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Dutch youth of parents with a mental illness reflect upon their feelings of guilt and shame |
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| Authors: | Annick Bosch Joanne Riebschleger Linda van Loon |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Clinical Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands;2. School of Social Work, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA;3. Fontys Economische Hogeschool Tilburg, Communication Studies, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Tilburg, The Netherlands |
| Abstract: | Children of parents with a mental illness (COPMI) have a higher risk of acquiring a mental illness themselves. Feelings of guilt and shame could increase COPMI risks of acquiring mental health disorder symptoms. These feelings of guilt and shame could also impact the quality of the parent-child relationship. Data were drawn from the qualitative part of a mixed method study featuring 18 face-to-face interviews with Dutch COPMI aged 12–21. Interviewees were asked about their experiences with guilt and shame related to their parent with mental illness and the extent they felt that these feelings affected their relationships with their parents. Qualitative thematic analysis (QTA) revealed that most COPMI youth described feelings of guilt and some of them reported feelings of shame. They reported making behavioral adjustments especially using caution in parental communication. In their perception, guilt and shame did not have long-term impacts on their relationships with parents. |
| Keywords: | COPMI guilt shame parent-child relationship qualitative |
