Vulnerable children of mentally ill parents: towards evidence‐based support for improving resilience

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of mental illness among parents always represents a stressor affecting the biopsychosocial development of a child. However, due to varying inherent resilience factors, not all children are affected to the same extent. The presence of evidence‐based resilience factors is able to minimise or prevent the adverse effects associated with the parental disorder. Fostering an attachment to a healthy adult – including professionals in the social field – and providing information about the disorder are regarded as two important preventive factors. The need for specific individualised intervention programmes for this group of forgotten children is highlighted, and a specific method of assessment is presented.

Children's experiences of living with a parent with mental illness: A systematic review of qualitative studies using thematic analysis

“…This limited information about parental mental illness caused children a sense of concern, fear and frustration. In addition, knowing only a part of the information makes it difficult for children to predict their parents’ behaviour (Pretis & Dimova, ). As also evidenced by the findings, it misled children into worse imaginings about their parents’ health, such as death.…”

“…This approach could also be useful to help children understand parental hospitalization, which had a huge impact on the children's lives. According to Pretis and Dimova (), repeated parental hospitalization and separation from their parents for unidentified terms of time can lead to children's separation anxiety and extreme concern about their parents. These negative emotions may be alleviated if children are helped to understand the purpose of hospitalization.…”

Children of mentally ill parents: Understanding the effects of childhood trauma as it pertains to the school setting

“…According to the World Health Organization, the number of children and adolescents living in a situation in which at least one parent suffers from a psychiatric disorder will continue to increase (Pretis & Dimova, 2008). Despite the steady increase in the number of children living with a mentally ill parent, recent findings indicate that there is a lack of early detection in the school setting (Bibou-Nakou, 2004).…”

“…No matter how optimal a family's situation is, Pretis and Dimova (2008) state that a parent's mental illness always creates a stressor for the children. Not all children will exhibit symptoms of distress at the same time or in the same manner due to individual resilience factors, but that should not be a deterrent in helping these children.…”

“…The main reasons teachers and other professionals have difficulty identifying children living with a mentally ill parent are the children's unwillingness to talk about their situation due to perceived stigma and shame, the fact that these children show what could be described as non-specific symptoms of stress, and the strong tendency to underestimate the effects of the parents' mental illness on their children. Even though teachers are not expected to offer direct support or therapy, they are usually the first professionals to be in contact with the child, to notice changes in behavior, and to be in a position to offer basic support (Pretis & Dimova, 2008).…”