| Research shows that maternal mental illness is a source of early stress on children's development. However, there is little research that has focused on the everyday experiences of children being raised by parents with mental illness. Hence, the purpose of this study was to address this gap by examining adult children's perceptions of maternal mental illness and portraying their world view and lived experience of growing up within this context. The research questions focused on identifying their initial perception of parental psychopathology; the factors that contributed to the change in their perception; and the quality of their attachment with their mothers. Interviews with seven individuals living in the New York Metropolitan were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's 6-step method. The results showed that children initially became aware of their mothers' psychiatric condition when they became directly impacted by it. Their perceptions were influenced by four key factors: The level of support available; their initial emotional response toward mental illness; the availability of information about mental illness; and the severity of the illness. All the individuals viewed their mothers as negative love objects and the relationship pattern they had as children with their mothers persisted into adulthood. These findings can be used by primary careproviders, teachers, psychiatrists, and clinicians to better address the developmental needs of children coping with parental mental illness. The results identified several key factors that could serve as hallmarks for early intervention by professionals, thus, improve treatment services provided; provided a marginalized group opportunity to express their views; and increased awareness of children's perception of maternal psychopathology and its impact on their development. |
