Parents’ Voice 2025: The Great Indian Parenting Mental Health Survey

What is that one thing that is constantly on your mind as a parent? Don’t blame yourself if you are not able to answer it, because from what I have learned over the years, there is not just one, but many, and it is next to impossible to rank those things by priority and pick the one on top. From the moment you wake up to the second your head hits the pillow, it feels as if you are juggling millions of balls in the air. 

From holding your baby in your arms to watching them step into your shoes, parenting is all about navigating the delicate balance between who we are as individuals and who we are as parents. Often, it's this very balancing act that leaves us mentally stretched thin. Parents’ Voice 2025 is an initiative by Parentune to understand the impact of parenting on mental health and empower parents to share their concerns, and insights.

We reached out to parents, Moms, and Dads. These are parents across various stages of parenting, right from parents of a few months old child to parents of teens. 

We started with the most basic question, ‘Do they find parenting stressful?’ 

When asked about their biggest struggle, 5 out of 10 parents identified Mental fatigue & Stress and 3 out of 10 found sleep deprivation to be their biggest struggle. 

The next question focused on whether parents recognized the signs of parental burnout. 7 out of 10 Parents shared that you know one is experiencing parental burnout if you find them getting frequently overwhelmed or losing interest in activities they enjoyed earlier or when they find difficulty in focusing and making decisions. These are the signs of Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions.

So, who do parents rely on for emotional support? Surprisingly, none of the parents chose counselling/therapy as an option. 

And, how do they destress?

6 out of 10 parents de-stress by talking to their friends and family. 16% of parents find playing a sport as an effective distresser and 6% turn to music to distress. 

6 out of 10 parents suggested that other parents should talk to their spouse, friends and family when they want to de-stress. 2 out of 10 suggested that fellow parents reach out to a Mental Health Expert. 

Parents put their child growing up to be a good human being and a happy person above their future career choices.

Their Child’s mental health is among the top 2 concern areas for the parents. 3 out of 10 parents are concerned about their child’s emotional and mental health. This is only second to 52% being concerned about their child’s health & immunity. 

Note: There is a shift in Education as a factor and parents today place it as a 3rd important area unlike earlier, where it used to be among the top 2 factors for parents. We have observed a massive shift here post the pandemic

At last, when we asked parents about coping strategies, parents shared these. 

Having a community where parents can speak to like minded parents without any filters, nor judgement came up as a top coping mechanism. De-stressing through activities one likes, talking to a friend or a family member, taking a break and leaving the child with the spouse or a caregiver, Yoga, meditation and reaching out to a Mental Health Expert when feeling overwhelmed came up as some of the other coping strategies for the parents.  

Let’s be more vocal about the challenges of parenting because as much as we believe that no parent is perfect, we also believe that there are parents who are stressed and maybe the numbers are a lot higher than we know.