Empowering families where a parent has a mental illness: A preliminary evaluation of the ‘family focus’ DVD

Abstract

Family focussed interventions for parental mental illness can empower families to make change and foster resilience for all members. This study examined the utility and impact of a new family-led resource for when one or more parent has an affective disorder. The ‘Family Focus’ approach, including an instructional DVD, holds potential to affect parental knowledge, beliefs and behaviours that can moderate the risk of affective disorder for family members. Thirty-one parents from across Australia watched the ‘Family Focus’ DVD and completed questionnaires pre and post viewing. A subsample of 15 took part in qualitative interviews regarding their experience. Quantitative results indicate the DVD changes attitudes such as awareness of the impact of mental illness, and behaviours including help seeking and communication. Qualitative findings indicate that when parents are supported to reflect on the family effects of parental mental illness, they value the opportunity to discuss this issue with their children, and work towards a shared understanding of what mental illness means in their family context. The ‘Family Focus’ DVD appears to offer promise as an additional intervention available for vulnerable families to deliver and utilise in a manner congruent with their unique family milieu.

Keywords:

• affective disorder
• children
• evaluation
• family focussed intervention
• parents