Aggressive Children With Mental Illness: A Conceptual Model of Family-Level Outcomes

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karyn Sporer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Family Intervention ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Intervention Specialists ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
Aggressive Children ◽  
Larger Sample

The purpose of this research was to examine how families adapt and respond to an aggressive child with mental illness. This article presents findings from a qualitative study of four families, which were selected as typifying the experiences of a larger sample of 14 families; each family included a child with mental illness and a history of violent behavior. The analysis revealed a five-stage pattern in how families perceived and responded to victimization and their child or sibling’s mental illness. The study suggests that families with a violent child with mental illness and other healthy children cannot live through episodes of violence without removing the child with mental illness from the home or suffering considerable damage to the family. The article concludes with recommendations for mental health practitioners and family intervention specialists.

Talking to children about parental mental illness: The experiences of well parents

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Ballal ◽  
Janardhana Navaneetham
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Parental Mental Illness ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Mental Health Systems ◽  
The Family ◽  
Supportive Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
Source Of Information

Background: Children of parents with mental illness are not routinely included in psychoeducational and supportive family interventions provided by adult mental health systems. The family, therefore, is an important and, sometimes, the only source of information and support for them. Aim: To understand the experiences of well parents in talking to their children about parental mental illness. Method: This article presents the findings of a qualitative study of the experiences of well parents in talking to their children about parental mental illness. Ten well parents whose spouses were diagnosed with a severe mental illness participated in the study. Socio-demographic information, family details and history of the spouse’s mental illness along with their experiences of talking to children about parental mental illness, the perceived risks and benefits, challenges they faced and the role of others in the process were recorded. Qualitative data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: The themes of ‘distancing children from parental mental illness’, ‘avoiding conversations about the illness’, ‘giving and receiving emotional support’, ‘providing explanations of the illness’ and ‘regulating other sources of information’ show the complex ways in which well parents influence their children’s understanding of parental mental illness. The findings are examined in the background of what is known about this topic from the perspective of children or of the parent with illness. Possible ways to support well parents in families affected by parental mental illness are discussed. Conclusion: This study is a step forward in the understanding of how families talk to children about parental mental illness and provides the perspective of the well parent.

scholarly journals Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Resiliency in Iranian Families with Autistic Children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam alsadat Hosseini ◽  
Fatemeh Shirzad ◽  
Masoud Ahmadzad-Asl ◽  
Fatemeh Hadi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Family Resilience ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Background Autism is a chronic, debilitating condition that begins in childhood and is associated with burnout and sometimes even depression and anxiety in families. The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between resilience and anxiety-depression-stress among families of children with autism in 2018. Materials and Methods In this cross-sectional study, after the Ethics Committee approval, according to the calculated sample size, 137 members of the families of children with autism were selected randomly. They were self-questioned themselves by family resilience scale, and also DASS-21 questionnaires, along with the checklist of variables such as number of family members, marital status, educational level, income, background of physical and mental disorders, age and sex. After data collection, they were entered into and analyzed by MS Excel and SPSS V.24 software. Results The mean age of the subjects was 40.67 years (± 9.12) with the range of 42 years. 80 persons (58.4%) were female and 57 (41.6%) were male, most of who had a bachelor's degree (51.7%), and generally were married (78.8%) (Living with family). They often had a history of chronic physical (84.7%) or mental illness (95.6%). The mean of the family resilience scores was 193 (± 25) and its range was 124. There was no significant correlation between age/gender and resilience, but depression, anxiety and stress were related to the level of resiliency. Regarding the rate of depression, 51.8% were normal, 10.2% had mild depression, 22.6% had moderate depression, 10.2% had severe depression and 5.1% had very severe depression; income and history of mental illness were significantly associated with depression. In addition, the level of anxiety was 46% normal, 8% mild, 17.5% moderate, 11.7% severe and 16.8% very severe. The number of family members, educational level, income, and history of mental illness had a significant effect on people's anxiety. Also, the stress status of the studied samples were 43.8%, 12.4%, 26.3%, 10.9% and 6.6% normal, mild, moderate, severe and very severe, respectively. The level of education, income, history of mental illness and gender were statistically significant with the level of stress among individuals. Conclusion Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that family resilience is a factor that directly correlates with the level of depression, anxiety and stress among the family members of the autistic children. It is therefore advisable to increase this ability of individuals in various ways, such as training, counseling, support groups, and etc.

Understanding and Management of Caregivers' Stress and Burden of Person with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

2017 ◽  
pp. 124-142
Author(s):  
Shikha Soni ◽  
Poornima C. ◽  
P. C. Ashfak Ahamed
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Expressed Emotion ◽  
Family Intervention ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
The Family

The objective of the chapter is to understand the processes involved in care giving for those with a Chronic Mental Illness and to develop an effective intervention incorporating methods and strategies that aims at reducing caregiver stress and burden. OCD is a neurobiological disorder characterized by the presence of symptoms such as obsessions and compulsions. Literature is reviewed on prevalence, intervention and tools that can assess caregiver stress and burden in OCD. Accommodation and Expressed emotion plays key roles in interpersonal relationships that exist in the families of those afflicted with mental illness and may affect the treatment. Psycho education found to be helpful in educating the family about all the relevant aspects of OCD and to determine their role as a caregiver in order to deal with the illness in an effective way. Family intervention beyond the scope of psycho-education programme is required to prepare caregivers to take on the role of care giving more effectively.

