A new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, co-authored by Professor Matteo Richiardi, found that the introduction of welfare reform programme, Universal Credit, was associated with a 0.94-point decline in mental health for parents of dependent children. The prevalence of depression increased by 3.8 percentage points. Harms were more clearly evidenced among large families, couples and older parents. The research used data from Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study, to track the impact of the changes to eligible families.
Universal Credit (UC), the UK’s flagship welfare reform, has been associated with increased psychological distress among both unemployed and employed claimants. However, there is a significant gap in quantitative evidence on how UC affects the mental health of adults with dependent children, despite this group comprising over half of all UC claimants and facing distinct caregiving and financial challenges.
This study provides some of the first quantitative evidence on the mental health effects of UC rollout specifically among adults with dependent children. Using a robust Difference-in-Differences approach and longitudinal, population-representative data, this study finds that the introduction of UC is associated with deteriorations in mental health, particularly among large families and older parents.
The findings highlight the importance of considering household-specific effects in welfare reform. Policymakers could reduce harm by implementing targeted UC changes, such as easing the benefit cap for larger families, streamlining the claims process and limiting the use of sanctions.
Cite this research as:
Marimpi M, Barr B, Baxter AJ, et al (2026) Mental health effects of the universal credit rollout 2009–2019 on adults with dependent children: evidence from the UK household longitudinal survey
J Epidemiol Community Health Published Online First: 08 October 2026. doi: 10.1136/jech-2026-226201