Parents with a mental illness and their sense of parenting competence

Abstract

Objective: Research provides evidence that parental mental illness affects child development through parenting behaviour. This study investigates how parents with a mental illness report on their parenting sense of competence. Method: A sample of 141 parents receiving treatment at a clinic for mental health and substance use disorders participated. The Parenting Sense of Competence scale (PSOC) was used to assess participants’ parenting sense of competence. Information about diagnoses, child age and participation in a preventive family intervention called Child Talks was also collected. PSOC scores from our sample was compared to normative samples. Results: Parents with a mental illness reported having equal or higher PSOC scores compared to the normative samples. Neither children’s age, comorbidity nor parents’ diagnosis affected PSOC scores. PSOC satisfaction score was a significant predictor for participation in Child Talks, where lower scores were related to a small increase in participation rate. Discussion: The results indicate that parents with a mental illness do not view or report feeling less competent in the parenting role than the general population. We discuss the validity of the results and if there are factors that may influence parents’ reports such as stigma, fear of losing custody and impaired self-awareness.