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Qualitative
Parents of young people with mental health problems experienced a deskilling and had to learn to reskill themselves

https://doi.org/10.1136/ebn.8.4.125

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    Harden J. “Uncharted waters”: the experience of parents of young people with mental health problems. Qual Health Res 2005;15:207–23.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science

    Q What are the experiences of parents who care for a young person with mental health problems?

    DESIGN

    Qualitative study using semistructured, indepth interviews.

    SETTING

    UK.

    PARTICIPANTS

    25 parents (18 mothers, 7 fathers) of 18 young people (13–16 y of age) with mental health problems. All families were white and had various socioeconomic backgrounds.

    METHODS

    Parents were interviewed about the following topics: the nature of their child’s problem; relationships with health professionals; implications for their lifestyle, health, employment, and education; impact on the family; and coping. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analysed qualitatively using an interpretive inductive approach.

    MAIN FINDINGS

    Parental deskilling:(1) Not being listened to by the medical profession. Parents felt their role was challenged because they were unfamiliar with mental health problems and had to rely on experts for explanations. When they sought help to overcome their inexperience, it was not always forthcoming, which led to feelings of isolation, abandonment, and self doubt. Their confidence was undermined when they were …

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    Footnotes

    • For correspondence: Dr J Harden, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK. j.hardennapier.ac.uk

    • Source of funding: not stated.