Sharing the load: Parents and carers talk to consumer consultants at a child and youth mental health inpatient unit

Abstract

Caring for a child or adolescent affected by mental illness has been identified as imposing stresses and burdens in excess of those usually associated with child rearing. Peer support has been identified as one means by which these stresses and burdens can be reduced. This study investigated the work of a peer support service provided by Mater Child and Youth Mental Health Service in Brisbane, Australia. The study took the form of a content analysis of records of consultations between consumer consultants and 50 families/carers of children admitted into the acute inpatient unit during the period May 2006-April 2008. The content analysis identified four key themes or domains: experience of service provision, emotions and feelings associated with the admission, need for information, and coping with challenges. The findings from the study affirm the role of consumer consultants in child and adolescent inpatient services. Some families value a peer perspective and the opportunity to seek advice and information around a wide variety of topics from people not directly involved in the treatment of their child.

Difficulties of familes in caring for children and adolescents with mental disorders: an integrative review

“…Lack of support was also found in the family environment, when other family members did not understand the disease and saw the young people as manipulative (10) . This was also found in the health and education services spheres, where inadequate training of professionals stood out (10)(11)13) .…”

“…Difficulties were also found regarding the suitability of the services when it comes to safety and the impact of negative experiences of children/adolescents and family members with health staff (10) .…”

“…Feelings of guilt were present in two articles, and they were associated with concern of parents about inability to care for the children or the perception that they had contributed to the development of the disease. Parents felt guilty for not always being present when the children needed them, due to other commitments such as work (10) .…”

“…Claiming that the disease and behavior problems of the children and relatives resulted from something that went wrong in their daily life, health professionals tended to indicate that caregivers were responsible for this, which also aroused feelings of responsibility (10)(11) . Feelings of fear were described in one study (11) , and they were associated with the dangerous nature of the children's behaviors, and fears of parents regarding their children's physical safety, as well as the safety of themselves and others.…”

“…Regarding knowledge, two studies (10)(11) highlighted the difficulties of parents in understanding the medical terms used to inform them of the diagnoses of the children. These studies also emphasized the pressure families are under to quickly learn about the diagnoses.…”