The experiences of daughters raised by a parent with bipolar disorder.

[摘要] This study seeks to explore the challenges and difficulties faced by children raised by aparent with bipolar disorder, with a specific focus on the experiences and memories ofdaughters of these individuals. Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic-depressiveillness, is characteristically referred to as an episodic, yet lifelong and clinically severeaffective (mood) disorder. Bipolar disorder is a severe mental illness, which is stressfulnot only for patients, but also for family members. Very little work has been done todefine more precisely the family burden associated with the illness. Studies that do focuson the impact of bipolar disorder on caregivers or families of the patient have looked atthe family as a whole. There seems to be a scarcity of research looking at theexperiences of children of parents with bipolar disorder. The children of individuals withbipolar disorder are at high risk for developing a range of mental disorders. Overall,parents with bipolar disorder tend to create a familial environment that is unstable andlacking in structure. Therefore in addition to being at genetic risk for the development ofmental disorders, are exposed to a stressful familial environment that increases the riskof psychopathology and difficulties. Despite the importance of assessing the impactparental bipolar disorder can have on children, there is a lack of relevant literature.A non-probability sample of eight female individuals raised by a parent with bipolardisorder was selected from the student population at Wits University. Semi-structuredface-to-face interviews were used to gain in depth information regarding the memoriesand experiences of these individuals. One interview was conducted per participant.Once the data was collected, thematic content analysis was used in order to analyseand draw conclusions from the data. From this method of analysis ten main themes werefound, as well as six sub themes.The findings of this study suggest that bipolar disorder has a profound effect, not only onthe individual suffering from the illness, but on their children as well. Manic episodesappear to be a particularly stressful time, featuring with great prominence in thememories of respondents. Participants felt strongly that their family environment wasaffected by their parent’s illness. In general it seemed as if participants with ill mothersdescribed a far more chaotic family environment as compared to those participants withill fathers. This study also found that knowledge and understanding help theseindividuals make sense of their parent’s illness, seemingly providing a sense of powerand control. A number of participants mentioned the negative effects that stigmaassociated with mental illness has on the families concerned, often leading to adverseoutcomes. In contrast to this, support and understanding by both healthcareprofessionals as well as the broader community is considered indispensable. Thechildren of patients with bipolar disorder, in addition to being at genetic risk for thedevelopment of mental disorders, are exposed to a stressful environment that increasesthe risk of psychopathology and other difficulties. It is therefore imperative that furtherresearch be conducted in this area, as relatively little is known about the long termeffects of the parent’s illness on their child.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand