Children and parents with psychosis—Balancing between relational attunement and protection from parental illness

Abstract

Background: Few studies have explored the experiences of young children and their parents with psychosis. The aim of the present study was to explore parent and child mental health and the parent–child relationship from the perspectives of children and their parents with psychosis. Methods: The present study had a multiperspectival qualitative design. Seven children (aged 8–15 years) and their six parents with psychosis were interviewed individually. Data were analyzed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Children were found to have a limited understanding of the parent's illness. While both parents and children described the illness as part of ordinary life and focused on improvements, there was incoherence both within and between interviews. Parent–child relationships appeared to be nonhierarchical and to vary in terms of attunement and distance, which in turn seemed to be associated with the child's well-being. Conclusion: The findings contribute multiperspectival insights into lived experiences of young children and parents with psychosis. Nurses are in a key position to recognize the children's needs for continuous adult support and to promote communication about the illness.