Considerations in Diagnosis and Management of Violent Behavior

1985 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 815-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Judgment ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Social Withdrawal ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
History Of ◽  
Prediction And Control ◽  
And Control ◽  
Reliable Methods

Accountability of psychotherapists and other health-care professionals has now been extended to the prediction and control of violent behavior. Professional and public liability requires mental health practitioners to develop more reliable methods by which violent behavior may be diagnosed, managed with effective strategies, and ultimately prevented. The present paper lists a number of verifiable elements, e.g., (a) diagnosis, (b) availability of weapons, (c) use of drugs or alcohol, (d) history of violent behavior, (e) social withdrawal, isolation and absence of support systems, (f) level of psychosocial stress, and (g) environmental crises, which may be utilized to predict violent behavior with improved consistency. While by no means exhaustive, these suggested factors applied together with clinicians' “intuition” or “clinical judgment” might help improve the consistency with which violent behavior is diagnosed and then managed. Strategies for dealing with deleterious effects were also suggested.

scholarly journals Intergeneration Transmission of Violence in Forensic Patients With a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia and Psychosis: Was Parental Alcoholic Abuse a Significant Factor?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Petrovic ◽  
Lidija Injac Stevovic
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Family History ◽  
Alcohol Abuse ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Parental Alcohol

Background: Child abuse during childhood and the presence of parental alcohol abuse increase the risk of developing mental illness in children, as well as the risk of violent behavior in adulthood. The association of these factors has not been sufficiently investigated when it comes to forensic mental patients. In this study, we examined the impact of traumatic events in childhood and the presence of mental illness and alcohol abuse of parents in subjects with psychosis and schizophrenia who committed serious crimes.Methods: One-hundred and forty-three respondents were included in the current study. Information on childhood abuse was collected by Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The sample included participants diagnosed with psychotic disorders and schizophrenia with a history of violent behavior (PSCH-V, n = 20), patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders and schizophrenia without a history of violent behavior (Non-V-PSCH, n = 51), and healthy control patients (HC, n = 72). Participants were diagnosed according to the ICD 10 classification system. MINI and CAINS scales were used to confirm the diagnosis. Data on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected. Differences between groups in terms of traumatic events in childhood as well as parental alcohol abuse are presented and analyzed, using descriptive statistical values and nonparametric techniques of inferential statistics.Results: Statistically significant differences were obtained for total scores (χ2 = 28.522, p < 0.001) as well as for (1) major upheaval between the parents (χ2 = 20.739, p < 0.001), (2) being victim of violence—other than sexual (χ2 = 12.701, p < 0.01), and (3) other major upheaval that may have shaped life or personality significantly (χ2 = 30.920, p < 0.001). PSCH-V, compared to HC, had greater exposure to all of the three domains of childhood trauma (U = 396.500, 436.500, and 376.000, respectively; p < 0.001). Similar results were obtained when Non V-PSCH were compared with HC (U = 1,223.000, 1,535.000, and 999.000, respectively; p < 0.001). The results indicated statistically insignificant differences between PSCH-V and Non-V-PSCH in having a family history of mental illness. On the other hand, family history of mental illness was less present in HC compared to PSCH-V (χ2 = 24.238, p < 0.001) and Non V-PSCH (χ2 = 14.456, p < 0.001). The presence of parental alcohol abuse was predominantly present in the PSCH-V group (60%) while a significantly lower presence was found in the Non-V PSCH group (35%) and HC (5.5%).Conclusion: Both PSCH-V and Non-V-PSCH groups had a high degree of exposure to traumatic events in childhood compared to the HC. In PSCH-V, the presence of parental alcohol abuse compared to Non-V-PSCH was dominant. Mental illness coupled with a history of violent behavior represents a factor of polyvictimization, which may increase the likelihood of violent behavior of offspring.

‘This thing called family intervention …’

Troublemakers ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 99-118
Author(s):  
Stephen Crossley
Keyword(s):  
Family Intervention ◽  
Voluntary Sector ◽  
Intervention Model ◽  
Family Service ◽  
Service Unit ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
Family Building ◽  
Holistic Manner ◽  
Key Worker

This chapter discusses how the Troubled Families Programme (TFP) is predicated on the family intervention model, which relies on a key worker gaining the trust of a family, building a relationship with them and then working intensively with them in a holistic manner. It considers both the domestic and international history of such approaches, including the 1940s Family Service Unit approach. The chapter also examines the shorter history of the family intervention model, as well as the journey from a single Scottish voluntary sector project to a nationwide government programme in England. This includes the discursive shift from support to intervention; the introduction of the threat of sanctions; the types of families targeted across all projects; and changes to the level of resources allegedly required for effective family intervention.

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