Where is the study up to?
Fieldwork commenced in November 2025 and will run for up to 12 months.
Trained Roy Morgan interviewers are conducting face-to-face interviews with families nationwide. Households are randomly selected to participate.
The survey includes:
- 6,500 parents/carers of children aged 4–17 years (face-to-face interviews)
- 3,500 adolescents aged 11–17 years (electronic self-complete questionnaire
More details on eligibility and participation can be found on the study website: https://ymof.org.au
Results are expected in 2027. Updates will be shared as fieldwork progresses.
Why it is important
The National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy (2021) highlighted the need for more national data about children’s mental health and wellbeing.
Evidence from this study will help Governments and mental health service providers to:
- plan mental health services for children and adolescents
- find out whether existing services are appropriate to meet needs
- decide whether extra services are needed, and
- benchmark progress in achieving national and jurisdictional goals in promoting the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents.
Goals of the project
The aims of the study are to:
| Primary aim | Update national prevalence rates of mental health disorders for Australian children and adolescents (aged 4-17), including examining changes since 2013/14 |
| Secondary aims | Investigate early symptoms (subsyndromal or pre-disorder) |
| Measure impairment associated with mental health symptoms and disorders | |
| Establish rates of suicidality and self-harm | |
| Investigate help seeking, including service use, in children and adolescents with mental health symptoms/conditions and how this has changed since YMM | |
| Consider educational context in relation to mental health |
These aims were shaped by advice from stakeholders and young people with lived experience.
Who we work with
Curtin University, in partnership with the University of Queensland and Roy Morgan Research, will design and undertake Young Minds: Our Future.
The design and implementation of the study has been informed by a Youth Advisory Group, a Parent/Carer Advisory Group, a Scientific Reference Group and a National Stakeholder Advisory Group.
Related information
The last national study of mental disorder rates in children was in 2013–14. See the report from the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Young Minds Matter (published in 2015).
Contact
Contact us if you have any questions about the study.
