Research on How Parents Can Support Teens’ Mental Health

Experts say that teenagers and young adults are experiencing a crisis of mental health. Gen Z is coming of age in a uniquely stressful and emotionally complex time—and the numbers bear it out: Gen Z is more likely to report negative mental health outcomes than any other generation. 

The pattern is consistent: The younger the generation, the more likely they are to report negative emotional experiences. Gen Z stands out, with nearly two in five (39%) saying they frequently feel uncertain about the future or anxious about important decisions. Roughly one in three (29%) reports feeling lonely on a regular basis, and one in four (26%) often feels isolated.

While older generations report much lower levels of these emotions, that contrast may reflect more than just differing life experiences—it may also point to generational differences in emotional awareness and language. Today’s young people are more attuned to their inner world and more willing to name their mental health challenges.

“Younger generations are experiencing profound levels of negative emotions,” says David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group. “They are more self-aware of those perceptions. Either way, it’s a good sign that younger generations are able to report how they are doing and that they have a language for their interior world. That, in itself, is a hopeful sign and a ministry opportunity.”

This emotional volatility has deep consequences. As depression and anxiety continue to affect young people, schools and churches must also examine how they can effectively support another critical group in this picture: parents.

Teens Are Struggling—and So Are Their Parents

In Barna’s Gen Z Mental Health & Well-Being report, parents emerge not just as concerned caregivers, but as individuals navigating significant emotional strain themselves. Four in 10 parents (41%) admit they are so stressed most days that they “cannot function.” In addition, a full 65 percent report experiencing loneliness, and many say they lack consistent emotional support in their own lives.

These internal struggles are compounded by their concern for their children. Nearly three-quarters of parents (74%) say they worry their teen will face anxiety or depression—yet many feel ill-equipped to help when those concerns become reality.

This layered picture reveals that parents are both frontline responders to their teens’ mental health and in need of support themselves. For ministry leaders, it’s a call to care for the whole family system—offering not just advice, but space for parents to process, heal, and grow in their ability to nurture those in their household.

“There is a largely untold story about parent mental health in America,” said Richard Weissbourd, lead author of the Harvard report, Caring for the Caregivers. “Parents and teens’ mental health are deeply interwoven, and we need to do much more in this country to support parents and to promote their mental health. Parents and other primary caregivers also need the knowledge and resources to be able to support their teens’ mental health.”

Parents Want—and Need—Equipping

In this emotionally charged environment, parents are seeking clear, compassionate guidance from their faith communities. But in Barna’s data from Motherhood Today, a study in partnership with MomCo, fewer than half of Christian moms say their church ever provides resources or support to help them in their parenting role.

So how can Christian leaders step up and provide support to parents, both for their own holistic wellbeing and for the role they play as mom and dad? 

Churches can support parents’ mental well-being by:

• Partnering with licensed Christian counselors for referral networks or on-site care.
• Offering emotional health small groups or discipleship journeys focused on soul care.
• Normalizing pastoral conversations around burnout, parenting fatigue, and mental illness in the pulpit and programming.

Churches can equip parents to navigate their teens’ struggles by:

• Offering parenting workshops or seasonal seminars on improving mental health, anxiety, or even on improving their listening skills. (Most teens say the thing they need most from their parents is for them to simply listen.)
• Creating dedicated spaces for parents to share struggles, pray together, and learn from experts.
• Providing curated resource kits (digital or physical) with faith-based tools to help guide conversations with teens.

Ministry Begins at Home

Teen mental health challenges are pressing—but parents are carrying those burdens too, often without the support they need. Research shows that many parents are stressed, lonely, and uncertain about how to help their kids. That makes equipping parents one of the most strategic ways churches can support the next generation.

As trauma therapist and minister Dr. Anita Phillips reminds us, “The best gift we can give our children is our own healing.” But healing and resilience don’t come from parenting tips alone—they grow in community, through presence, prayer, and practical support. This is where the Church can shine—by creating spaces where parents feel seen, strengthened and equipped to be the parents their kids need now.