Healthy development in youth of parents who are emotionally ill

Family life provides the context for the development of most youth. The age-appropriate tasks of adolescence, including the development of significant peer relationships, formation of identity, and navigation of opportunities for separation and independent adult functioning, emerge in the context of home, family, and parent-child relationships. At best, parents meet the needs of youth for basic care; safety; emotional warmth; the encouragement of learning, guidance, and limit-setting; and a stable family life (Brockington et al., 2011). When parents' functioning is compromised, the needs of youth may not be well met. Life stressors, unfortunate circumstances, and acute or chronic illness may undermine even the most devoted, skilled parent's efforts to parent well. The focus of this entry is parental mental illness, its impact on youth development, and strategies for promoting healthy development in youth when a parent is emotionally ill

Healthy development in children of parents who are emotionally ill

All children require responsive, nurturing, and loving relationships, particularly in their early years. These relationships impact on children's development, both physiologically and psychologically. Given the importance of the parent-child relationship and the challenges all parents face, it is essential that parents are provided with support in providing supportive environments to their children. At the same time, parents who have a mental illness face the same demands that all parents do, in addition to managing their mental illness. This entry considers the various risk and protective factors associated for children, aged 5-12, whose parent has a mental illness. Interventions that promote positive determinants on children's well-being and/or aim to reduce risk factors for families will also be presented. This entry might be read in conjunction with another entry in this edition, which focuses on adolescents whose parent has a mental illness