The experiences of family resilience from the view of the adult children of parents with bipolar disorder in Chinese society

Abstract

Aims: This study explored how adult children perceived family resilience, barriers to develop family resilience and how cultural values influence their experience of parents with bipolar disorder in Chinese society. Design:A qualitative design with an interpretive phenomenological analysis of data was employed.Methods: Twenty adults who had lived with parents with bipolar disorder during childhood were recruited from the acute psychiatric ward when their parents were admitted to the hospital. They described their experiences of perceived family resilience and barriers to resilience (October 2013-September 2015). Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the hospital meeting room or at a convenient location.Findings: Six themes were identified in family resilience: ill parents try to be good parents, parents' personal strengths, parents' positive attitudes towards mental illness, flexibility of family role, cohesive relationships between family members, and families' social connections. Three themes were identified in the barriers to develop family resilience: poor parenting/family function, conflict between parents and poor mental health literacy. Conclusion:Children's views of family resilience could transform their suffering from lived experiences with a mentally ill parent to a positive growth experience. Family resilience includes well and ill parents' efforts and social network's help to maintain family function. However, the conflicts between well and ill parents and poor family function result in a traumatic growth experience.Impact: To enhance a positive growth experience, family resilience programs for a parent with bipolar disorder aiming to cultivate both the ill and well parents' inner strength and their competence of parenting skills with connecting their social network to maintain family function is needed. Moreover, early stress-reduction intervention needs to be developed for children who did not experience family resilience.

Living with parental mental illness is like a roller coaster: Reflections on children's lifeworld in the family setting

“…Views of children about taking on parental role may indicate that the changes in family dynamics may not necessarily be problematic for them as it is a show of loyalty and wanting to be there for the parent (Liu et al, 2022;Van Parys et al, 2015). An exclusive focus on risk and resilience for children living with parental illness may conceptualise parentification as problematic.…”

“…An exclusive focus on risk and resilience for children living with parental illness may conceptualise parentification as problematic. However, listening to children themselves tell their stories about how life looks like for them could help unravel the resources they are able to enact (Liu et al, 2022) as well as how interactions with others close to them facilitate their well-being.…”

“…Children in these families often take on the parenting role because many of them live in single parent headed families where no other adult figure may exist to fill the parenting gap created by the parent's mental illness. Views of children about taking on parental role may indicate that the changes in family dynamics may not necessarily be problematic for them as it is a show of loyalty and wanting to be there for the parent (Liu et al, 2022; Van Parys et al, 2015). An exclusive focus on risk and resilience for children living with parental illness may conceptualise parentification as problematic.…”

“…Previous studies about children's experiences of living with parental mental illness suggest some disruptions to their lives. They are isolated when they are unable to share how they feel with others or receive support, experience abuse and neglect from the parent and feel guilty about the parent's situation (Foster, 2010; Liu et al, 2022; Mordoch, 2010). Understanding children's lifeworld from the family setting in the context of parental mental illness could be helpful for mental health nursing to identify factors in the family that can promote positive outcomes for children.…”

Sibling Relationships of Individuals with Parents Who Have Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study

“…In the literature, it has been reported that the experiences of chil-dren/young people coping with the difficult living conditions due to having a parent with mental illness contributed to personal development, and also that the children of parents with mental illness had strong aspects like feeling independence, empathy and resilience. 15,19,20 In another study, it was stated that children describe themselves as more mature, independent, empathetic and have gained various abilities compared to their peers (children without parents with mental illness), and they also found social support, information about mental illnesses and the support of mental health nurses to be beneficial. 21 The study findings are similar to the literature.…”