Prevalence of parental mental illness in Australian families

Maybery, Darryl; Reupert, Andrea; Patrick, Kent; Goodyear, Melinda; Crase, Lin

doi:10.1192/pb.bp.107.018861

Cited by 237 publications

(150 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…National survey studies have reported that between 12.1 and 38.5 % of the total child population has a parent with a mental illness (Bassani et al 2008;Bool et al 2007;Maybery et al 2009). About one-third of these children experience transient mental problems and another third experience more serious and long-term adjustment issues (Mowbray et al 2004;Ostman and Hansson 2002;Rutter and Quinton 1984).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

The Impact of Various Parental Mental Disorders on Children’s Diagnoses: A Systematic Review

Santvoort

Hosman

Janssens

et al. 2015

Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev

157

127

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Children of mentally ill parents are at high risk of developing problems themselves. They are often identified and approached as a homogeneous group, despite diversity in parental diagnoses. Some studies demonstrate evidence for transgenerational equifinality (children of parents with various disorders are at risk of similar problems) and multifinality (children are at risk of a broad spectrum of problems). At the same time, other studies indicate transgenerational specificity (child problems are specifically related to the parent's diagnosis) and concordance (children are mainly at risk of the same disorder as their parent). Better insight into the similarities and differences between children of parents with various mental disorders is needed and may inform the development and evaluation of future preventive interventions for children and their families. Accordingly, we systematically compared 76 studies on diagnoses in children of parents with the most prevalent axis I disorders: unipolar depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. Methodological characteristics of the studies were compared, and outcomes were analyzed for the presence of transgenerational equifinality, multifinality, specificity, and concordance. Also, the strengths of the relationships between child and parent diagnoses were investigated. This review showed that multifinality and equifinality appear to be more of a characteristic of children of unipolar and bipolar parents than of children of anxious parents, whose risk is mainly restricted to developing anxiety disorders. For all children, risk transmission is assumed to be partly specific since the studies indicate a strong tendency for children to develop the same disorder as their parent.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

The Impact of Various Parental Mental Disorders on Children’s Diagnoses: A Systematic Review

Santvoort

Hosman

Janssens

et al. 2015

Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev

157

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This suggests that up to one in five young people live in families in which a parent has a mental illness. 4 …”

Section: Prevalence: Families and Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3 Another study specifically examined child, as opposed to parent, prevalence in three ways. 4 First, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed that 23.3% of all Australian children lived in a family with a parental mental illness. Second, Mental Health Branch service-use data for the 2003-04 financial year indicated that across Victoria, 20.4% of patients had an estimated 14 403 children.…”

Section: Prevalence: Families and Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Children whose parents have a mental illness: prevalence, need and treatment

Reupert

Maybery

Kowalenko

2013

Medical Journal of Australia

106

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“…Twenty-one to 23% of young people in Australia are estimated to have at least one parent with a mental illness [5]. Hence, these young people are a highly prevalent, high-risk group that warrant effective intervention to prevent or reduce the increased risks of adverse outcomes associated with parental mental illness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Web-Based Health Intervention for Young People Who Have a Parent with a Mental Illness: Delphi Study Among Potential Future Users (Preprint)

Matar¹,

Maybery²,

McLean³

2018

Preprint

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Background: Young people who have a parent with a mental illness face elevated risks to their wellbeing. However, they may not have access to appropriate interventions. Online interventions may reach and meet the needs of this at-risk group, yet their preferences regarding the features of this medium are unknown. Objective: This study sought to determine the utility of an online intervention to meet the needs of young people who have a parent with a mental illness, and their perspectives regarding the types of features of such a website. Methods: A systematic, two-round Delphi study was employed to solicit the views of 282 young people aged 16 to 21 years (Round 1 n = 14, Round 2 n = 268), from urban and regional settings in Australia. 'Regional' was used to refer to non-urban participants in the study. After first ascertaining whether an online intervention was warranted, an extensive list of online intervention features was identified, including how the site might be facilitated, topics, duration and frequency, and the nature of professional contact. The extent to which young people agreed on the importance of these factors was assessed. Differences and similarities across gender and location were investigated. A mixed method analytic framework was employed using thematic analysis as well as two-way betweengroups analysis of covariance controlling for age (ANCOVA) and chi-square test of independence analysis. Results: Both rounds highlighted a strong preference for an online intervention. Consensus was reached for 1) a professionally monitored site; 2) young people and professionals having equal input into the weekly facilitated sessions (e.g., sharing lead role in discussions or deciding on relevant session content); 3) unlimited time access; 4) one-hour, open discussion, weekly sessions over 6 weeks; 5) preferred features for an online intervention; 6) psychoeducation about mental illness; and, 7) considerations for the management of safety violations. There were significant main effects of location type and several of the preferred features for an online intervention for young people who have a parent with a mental illness; however, effect sizes were small to moderate, limiting practical application. Conclusions: Young people aged 16 to 21 years indicated a need for a professionally monitored, psychoeducational, online intervention, with input from professional facilitators and other similar young people, in addition to recommendations to external resources. The findings can be used to inform the development of future online interventions for this highly vulnerable group.

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Prevalence of parental mental illness in Australian families

Cited by 237 publications

References 13 publications

The Impact of Various Parental Mental Disorders on Children’s Diagnoses: A Systematic Review

The Impact of Various Parental Mental Disorders on Children’s Diagnoses: A Systematic Review

Children whose parents have a mental illness: prevalence, need and treatment

Web-Based Health Intervention for Young People Who Have a Parent with a Mental Illness: Delphi Study Among Potential Future Users (Preprint)

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