Family matters: infants, toddlers and preschoolers of parents affected by mental illness

Kowalenko, Nick; Mares, Sarah; Newman, Louise; Williams, Anne; Powrie, Rosalind; Doesum, K.T.M. van

doi:10.5694/mja11.11285

Cited by 25 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…More recently, there has been recognition of parental (as distinct from maternal) mental health as an important determinant of infant and child outcomes (Fletcher et al ., ; Kowalenko et al ., ). Further, although the mother–infant relationship is usually the first attachment relationship, it is acknowledged that infants also form attachments with fathers, grandparents and potentially with other close caregivers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Perinatal mental health: Fathers – the (mostly) forgotten parent

Wong

Nguyen

Thomas

et al. 2015

Asia-Pacific Psychiatry

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A paradigm shift is required, from a focus on women following childbirth and women with pre-existing psychiatric disorders, to a broader family perspective with the focus firmly on parent-infant relationships. This paradigm shift needs to involve greater research into the fathering role and paternal mental illness during the perinatal period, including further studies into risk factors, impact on the family system, and the most appropriate form of intervention and service provision.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Perinatal mental health: Fathers – the (mostly) forgotten parent

Wong

Nguyen

Thomas

et al. 2015

Asia-Pacific Psychiatry

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“…We selected this framework, which includes an exhaustive list of external context factors, to identify factors that may impact the implemention of our own practice approaches in a structured way, an approach supported by authors own observations [32]. The taxonomy consists of eight context constructs (see Table 1): (1) professional influences, (2) political support, (3) social climate, (4) local infrastructure, (5) policy and legal climate, (6) relational climate, (7) target population, (8) funding and economic climate [32, p. 6]. To describe the eight context constructs in Tyrol we collected empirical information on five domains:…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…healthcare (8), social care (6), educational (2) and the informal care sector (1) and within healthcare adult mental health (4) and child /adolescent mental health (1), as well as inpatient (2) and outpatient services (3). Secondly, we approached interviewees within service planning (2) and from the different types of service providing organisations (13).…”

Section: Data Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting children who have a parent with a mental illness in Tyrol: A situational analysis for informing co-development and implementation of practice changes

Zechmeister‐Koss

Goodyear

Tüchler

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: A research project, which aims to improve the situation of children of parents with a mental illness (COPMI) is currently underway in the Austrian region of Tyrol. The project aims to strengthen formal and informal support structures around the child, through enhancing their village of collaborative support. Understanding the current situation in the region is vital for implementing practice change. This paper aims to gain knowledge regarding Tyrolean societal and service provision context. Methods: We collected qualitative (17 interviews among stakeholder and people with lived experience) and quantitative data (e.g. health insurance data) regarding overall societal characteristics, epidemiology of mental illness, currently existing services, uptake of services, and current practices and challenges of identifying and supporting COPMIs. We analysed data along eight external context dimensions: 1) professional influences, 2) political support, 3) social climate, 4) local infrastructure, 5) policy and legal climate, 6) relational climate, 7) target population, and 8) funding and economic climate. Results: We identified that there is awareness of potential challenges related to COPMIs at both a professional and planning level. Additionally, there is a lack of installed support processes and standards to meet these children’s needs across Tyrol. A variety of services are available both for unwell parents, as well as for families and individual family members. Yet, only one small service addresses COPMIs directly. Services fall into different sectors (education, health, social affairs) and are funded from different sources, making coordination difficult. Access varies from universal to rather restricted (i.e. through referral). The potential number of parents which could be reached in order to identify their children via adult mental health, differs considerably by setting. Societal structures indicate that the informal and voluntary sector may be a realistic source for supporting COPMIs. Conclusions: The societal structures and the current services provide a rich resource for improving identification and support of COPMIs, however considerable coordination and behaviour change efforts will be required due to the fragmentation of the system and professional cultures. The insights into the context of supporting COPMIs have been of high value for developing and implementing practice changes in the local organizations.

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“…The pre-school children of mentally ill parents have also been identified as an at risk group (Kowalenko et al, 2012). A recent American study reported that childhood adversity could potentially explain 32.4% of mental health disorders.…”

Section: Intervening Effectivelymentioning

confidence: 99%