.

The children involved in the study had intellectual developmental disabilities linked to genetic conditions, including Prader-Willi syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and 16p11.2 microdeletion syndrome.

Parents and caregivers provided information about the children's health, development, and behaviour. Researchers then compared this information with measures of disadvantage, including family circumstances, neighbourhood deprivation, parents' education, and eligibility for free school meals.

The findings showed that children from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to experience low mood, anxiety, physical symptoms linked to stress, behaviour problems, and difficulties relating to other children.

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They were also more likely to have reported mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and conduct disorder.

One of the most striking findings involved children eligible for free school meals, a support programme for families with limited incomes in the UK. These children were 2.5 times as likely to have a reported diagnosis of major depression as those who did not qualify. They were also 2.3 times as likely to have conduct disorder, a condition involving persistent behavioural difficulties.

The researchers said the findings show that the mental health of children with intellectual disabilities may be shaped by more than their medical condition. Their family circumstances and the support available to them may also influence their emotional well-being.

“Children with intellectual developmental disabilities can face significant mental health challenges, and families experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage may have additional difficulties in accessing the support they need,” the researchers said.

Intellectual developmental disabilities affect how a person learns, understands information, and manages everyday activities. Some children may need help with communication, problem-solving, learning at school, or developing social skills. The level of support needed differs from one child to another.

Although these disabilities can present challenges, children can benefit from appropriate education, healthcare, and family support. However, when a household struggles financially, meeting a child's needs may become more difficult.

Parents may face additional expenses, difficulties finding specialist services, or challenges balancing caregiving with paid employment. Children may also encounter barriers to accessing mental health assessments and treatment. While these are possible explanations for the study's findings, the researchers did not establish exactly why children from disadvantaged backgrounds experienced more difficulties.

The study also found no clear pattern showing that children with more severe intellectual disabilities had worse mental health outcomes. Instead, financial and social disadvantage was consistently linked to greater emotional and behavioural difficulties.

This suggests that children with less severe disabilities may also experience significant mental health problems when they lack adequate support or live in difficult circumstances.

The researchers said healthcare and social services should consider the wider needs of families when supporting children with intellectual disabilities. This could include improving access to mental health assessments, specialist care and social support for families experiencing financial hardship.

“Financial pressures, caring responsibilities, and difficulties accessing specialist support may add to the challenges these families experience,” the researchers noted.

However, the findings have limitations. Much of the information was provided by parents and caregivers rather than through independent assessments. Some families also did not complete all the questionnaires, which may have affected the results.

The researchers could not measure every aspect of family income, living conditions, or the severity of each child's disability. The study also examined information collected at one point in time, meaning it cannot prove that poverty directly causes mental health problems.

It is also possible that the financial and caregiving demands of raising a child with an intellectual disability may contribute to hardship within some families. Further research is needed to understand how these pressures interact over time.

The findings highlight the importance of considering the circumstances in which children grow up when assessing their mental health. Ensuring that children with intellectual disabilities receive appropriate care may require attention not only to their individual needs but also to the financial and social challenges affecting their families.

Globally, an estimated 16.1 million children under five had intellectual disabilities in 2019, representing 2.4 per cent of children in that age group.

In Kenya, a 2018 national survey estimated that 547,474 children and young people aged three to 21 had intellectual disabilities, based on data from 2017. This is a historical estimate, not a current count.