Parents with mental illness and their children: The need for primary prevention

Over the past couple of decades there have been growing concerns regarding various individual, social, and service issues concerning adults suffering from severe mental illness who are parents of minor children. Research indicates that some of the issues facing such parents with severe mental illness can have an adverse impact on the physical and mental health of their children as well. This study focused on adults (N=149) who were receiving mental health services at a large public mental health agency and were parents of minor children. Specifically information was gathered on the prevalence rates, i.e., how many of the clients were parents of minor children, their demographic characteristics, their mental illness diagnoses including substance abuse/dual diagnoses, family background variables, and other current concerns such as the availability of family support, homelessness, and history of incarceration. Significant concerns emerged regarding several issues which negatively affected these clients and their families. For example, the study found that the parents had a history of severe family verbal/mental, physical and sexual abuse; parental divorce; adoption/foster care placement; substance abuse; and mental illness in their backgrounds. Other factors that appeared to compound these issues included the lack of family support, homelessness or near homelessness, and dual diagnoses. The paper concludes by stressing that some of these findings may have serious implications for children of such parents. In doing so it calls for an approach that emphasizes primary prevention that is comprehensive and family focused.