Children of the mentally ill constitute a group neglected by mental health care providers. Increased rates of psychopathology, impaired attention processes, disturbances in interpersonal relationships, and reduced overall adaptive functioning are reported as significant outcomes for offspring of parents with a mood disorder. While epidemiological studies underscoring the risks from a hereditary standpoint are many, there are few studies examining the subjective experience of living with a depressed parent. Findings from this pilot study elucidate the subjective experience of preadolescents/adolescents living with an affectively ill parent, applying a qualitative focus group design. Videotaped sessions were analysed using methods consistent with qualitative research. 'Struggle to understand the illness', 'managing the illness', 'recognizing the signs', and 'impact of parent's hospitalization' emerged as central themes, capturing the essence of participants' experiences. The first two themes were further divided into subthemes. Findings illuminate the need to broaden nursing interventions and research, to include family perspectives, particularly when parental mental illness is a factor.

The purpose of this study was to develop an increased awareness of the sibling experience in families where one child has an eating disorder. Using a phenomenological approach, five female adolescents whose sisters had been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa each participated in two open-ended, unstructured interviews, which were coded and analysed using methods consistent with phenomenological research. Two overarching constructs evolved, which subsumed five major themes. All siblings (1) described intense and conflicted emotions, and (2) experienced their sisters' illness as a pervasive phenomenon in their lives. In this context, perspective of the illness, disruption of intra- and extrafamilial relationships, role strain, special status awarded the anorectic sister, and coping with the illness were significant themes which emerged for participants. Findings support the need for nurses to be involved in family-focused health care practice, and to be cognizant of the impact on siblings in families where one member's illness is a factor.