Professionals’ opinions on support for people with chronic illness in their roles as parents in mental or in general health care

Chronic illness affects a person’s wellbeing and affects the ability to perform the social roles of spouse or parent. When working with people with long-lasting mental or somatic illnesses, social workers and nurses are confronted with needs for support, especially for parents. Although programs are in place for the children of parents with chronic illnesses, specific services for the parents themselves are scarce, as are parenting support courses for professionals. In an explorative study we investigated the similarities and differences between mental health organizations and general hospitals in providing support to parents. Using a cross-sectional design, information on supported parenting was collected through an internet questionnaire. Twice as many professionals in general hospitals can provide support to parents than did those in mental health organizations that were not trained in supported parenting. Professionals in mental health institutions generally reported that the attention paid to the parental role is insufficient. However, professionals in mental health organizations who were trained in supported parenting considered paying attention to the parental role more as a part of their job than the participants from organizations without such training. Further research should expand this first pilot study on the attitude of professionals towards supported parenting

Ouders met ernstige psychische aandoeningen; epidemiologische gegevens

ACHTERGROND Er is groeiende aandacht voor de hulpvragen rondom ouderschap van mensen met ernstige psychische aandoeningen. Weinig is echter bekend over de omvang van deze groep. DOEL Schatten van het aantal ouders van 18-64 jaar oud in Nederland met ernstige psychische aandoeningen, mede om het benodigde zorgaanbod te bepalen. METHODE Door het combineren van informatie uit epidemiologische studies werd een indicatie verkregen over het voorkomen van ouderschap bij mensen met ernstige psychiatrische aandoeningen. RESULTATEN Van alle patiënten met ernstige psychische aandoeningen had naar schatting 48% kinderen. De omvang van deze groep ouders was 0,9% van de bevolking tussen 18 jaar en 65 jaar en dit waren 68.000 mensen voor het jaar 2009. CONCLUSIE Bij bijna de helft van de mensen van 18-64 jaar met ernstige psychische aandoeningen dient de hulpverlening alert te zijn op potentiële behoefte aan ondersteuning bij het vervullen van de ouderrol. Betere registratie van mogelijke problemen in de ouder-kindrelatie is noodzakelijk voor een adequate sturing van het zorgaanbod, zowel op individueel als op macronivea

Strategies for parenting by mothers and fathers with a mental illness

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: The combination of coping with their mental health problems and caring for children makes parents vulnerable. Family-centred practice can help to maintain and strengthen important family relationships, and to identify and enhance the strengths of a parent with a mental illness, all contributing to the recovery of the person with the mental illness. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO THE EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Taking the strength and the opportunities formulated by parents themselves as a starting point is fairly new. Parents with severe mental illness find strength for parenting in several ways. They feel responsible, and this helps them to stay alert while parenting, whereas parenthood also offers a basis for social participation through school contacts and the child's friendships. Dedication to the parent role provides a focus; parents develop strengths and skills as they find a balance between attending to their own lives and caring for their children; and parenting prompts them to find adequate sources of social support. In this study these strategies were found to be the fundamentals of recovery related to parenting. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Nurses can support and coach patients who are identified as parents, and self-chosen parenting related goals are set and addressed. A family-focused approach by nurses can be used to prevent problems for children and their families, identify their strengths as well as vulnerabilities, and address the challenges to build resilience. ABSTRACT: Introduction Understanding of the problems of parents with mental illness is growing. Gaining insight into strategies for parenting, while taking the opportunities formulated by these parents themselves as a starting point is fairly new. Question What are the strategies of parents with a mental illness to be successful? Method Experiences of 19 mothers and eight fathers with a mental illness were explored with in-depth interviews. Data were content analysed, using qualitative methods. Results Next to feelings of inadequacy, interviewees also describe how children enrich and structure their lives and are not only a burden but serve as distraction from problems. Developing activities that interest both child and parent provides avenues for emerging strength. Mental illness constrains fathers, but also gives opportunities to develop a meaningful relation with their children. Discussion Strategies like being fully dedicated to the parental role, finding a balance between attention for one's own life and parenting and finding adequate sources of support are found to be fundamental for recovery in the parent role. Implications for practice Peer groups can be of valuable help and mental health workers can support parents to set self-chosen parenting related goals

Parenting and psychiatric rehabilitation:can parents with severe mental illness benefit from a new approach?

Abstract: Objective: The aim of this pilot implementation study was to explore the initial experiences with and impact of Parenting with Success and Satisfaction (PARSS), a psychiatric rehabilitation and recoverybased, guided self-help intervention, for parents with severe mental illnesses. Methods: Changes in the PARSS intervention group were compared with changes in a control group in a nonequivalent controlgroup design. Outcome measures included: parenting satisfaction reported by parents; parenting success reported by mental health practitioners and family members; empowerment as reported by parents, practitioners and family members; and parents’ reported quality of life. Additional process data were obtained on relationship with practitioner, quality of contact, satisfaction with the intervention and fidelity. Results: Parenting satisfaction increased after 1 year for the PARSS group, but not for the control group. Parents’ reports of empowerment did not change for either group. The scores of parents’ empowerment reported by practitioners and family members increased in the control group, with no such change in the PARSS group. Quality of life improved significantly for the intervention group. Process measures showed that, although PARSS was not always implemented as intended, both parents and practitioners expressed satisfaction with the intervention. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: The first experiences with PARSS were mixed. This intervention, implemented by mental health practitioners, has the potential to function as a useful tool for supporting parents. Attention must be paid to enhancing intervention implementation and fidelity. doi: 10.1037/prj0000067 PMID: 2486683

Ouderschap en psychiatrische rehabilitatie:kunnen ouders profiteren van een nieuwe benadering?

Poster op Phrenos Rehabilitatiecongres 21 mei 2015. Eerste prijs

Actief ouderschap, herstel en maatschappelijke participatie

Mensen met psychische aandoeningen zijn vaak niet alleen patiënt/cliënt, maar ook ouder van kinderen. Het zou voor hulpverleners een tweede natuur moeten zijn om niet alleen naar de psychische klachten te vragen maar ook naar de rol als ouder. Dit kan zowel het welzijn van de kinderen als het herstel van de ouder ten goede komen. Als mensen ondersteuning krijgen om hun ouderrol (weer) op te pakken, geeft dit vaak structuur, invulling van het dagelijks leven en bevordert dit het contact met de buitenwereld. De interventie Begeleid Ouderschap biedt hulpverleners handvatten de ouder te helpen om zijn of haar ouderrol te versterken. Eventuele partners kunnen hier essentieel aan bijdragen