Strategies for parenting by mothers and fathers with a mental illness

Abstract

Accessible summary What is known on the subject? The combination of coping with their mental health problems and caring for children makes parents vulnerable. Family‐centred practice can help to maintain and strengthen important family relationships, and to identify and enhance the strengths of a parent with a mental illness, all contributing to the recovery of the person with the mental illness. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge? Taking the strength and the opportunities formulated by parents themselves as a starting point is fairly new. Parents with severe mental illness find strength for parenting in several ways. They feel responsible, and this helps them to stay alert while parenting, whereas parenthood also offers a basis for social participation through school contacts and the child's friendships. Dedication to the parent role provides a focus; parents develop strengths and skills as they find a balance between attending to their own lives and caring for their children; and parenting prompts them to find adequate sources of social support. In this study these strategies were found to be the fundamentals of recovery related to parenting. What are the implications for practice? Nurses can support and coach patients who are identified as parents, and self‐chosen parenting related goals are set and addressed. A family‐focused approach by nurses can be used to prevent problems for children and their families, identify their strengths as well as vulnerabilities, and address the challenges to build resilience. Abstract IntroductionUnderstanding of the problems of parents with mental illness is growing. Gaining insight into strategies for parenting, while taking the opportunities formulated by these parents themselves as a starting point is fairly new. QuestionWhat are the strategies of parents with a mental illness to be successful? MethodExperiences of 19 mothers and eight fathers with a mental illness were explored with in‐depth interviews. Data were content analysed, using qualitative methods. ResultsNext to feelings of inadequacy, interviewees also describe how children enrich and structure their lives and are not only a burden but serve as distraction from problems. Developing activities that interest both child and parent provides avenues for emerging strength. Mental illness constrains fathers, but also gives opportunities to develop a meaningful relation with their children. DiscussionStrategies like being fully dedicated to the parental role, finding a balance between attention for one's own life and parenting and finding adequate sources of support are found to be fundamental for recovery in the parent role. Implications for practicePeer groups can be of valuable help and mental health workers can support parents to set self‐chosen parenting related goals.

Families living with parental mental illness and their experiences of family interventions

“…Jones, Pietilä, Joronen, Simpson, Gray, & Kaunonen, 2016;van der Ende et al, 2016), although this is seldom included in their psychiatric treatment. The finding that under-age children comply when told by their parents to join an intervention in psychiatric services supporting the family is interesting and not observed earlier.…”

Working with service users who are parents – looking beyond risk

“…Nevertheless, we should also recognize that many parents acknowledge the disruption their illness can cause and try their best not to overburden their children. Parents describe how children enrich their lives; provide focus and a distraction from problems; and how parenting can prompt them to find sources of support (van der Ende et al 2016).…”

“…It is also important to have knowledge of available support services, such as peer support groups, parenting groups, and support for children, as these exist in several countries and can be valuable sources of support, but are not always brought to the attention of service users. van der Ende et al (2016) have emphasized family-centred care and the importance of identifying and enhancing strengths and important family relationships. Care planning can also include parenting related goals and it is important to recognize the positive impacts of family life.…”

A cross‐sectional study on intergenerational parenting and attachment patterns in adult children of parents with mental illness

“…For example, Ackerson () included 13 mothers and only one father in their sample documenting participants' experiences of parenting with a serious mental illness. The resultant effect is that the role of fathers and the experiences for males within this realm remains underrepresented, with some notable exceptions (Reupert & Maybery, ; Van Der Ende, Van Busschbach, Nicholson, Korevaar, & Van Weeghel, ). Thus, it is critical that the fathering role and male experiences with regard to parental mental illness are documented to understand how gender might contribute to outcomes.…”