Risk and resilience in the narratives of adult children of parents with psychosis

Objective
Children of parents with psychosis report feeling burdened and can experience poorer physical and mental health outcomes. Understanding the experience of adult children who were raised by a parent with psychosis in terms of risk of and resilience can inform how practitioners work holistically with the whole family.

Method
In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with adult children raised by a parent with psychosis. During the interview, participants were invited to tell their life story and how they felt their parent’s mental health had impacted them. Data were analysed using narrative methods. A core story was created for each participant and key themes were generated.

Results
Four female participants took part. Lucy described the resentment she held after seeing her mum change from a working mother to someone with mental health difficulties. Salma described how her father’s mental health was ‘normal’ for her and the stigma that affected her family. Hannah and Amelia described their own experiences of psychosis as adults and the interrelationship between a parent and child’s mental health.

Discussion
Multiple factors appear to influence the impact of a parent’s psychosis on children. These included the timing of the onset of psychosis, the extent of their exposure to the acute positive symptoms of psychosis, and the presence of a second parent who did not experience serious mental health difficulties. Healthcare professionals working with parents have a unique opportunity to work holistically with the family to modify the impact of parental psychosis on children.