Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exploring The Concept Of “Young Carer” In Families Living With Parental Mental Illness, Antonia Seligowski, Peter Mcnamee, Karen Albert, Valerie Williams, Joanne Nicholson

Joanne Nicholson

Background Information: The concept of “young carers” has been framed in the literature as children providing care and assuming household responsibilities when parents have physical and/or mental disabilities (Aldridge & Becker, 2003). In the United Kingdom, young carers have been studied extensively, leading to increased access to services and supports (Dearden & Becker, 2004). Our goal is to explore the concept of young carers in the U.S.

Aims: 1) To describe the care giving and household responsibilities of children and youth living with parents with mental illnesses, how often they are performed, and the feelings of children and youth about …

Family Options For Parents With Mental Illnesses: A Developmental, Mixed Methods Pilot Study, Joanne Nicholson, Karen Albert, Bernice Gershenson, Valerie Williams, Kathleen Biebel

Joanne Nicholson

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to provide a description of Family Options, a rehabilitation intervention for parents with serious mental illnesses and their children focusing on recovery and resilience, and to report the findings from a pilot study at 6-months post-enrollment for participating mothers. METHODS: A developmental design, and mixed quantitative and qualitative methods facilitate an in-depth understanding of Family Options and its impact on parents early in the implementation process. RESULTS: Participating families faced significant challenges, including long-term mental health conditions in adults, and emotional and behavioral difficulties in children. Data from mothers (n = 22) demonstrate …

Mothers With Mental Illness: I. The Competing Demands Of Parenting And Living With Mental Illness, Joanne Nicholson, Elaine Sweeney, Jeffrey Geller

Joanne Nicholson

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to understand the parenting experiences of women with mental illness from the perspectives of mothers and case managers employed by the state department of mental health. METHODS: Six focus groups of mothers and five focus groups of case managers met to discuss the problems facing mothers with mental illness and to recommend solutions. Focus-group transcripts were coded and items grouped by themes in qualitative analyses to explore the conflicts mothers face in meeting the dual challenges of parenting and living with mental illness. RESULTS: Mothers and case managers identified sources of conflict in …

Mothers With Mental Illness: Ii. Family Relationships And The Context Of Parenting, Joanne Nicholson, Elaine Sweeney, Jeffrey Geller

Joanne Nicholson

OBJECTIVE: This study explores the experiences of mothers with mental illness regarding their family relationships.

METHODS: Six focus groups of mothers with mental illness and five focus groups of case managers met to discuss problems facing mothers with mental illness and to recommend solutions. Focus groups were audiotaped, and transcripts were coded and analyzed qualitatively to describe ways in which husbands and partners, grandparents, and other family members contribute to the context of parenting for mothers with mental illness.

RESULTS: Mothers with mental illness and case managers described a range of relationships and attitudes of family members and provided examples …