• A Charles Sturt University study highlights the profound impact of early-life deprivations rooted in financial hardship and familial adversities on adolescent mental health outcomes in Australia
• Children born to parents with a history of multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) were found to have a heightened risk of depression during adolescence
• Early identification of vulnerable children, combined with multi-level interventions, could significantly reduce the mental health burden on future generations

A team of Charles Sturt University researchers and a colleague have found that certain factors can reduce long-term mental health risks of children exposed to early life deprivations such as financial crisis or familial adversities.

Dr Subash Thapa, Senior Research Fellow of Rural Public Health (Epidemiologist) in the Charles Sturt Rural Health Research Institute (RHRI), said the study examined the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on the development of children and early teenagers.

Dr Thapa said ACEs include various forms of childhood maltreatment such as abuse, neglect and household dysfunctions, and are now widely recognised as persistent and pervasive early-life stressors that can profoundly shape development.

“This study highlights the profound impact of early-life deprivations rooted in financial hardship and familial adversities on the adolescent mental health outcomes in Australia,” Dr Thapa said.

“In addition, children born to parents with a history of multiple ACEs were found to have a heightened risk of depression during adolescence.

“Our analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), a population-based longitudinal cohort study, found that long-term mental health risks can be reduced by early identification of children exposed to early life deprivations rooted in financial crisis or familial adversities, combined with targeted interventions for both children and parents and supportive social policies.”

PhD student and lead author of the published study Mr Santosh Giri and fellow researchers conclude that there is a need for targeted interventions that address mental health needs of children exposed to economic hardship, housing instability and parental neglect.

“Early identification of vulnerable children, combined with multi-level interventions, spanning individual, family and policy-driven approaches, addressing the root causes of deprivation-related ACEs could significantly reduce the mental health burden on future generations,” Mr Giri said.

“Although the analysis did not explicitly stratify by geographic remoteness, the observed effects of socioeconomic disadvantage and deprivation-related childhood adversities are highly relevant to regional and rural Australian contexts, where socioeconomic disadvantage, family deprivation and limited access to youth mental health services are more common.”

The study found:

• Across adolescence, depression risk increased with age, peaking at 16–17 years, particularly among females and adolescents from socioeconomically disadvantaged families, which are disproportionally higher in rural and regional areas as opposed to urban.

• Children exposed to two or more deprivation-related childhood adversities (e.g., material deprivation, parental separation, or neglect) were around twice as likely to experience depressive symptoms across all age groups, with sustained effects into late adolescence.

• Adolescents from socioeconomically disadvantaged families, who are over-represented in regional and rural areas, showed up to a 1.4-fold higher risk of anxiety at age 12–13 years, indicating that early adolescence is a sensitive period when material hardship and family stressors begin to influence emotional wellbeing.