Talking to Children about Parental Mental Illness: a Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Well Parents in India

It is established that having information about parental mental illness (PMI) is important for the well-being of children. However, these children have often been described to ‘fall through the cracks’. It holds true for... [ view full abstract ]

It is established that having information about parental mental illness (PMI) is important for the well-being of children. However, these children have often been described to ‘fall through the cracks’. It holds true for the Indian context that adult mental health care services do not routinely include children in their interventions, and children are unlikely to interface with child mental health systems unless they develop mental health issues of their own. The family therefore becomes an important context where children’s need for information and support can be met. This also draws on the perspective that a positive relationship with the well-parent can act as a buffer against the impact of PMI on children.

This paper reports findings from an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the experience of ten well-parents in talking to their children about parental mental illness. The themes of avoiding conversations and initiating and continuing conversations describe the dialectical process through which well-parents balance conversations about PMI with children; wanting to help children’s understanding, while also worrying about burdening them and robbing them of a normal childhood. Parents additionally describe their views on the role of others in this process. The last theme of the paper describes how their experience of stigma influences how they talk to children and what they tell them about PMI and who they involve in this process.

Implications for therapeutic work and future research are highlighted, particularly in prioritizing interventions that acknowledge the needs of children, and enhance the well-being of and empower the family, in addition to aiding the recovery of the parent with mental illness. While models of such interventions exist in literature, their feasibility and effectiveness with Indian families need to be examined.

Keywords: children; family; parental mental illness; India