The fight against mental health in children is becoming serious as time pass. It has already affected a number of children and their families. According to a federal health official’s report, there is approximately one in seven children living in the United States who is battling a mental disorder.

Researchers have been studying data given by parents during the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health trying to find out if there are any reported cases of speech and language problems, learning disabilities, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, and more, Science Daily reported.

The study’s lead researcher Jennifer Kaminsk who is also a team leader for child development studies at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that based on the number of children suffering from different mental disorders, the issue is something that needs their full attention. The researchers discovered that children with mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders are those that have lesser access to medical care which are family-centered, continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate and culturally effective than others.

They also explained that often times, the parents’ mental health problems and poor child-care explains why their children are suffering from mental, behavioral, and developmental problems. According to US News, Kaminski explained that each state has a different variety of disorders which implies that there are certain things the state can do to improve the health status of these kids.

The finding showed that California had the lowest prevalence of disorder rate at 10.6 percent, while the figure doubles in the states of Arkansas and Kentucky. They also found out that fair or poor parental mental health was the highest in Washington D.C., and Kansas was ranked the lowest.

Kaminski said that those children living in houses where English is not spoken are those are most likely at risk of suffering these conditions. “Speaking English is either an indicator of assimilation into the culture and/or a sign of better access to health care,” she said. “We are not able to say if these risk factors are caused by or causing the disorders, but they are important for children’s health,” Kaminski added.

This article first appeared on ‘Parent Herald’ on 20 March 2016.