This post is part of a series of highlights from Cleo’s Family Health Index Annual Report.

Parents and caregivers’ mental health is at a critical level

60% of parents and caregivers screen positive on the PHQ-4, indicating a higher risk for depression and anxiety.

This finding is similar to CDC reports that show “approximately 70% of parents and caregivers experience adverse mental health symptoms, with 55.3% reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety.”

Among Cleo’s population, this number increases to 69% for those navigating a cancer diagnosis, and 66% for those serving as adult caregivers or navigating an end-of-life caregiving journey.

These elevated rates underscore the significant mental health challenges faced by caregivers in particularly high-stress caregiving situations. This finding highlights the critical need for proactive screening and targeted mental health support to decrease the risk of burnout, improve caregiver wellbeing, and mitigate the negative impact on both personal and work life.

Mental health leaves are on the rise

The mental health strain on parents and caregivers has continued to escalate, reflected in a sharp rise in mental health leaves. “Since 2017 and 2023, mental health leaves have increased by 300% and in 2024 they increased another by 22%. Women accounted for 71% of mental health leaves of absence in 2025.”

This is an increasing concern for employers as they witness the impact of mental health-related absences along with hidden losses in productivity, challenges with employee retention, and rising healthcare costs.

Organizations must support their parenting and caregiving population

It’s not enough to simply offer an EAP or a point solution for counseling; parenting and caregiving mental health issues must be solved at the root, and incorporate everything going on in a parent or caregiver’s life holistically.

Cleo’s LifePath model provides members with this proactive support through personalized guidance from Cleo’s Guides and Specialists as well as a digital experience tailored to their complex care journeys.

By pairing these Family Health Index insights with our proactive care model, Cleo can get to the root of mental health issues and help alleviate the healthcare and workforce productivity impact. After Cleo’s intervention, 70% of members that were at higher risk for burnout improve their overall health and Family Health Index score.