Parents’ experiences of their adolescent’s mental health treatment: Helplessness or agency-based hope

Abstract

This article explores some core findings from a qualitative investigation of parents' experiences of their child's treatment in an adolescent mental health service in Sydney, Australia. In particular, the research question was, "How does parents' involvement in the child/adolescent's treatment influence their perception of how they can be helpful in their child's recovery?" The theme of parent hope emerged from the broad qualitative exploration of parent's experience of their involvement in their adolescent's intensive treatment program. A purposive sample of 14 sets of parents participated, being interviewed at admission, discharge, and 6 months following their adolescent's discharge. A continuum of high, moderate, and low levels of hope were evident in this parent sample 6 months after their treatment involvement. The strongly emergent theme was the relationship between parents' hope and agency/self-efficacy. Parents who remained more passive in expecting expert helpers to fix their child experienced reduced hope months after finishing the program. When parents positively changed their interaction with their child, they felt a more sustained hopefulness. These findings generate the hypothesis that if parents are actively involved in changing themselves as part of their child's treatment, they experience increased hope and effectiveness in contributing to their child's recovery.

An exploration of group-based compassion-focused therapy for adolescents and their parents

“…Parents tend to feel isolated in their parenting struggles and unsupported by the other parent, the child's school, and/or healthcare professionals (15). Interventions are needed to help parents manage their stress and enhance their sense of agency and trust in their abilities to support their children's development and success (17).…”

Finding confidence and inner trust as a parent: experiences of group-based compassion-focused therapy for the parents of adolescents with mental health problems

“…Parents of adolescents with MH problems face higher levels of frustration, uncertainty, and interpersonal conflict, and they may feel that they are criticized, blamed, and treated differently by family and friends (Moses, 2010). There is a lack of studies that have investigated the experiences of parenting an adolescent with MH problems (Brown, 2018;Jivanjee, Kruzich, & Gordon, 2009). This is important because a young person's MH outcomes may depend on his or her parent's response (Jorm, Wright, & Morgan, 2007).…”

“…In addition, parents of adolescents with MH issues are often excluded from their child's treatment planning process (Jivanjee et al, 2009); this may hinder the support that parents can provide to their child. Traditional approaches to the treatment of child and adolescent MH problems focus on treatment of the presenting symptoms (Brown, 2018;Mendenhall & Mount, 2011) rather than on the role of the parents as a resource that can positively influence the child. Further, most studies that have included parents in their research design have focused primarily on parental satisfaction with the treatment that is provided to the child (Brown, 2018).…”

“…Traditional approaches to the treatment of child and adolescent MH problems focus on treatment of the presenting symptoms (Brown, 2018;Mendenhall & Mount, 2011) rather than on the role of the parents as a resource that can positively influence the child. Further, most studies that have included parents in their research design have focused primarily on parental satisfaction with the treatment that is provided to the child (Brown, 2018). One exception to this trend is Brown's (2018) study, whereby she examined parental perceptions of a half-year intense treatment that adolescents had received in an adolescent MH service in Sydney, Australia.…”

“…Further, most studies that have included parents in their research design have focused primarily on parental satisfaction with the treatment that is provided to the child (Brown, 2018). One exception to this trend is Brown's (2018) study, whereby she examined parental perceptions of a half-year intense treatment that adolescents had received in an adolescent MH service in Sydney, Australia. Specifically, she examined whether the parents believed that the treatment was instrumental in their child's recovery, and found a relationship between hope and parents' sense of agency.…”