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One of the largest influences on a teenager’s mental health is family and the relationships a teen has with their loved ones. Parents play the biggest role in child development and affect teen mental health more than any other factor.
Genetics, parenting styles, family conflicts, and whether mental health problems run in the home can all play a role in shaping mental health outcomes for teens.
It’s important for parents to recognize the profound role they play in their teenager’s mental health to model healthy habits and provide support if they see their teen is struggling.
Understanding The Role of Family in Teen Mental Health
Family is one of the driving factors of teenage development and mental health. This starts in infancy when attachments to caregivers are formed. A healthy attachment will develop if parents meet the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of their developing children. As teens, attachment issues can arise through problems with self-esteem, relationships, communication skills, and levels of trust with others.
Teens are naturally social, greatly impacted by the world around them. Their developing brains are extra vulnerable to outside influences, especially in their homes and communities.
Parents spend the most time with their teens and often know them the best. They are their child’s first teachers, modeling for them how to:
- Perceive the world around them
- React to and manage stress
- Treat other people
- Treat themselves
- Communicate efficiently
Types of Family Relationships that Affect Mental Health
Although the direct relationship between a parent and their teen plays a large role in their mental health, other relationships in the home can also affect this. Relationships with siblings, the relationships between two parents, and anyone else living in the home can indirectly influence how a teen grows up to see the world around them.
Positive Family Dynamics & Healthy Relationships
When positive family relationships are present in the home this greatly increases long-term success in teens. Teens learn through observation. Seeing how their parents deal with challenges, speak with each other, and speak to themselves will provide a foundation for how teens may act when they become adults.
Parents who communicate calmly and effectively, take care of their own mental health, and speak positively are more likely to raise teens who will do the same.
Family Conflicts
Conflicts between other family members that may not directly involve your teen can still indirectly influence their mental health. Parents who fight or are involved in domestic violence may set standards for teens about their own relationships.
Having a sibling with mental health problems can also increase whether a teen develops a mental health issue. These risks are increased further if the teen comes from a violent community, economic insecurity, or has experienced discrimination from society.
Poor Caregiving
Caregiving, especially during infancy is critical to future development. Although teens may not consciously remember their primary years (0-5), this lays the foundation for trust & safety. If caregivers do not provide adequate attention to the needs of their children, this can manifest as a sense of distrust and unsafety when they become teens.
Ensuring your teen gets enough sleep, eats healthy, participates in school & the community, and builds positive routines for their mental health are also part of effective caregiving.
Family Mental Health
Having mental health problems run through the family can greatly affect whether a teen will develop them. Some teens may be more predisposed to certain mental health problems from genetics, while others learn through observation in the home. In most cases, it is a combination of both.
According to research, teens with parents of mental health disorders are at a much higher risk of developing those same problems:
- If a parent has anxiety the risks of the teen developing anxiety are 6x higher
- If a parent has depression the risks of the teen developing depression are 4x higher
Violent Environment
The impact of violence on teenage development cannot be understated. Teens who grow up in violent communities are at a higher risk of experiencing severe mental health disorders, embodying the violence they see, dropping out of school, abusing drugs, and even getting in trouble with the law.
Teens may be affected by violence in their communities or domestic violence in the home. This increases the risk of trauma and other mental health problems.
How to Build A Supportive and Safe Environment
Creating an environment in the home that promotes active listening, validation and open conversations around mental health can go a long way in supporting your teen. Teens simply want their parents to listen to them. According to reports, 40% of teens would like their parents to “reach out more and ask how they are really doing”.
If your teen comes to you about problems in their life, don’t downplay them. Sometimes adults think teens have “nothing to worry about”, but this type of thinking can make teens less likely to come to their parents in times of need.
If your teen trusts you enough to come to you about their problems, provide a judgment-free space for them to speak. Try not to interrupt, ask engaging questions, and validate what they are feeling.
Other Ways to Help Teens
It’s normal for parents to question their abilities to provide support for their teen. However, parents have many opportunities to boost their mental health & emotional well-being. Some ways to support their teen’s mental health include:
- Ask teens open-ended questions and how you can support them
- Set rules and provide structure, without being over-controlling
- Help them build healthy coping skills (journaling, yoga, dance, art, exercise, meditation)
- Encourage them to explore their talents or get involved with an activity in the community
- Model positive self-talk and self-care routines
- Ensure they get enough sleep for healthy brain development
- Carve out time each week to spend together (family dinners, going to see a movie, going on a bike ride, cooking a meal, etc)
If your teen is presenting serious warning signs that something is wrong with their mental health such as violence, aggression, self-harm, substance abuse, or threats of suicide, it is important to reach out to a mental health professional.
Teen Mental Health Programs
If you identify warning signs of mental health problems in your teen, reach out for professional support to help find the best plan of action. Our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) are designed to help teens overcome mental health problems.
These intensive treatments will help your teen develop positive coping skills for long-term success, learn effective communication skills, and develop the tools they need to form healthy relationships.
At Clearfork Academy our team of compassionate, licensed therapists understands the complex nature of teenage mental health disorders and are here to help. Reach out to our Admissions team to learn more.
Sources
Caring for the Caregivers: The Critical Link Between Parent and Teen Mental Health. Harvard University.
Violence and mental health problems among urban highschool students. National Library of Medicine.
Christine received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography with a minor in Philosophy from Texas Woman’s University, a Master of Fine Arts in Photography from Louisiana Tech University, and a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from Texas Wesleyan University. Christine approaches clinical work from a systems and narrative perspective. Looking at how each person’s values and world view affect and interact with others. When not at work Christine enjoys viewing and making art, knitting, gardening.
