Many social determinants of health have important effects on behavioral health and can apply to all members of a family. Some research has found that having a family member with a mental illness decreases family functioning and is a general stressor for families. With that in mind, payers and providers may find that the diagnosis of a behavioral health condition in one family member could signal that it may be worth screening for circumstances that might affect the entire household. This could provide an opportunity for earlier diagnosis and intervention with other household members who may be at heightened risk for similar behavioral health concerns.

In order to shed more light on how behavioral health conditions affect families, Milliman analyzed the prevalence of several conditions among family members in a national, commercially insured population in 2017. In this paper, Milliman’s Stoddard Davenport and Marissa North expand on existing research by analyzing the prevalence of behavioral conditions in parents of children with behavioral conditions versus those without as well as children of parents with behavioral conditions versus those without.