The experience of being an adolescent child of a parent who has a mood disorder

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of adolescent children living with a parent who has a mood disorder. Three female adolescents each participated in two unstructured, tape-recorded interviews. Interviews were analysed using the Giorgi (1985) method. Three themes emerged. First, participants experienced a serious disruption in family life due to the unavailability of the ill parent, which evoked feelings of an intense sense of responsibility, fear and loss. This disruption led to the adolescent taking on parental roles and tasks. Second, participants perceived themselves to lack knowledge and understanding, leading to frustration and fears that their parents may not get better, and that they themselves may become ill like their parents. They sought information in order to better adjust to and understand the illness. Third, participants struggled to come to terms with the burden of having a psychiatrically ill parent. The effort of trying to cope and make sense of the experience involved a variety of cognitive and affective responses. Implications for nursing practice and research are discussed.

“Knowledge is Power”: Educating Children About Their Parent's Mental Illness

“…The importance of educating COPMI about their parent's mental illness from the point of view of facilitators, confirms other research from children (Cogan et al, 2005;Fudge & Mason, 2004;Garley et al, 1997;Handley et al, 2001;Meadus & Johnson, 2000;Polkki et al, 2004;Riebschleger, 2004) and their parents (Stallard et al, 2004). The most commonly employed mode of delivery for facilitators is small and large discussion groups with other children who also have a parent with a mental illness.…”

“…The inclusion of an education component in interventions has arisen, in part, from young people's request for more information about their parent's mental illness (Cogan, Riddell & Mayes, 2005;Fudge & Mason, 2004;Garley, Gallop, Johnston, & Pipitone, 1997;Handley, Farrell, Josephs, Hanke, & Hazelton, 2001;Meadus & Johnson, 2000;Polkki, Ervast, & Huupponen, 2004;Riebschleger, 2004). Parents, who have a mental illness, have also requested that their children know more about mental illness (Stallard, Norman, Huline-Dickens, Salter, & Cribb, 2004).…”

Toward Understanding the Child's Experience in the Process of Parentification: Young Adults' Reflections on Growing up With a Depressed Parent

“…Related to that a certain ambiguity in the child's need for information is described in the literature (e.g. Meadus & Johnson, 2000;Stallard et al, 2004). Our findings reveal a paradox wherein the child tries to make sense of what is happening in the family by acquiring additional information and yet there are also strong indications that they often attempt to avoid that same information.…”

The impact of parental bipolar affective disorder on adolescent behaviour – positive messages to young people, parents, teachers and other professionals working with children whose parents suffer from mental health problems

“…Indeed, even mild to moderate mental health difficulties can affect the way a parent nurtures and communicates with their offspring (McMahon & Peters, 2002;Meadus & Johnson, 2000). Children and young people who experience mental illness in their family often manifest their concern and anxiety linked to this through oppositional behaviours at home and at school.…”

“…However, a lack of understanding of the effects of parental mental health difficulties on young people can often lead to children and adolescents feeling isolated, vulnerable and excluded (Patton et al, 2006;YoungMinds, 2003). Another worry frequently expressed by young people is that they themselves will become mentally unwell (Meadus & Johnson, 2000). The sense of fear, shame and, at times, loss severely inhibits many children from talking openly about their concerns for their mentally ill parent or family member, lest others should fail to understand and any open discussion on the subject may lead to being teased and bullied, thus making these vulnerable children feel even more isolated and alone (Bibou-Nakou, 2004;YoungMinds, 2003).…”