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“My Scars Remain Forever”: A Qualitative Study on Biographical Developments in Adult Children of Parents with Mental Illness

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Abstract

In recent years, numerous studies have been published on the experiences and burdens of children of mentally ill parents. However, a limited body of knowledge remains concerning long-term effects of parental mental illness and the experiences of these children in adulthood. This study aimed to investigate the lasting impact of parental mental illness on adult children's biographies, personalities, and social relationships. According to this, the research was guided by a life course perspective, examining participants’ experiences in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Adult children (n = 18) who experienced childhood parental mental illness participated in an in-depth interview study. They reported a wide range of personal problems that they perceived as a result of their stressful childhood experiences. Adult children often felt negatively influenced and impaired regarding their health, identity, behavior, social relationships, and daily life experiences. Consequently, many expressed a need for professional support in order to be able to reflect upon their experiences and problems. Clinical social workers and other health and social care professionals can play an important role in providing services for adult children of parents with mental illness. Based on the results, recommendations for psycho-social practice are presented in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Health Research and Social Psychiatry, Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Aachen, Robert-Schuman-Strasse 25, 52066, Aachen, Germany

    Deborah Metz & Johannes Jungbauer

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  1. Deborah Metz
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  2. Johannes Jungbauer
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Correspondence to Deborah Metz.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Metz, D., Jungbauer, J. “My Scars Remain Forever”: A Qualitative Study on Biographical Developments in Adult Children of Parents with Mental Illness. Clin Soc Work J 49, 64–76 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-019-00722-2

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