Children Living With Parental Mental Health Problems

Abstract

Children of parents with mental health problems (MHPs) have been reported to be “at risk” of diagnosable psychopathology, as well as for impairment in cognitive, social, and school functioning. This chapter reports on a study that builds on earlier work documenting the mechanisms of risk and identification of protective factors that increase children’s resilience toward adversity. The coping styles used by affectively ill parents and their children (aged 12–17 years) were compared with “well” parents and their children using the Adolescent Coping Scale and the Coping Scale for Adults and semistructured interview schedules. Analysis revealed that affectively ill parents and their children were more likely to adopt the nonproductive coping style and were less likely to seek external support to help them cope with their family situation compared to “well” parents and their children. This was largely due to the fear, secrecy, and stigma surrounding MHPs in the family, which prevented them from seeking effective advocacy and support. Although a familial association in parents’ and their children’s coping styles were found for both affected and comparative families, this was particular evident for the affectively ill parents and their children. This may be due to the lack of external support networks available to families, which limited the range of elements influencing their choice of coping styles. Researchers, service providers, and policymakers who have the common goal of developing the human potential of children “at risk” are encouraged to make use of these findings.