Children experiencing poor mental health are significantly more likely to face difficulties working as adults, according to a recent study by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The report highlights the urgent need to invest in children’s mental health to reduce long-term barriers to employment.
Currently, one in five children in England are estimated to have a probable mental health issue. Government data also reveals that the number of working-age adults (16 to 34 years) reporting that mental ill health limits their ability to work has increased more than fourfold in the past decade. Mental health now stands as the leading work-limiting health condition for people under 45.
The IPPR’s findings, based on analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study tracking 17,000 individuals across England, Scotland, and Wales, demonstrate that mental health problems at age 10 have long-lasting impacts four decades later. Specifically, children with severe mental or behavioral issues are 85% more likely to experience depression at age 51 and 68% more likely to have a long-term condition limiting their capacity to work.
Long-term conditions are defined as physical or mental health issues expected to last 12 months or more. The study also found that children with physical health problems are 38% more likely to face work limitations later in life. Additionally, for every four children who develop a long-term health condition, one mother is likely to leave the workforce altogether.
With the increasing strain that poor mental health places on the NHS, social services, and social security systems, the IPPR calls for immediate action. The report urges targeted investment in early, high-impact mental health interventions, especially for 14 to 19-year-olds approaching the workforce.
“Improving children’s health is not just morally right – it is a social and economic necessity,” the report states, noting that poor childhood health contributes to worse adult health, lower educational achievement, reduced earnings, and greater reliance on public services.
Dr. Jamie O’Halloran, senior research fellow at IPPR, emphasised the importance of early intervention: “Addressing physical and mental health challenges in childhood can prevent costly health conditions and worklessness later in life.”
Amy Gandon, IPPR associate fellow and former Department of Health official, warned that successive governments have neglected these long-term consequences. “If the Government is serious about building a preventative state, it must act decisively to improve outcomes for children and young people,” she said.
Recent figures show a 41% rise in working-age adults claiming disability benefits in England between 2019 and 2024, alongside a 40% increase in incapacity benefits claims, underscoring the growing scale of the challenge.
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