Pulse Check 2025: Mothers on Child Mental Health Impacts, Care, and Support

In September 2025, Count on Mothers released findings from a nationally representative study of mothers across regions and the political spectrum on children's mental health needs, access to care, and family experiences navigating support systems. The study examines mothers' firsthand observations at home, in schools, and in healthcare settings to identify gaps in care and practical paths forward. Findings underscore the scale of unmet need, the central role of cost and insurance barriers, and the importance of school-based and family-centered solutions.

Unmet mental health needs are widespread:
Nearly 1 in 4 mothers (23%) who sought mental health support for their child could not obtain care when it was needed, most often due to cost.
Cost remains the primary barrier—even for insured families:
Although 96% of families have insurance, more than half of mothers (51%) cite cost as the main obstacle to accessing mental health care for their children.
Private insurance is not delivering adequate access:
Among mothers lacking sufficient access to care, 80% have private insurance, and fewer than half believe their plans provide adequate mental health coverage.
Children’s and parents’ mental health are closely linked:
Mothers worried about their children’s mental health are significantly more likely to struggle with their own mental health, highlighting the interconnected nature of family well-being.
Availability does not equal usability:
Even when services exist, families face practical barriers—including difficulty accessing therapists, inconsistent school-based supports, limited provider training, and scheduling constraints that make care inaccessible.
School-based supports emerge as the most effective solution:
Across qualitative responses, mothers most frequently identified expanded, well-resourced school-based mental health services as the clearest and most actionable path to meeting children’s needs.

Source: Count on Mothers, Pulse Check 2025: Mothers on Child Mental Health Impacts, Care, and Support, September 2025. Nationally representative survey of U.S. mothers, n=2,700, weighted across political ideology and region. Funded by Inseparable, which provided subject-matter expert review of the survey instrument and pre-publication findings; Count on Mothers retained final authority over methodology, data analysis, interpretation, and publication. Research led by a PhD-credentialed researcher and an MPH data scientist.

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