Mental Health Support for Black Families Study

Washington, D.C., May 13, 2025—Within the Black community, there has been a growing understanding that it is important to take care of one’s mental health, which includes seeking professional treatment and care when needed. But across the United States, Black youth and their families continue to face a multitude of barriers when attempting to access mental health information and care. At the same time, quantitative research focusing on Black youth mental health is limited. And amid the current youth mental health crisis, it has become clear that Black children are in dire need of mental health support.

The Child Mind Institute and the Steve Fund have teamed up to conduct a literature review and nationally representative survey of Black families’ views and experiences with mental health care for children and young adults. The data collection was done by Ipsos. The goal of the survey was to understand the core issues faced by Black families and youth struggling with mental health concerns, and the types of resources and engagement vehicles necessary to meet their needs.

About the Study

A nationally representative sample of 1,000 Black parents (of children under 18) who have had concerns about their child’s emotional and/or behavioral well-being, filled out a questionnaire about their experiences seeking mental health care for their child and the barriers they encountered in accessing and receiving care. And 500 Black young adults, ages 18 to 24, filled out the same questionnaire about their own experiences seeking care for themselves. The survey was conducted between July 30 and August 22, 2024.

All data in this study are properly weighted to reflect demographic characteristics for these groups from the 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) from the U.S. Census Bureau (gender, age, region, household income).

About Ipsos

Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing over 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.

Our tagline "Game Changers" sums up our ambition to help our 5,000 customers move confidently through a rapidly changing world.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and Mid-60 indices and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).

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