Parental illness and disability: a family systems framework

Abstract

Coping with the strains and uncertainties of parental illness and disability can be a monumental challenge. The Family Systems‐Illness Model offers a psychosocial map to address this challenge and make the inevitable strains more manageable. Attending to the longitudinal psychosocial pattern of a condition within a multigenerational, life cycle and belief system context can provide the kind of structure – a common language that facilitates collaborative, creative problem solving and quality of life for families where a parent has a serious health problem. Some of the major challenges in families facing parental illness are addressed.

Kinder körperlich kranker Eltern: Psychische Belastungen, Wege der Bewältigung und Perspektiven der seelischen Gesundheitsvorsorge

“…Bei spezifisch kindzentrierten Ansätzen wurden gruppentherapeutische sowie einzeltherapeutische Vorgehensweisen berichtet. Als klinisch-theoretischer Hintergrund wurden u. a. psychodynamische Konzepte (Gunther et al, 1998;Urbach u. Culbert, 1991), kognitiv-verhaltenstherapeutische (Davis-Kirsch et al, 2003Rotheram-Borus et al, 1997), neuere entwicklungspsychologische oder sozial-kognitive Ansätze (Hoke, 1997;Lewandowski, 1992;Christ, 2000) sowie systemische Konzepte (Dale u. Altschuler, 1999;Rolland, 1999;Sholevar u. Perkel, 1990;Steinglass u. Horan, 1987 angegeben. Die elterlichen Erkrankungen, zu denen kindzentrierte Interventionsansätze publiziert wurden, beschränken sich vorwiegend auf Krebs, AIDS und Schädel-Hirn-Verletzungen.…”

The impact of HIV illness on parents and children, with particular reference to African families

“…Parents can now foresee being reasonably well and having time to parent for a longer period than earlier in the epidemic. For parents with fluctuating health, it may remain difficult to achieve stability in their lives, impacting on the quality of their parenting (Rolland, 1999).…”

Mental health problems in children of somatically ill parents, e.g. multiple sclerosis

“…The diagnosis of a severe somatic disease such as MS is one of the most life-changing events for patients, their families, and their children (Burnfield 1985;Kalb 1996;Steck 2000Steck , 2002White et al 1996). In understanding the impact of the chronic somatic illness and in formulating interventions, it is helpful to consider, besides the developmental issues of the individual family member, also their interplay with the development of the family life cycle and the chronic illness itself (Rolland 1999). …”