Children of Parents With Serious Mental Illness: The Perspective of Social Workers

Abstract

The aim of this study is to describe the experiences of children’s social workers in Sweden who work with families in which a parent suffers from serious mental illness, and how a child in such a family receives support. Data were collected through individual interviews and focus groups discussions with 13 professionals in 2 minor municipalities in southern Sweden. Interviewees stated that parental serious mental illness was not a main focus for children’s social workers. When parental serious mental illness became a barrier to caring for their children, the children’s social workers sought to collaborate with psychiatric services, but in many cases it did not turn out well. Providing support to the parent was one way of aiding the family, although at the price of setting the child’s perspective aside. Being faced with responsibility for the parent and the child left children’s social workers feeling they were the last outpost for the families. Children’s social workers require greater knowledge of how to handle parental serious mental illness, and more interagency collaboration with psychiatric services is needed to adequately support children of parents with a serious mental illness.

Keywords:

• children of parents with serious mental illness
• parental serious mental illness
• children’s social workers
• psychiatric services

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maria Afzelius

Maria Afzelius is PhD candidate in Health and Society at Malmö University. She is also a social worker and psychotherapist in family therapy. She is working on a thesis about family work in psychiatric services and social services.

Lars Plantin

Lars Plantin is a professor of social work at the faculty of Health and Society, Malmö university, Sweden. His main area of expertise is family sociology, with a special focus on fatherhood. He has published numerous of articles on the subject focusing on various aspects such as class, ethnicity and age. He has also published books and articles on such themes as parenthood and internet, reproductive health and migration, and work and family life.

Margareta Östman

Margareta Östman is a professor in Health and Society at Malmö University, Sweden. Her research interests focus on severe mental illness and specially its effect on families and close relatives, including minor children and in what way sexuality is affected in relations. She has initiated and managed several research projects in this area and published fully 69 international peer-reviewed articles.