Mentally ill parents with minor children – a nationwide survey in German adult psychiatric services

Abstract

Children with mentally ill parents are at a significant greater risk for the development of mental disorders. In Germany, 19-27% of psychiatric patients admitted to inpatient treatment are parents with minor children. Early identification and support of affected families may strengthen the mental health of both parents and their offspring. The present study aimed to investigate barriers and facilitating factors for supporting minor children of inpatient psychiatric patients in Germany. Based on the German Hospital Register mental health practitioners of all psychiatric clinics in Germany were asked to answer a 37-item questionnaire. Overall, N = 425 psychiatric clinics were addressed. Up to now, n = 207 clinics (response rate 48.7%) participated in the survey. Descriptive and thematic analyses of the data have been conducted. First findings indicate an overall positive attitude of mental health practitioners towards supporting the children of their patients. Most important barriers were: 1) Psychiatric workforce: Scarce resources, patient-focused treatment, and lack of contact with the children 2) Mentally ill parents: Fear of loss of custody, feelings of guilt and shame, and the high psychological strain 3) Structural obstacles: Lack of policy to coordinate interagency collaboration, lack of declaration of competences between service agencies, lack of supporting services Data collection and analyzes will be completed by the end of March 2016. Cooperation between the social and health sector is necessary in order to offer appropriate support to families with mentally ill parents. One step in this direction is the provision of family sensitive services in psychiatric clinics.