Nearly 75% of parents miss work to address kids’ mental health or academic performance

Parent are taking a significant amount time off work to support their children’s mental health or academic needs, according to a new survey — a development that has the potential to leave lingering economic effects.

The survey, titled “Mental Health in the Classroom: The Impact on Kids, Teachers and Working Parents” and released by behavioral health software and solutions provider RethinkFirst, offers parental insights into social, emotional, and academic stressors that impacted their children in grades K-12 during the 2022-23 school year.

More than half of responding parents said they missed as many as four or more days of work during the school year to take their children to mental health-related appointments or stay home with them for related absences, or attend individualized education programs (IEPs) or parent-teacher conferences. All told, RethinkFirst data scientists estimate that the time parents take off work to provide support to their students could cost the U.S. economy as much as $65 billion in lost productivity annually.

“Students continue to struggle with their mental health and are still catching up academically from pandemic-related disruptions, forcing parents to take time off to address the urgent needs of their children,” Daniel Etra, CEO and co-founder of RethinkFirst, said in a statement. “Workplace absenteeism related to supporting children is a growing concern. As employers look for ways to support employees and their families, it will be increasingly important to offer mental and behavioral health benefits, including those for children with learning and developmental challenges.”

The national survey of more than 2,000 parents examined the observed range of emotions school-aged children experienced; if schools had resources and programs needed to support their child’s mental health; and how much time they took off work to support their child’s mental health or academic performance.

Among the findings:

• Overall, 74% of all parents surveyed took some amount of time off work (a minimum of a few hours) during the school year to support their child’s mental wellness or academic performance. More specifically, 60% of parents missed at least one day of work, and 32% of parents took four or more days off work.

• Parents of neurodiverse children need to take even more time off than parents of neurotypical children, with 34% of parents of neurodiverse children taking four or more days every year to support their child’s mental health or academic performance.

• The need to take time off to address students’ needs does not discriminate. The study found that it did not matter whether parents were male or female, single or married, what their income was, or if their kids were neurodiverse or neurotypical. Among those who took the most time off, according to survey responses, were 39% of men who are married or live with a partner and who make less than $100,000 a year; 38% of women who are single, divorced, widowed, or separated and earn more than $100,000 a year; and 36% of parents of neurodiverse children who make less than $100,000 a year, regardless of relationship status.

Related: Working parents are looking for help beyond flexible work arrangements, study finds

The results, according to Rethink First officials, suggest that employees need increased benefits that support the needs of working parents. A 2021 survey conducted by Willis Towers Watson indicated that only 1 in 4 employers say their benefits effectively support working parents.