Childhood Experiences of Persons Growing Up with Depressed Parents
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Objectives: To study the childhood experiences of individuals who grew up with parents diagnosed with
depression.
Materials and methods: This qualitative research employed the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and collected through in-depth interviews using semi-structured questions. The primary informants consist of six individuals who experienced living with parents diagnosed with depression before the age of 18. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using semi-structured questions. Data were analyzed by recording key points, identifying significant themes, and categorizing these themes.
Results: Three main themes of experiences were identified: (1) Noticing Changes but Not Recognizing
Depression (recognizing parents' depression without understanding it, feeling worried and guilty for possibly contributing to the illness, acknowledging how fragile parents alter family dynamics); (2) Feeling Overwhelmed and Uncertain about How to Respond During a Parent's Crisis (struggling to cope with the parent's relapses, experiencing frustration and dissatisfaction, lacking confidence in the ill parent's abilities, feeling both pity and compassion for the caregiving parent); (3) Adapting Oneself to Be with Sick Parents (efforts to adjust to living with sick parents, establishing personal goals and responsibilities, assuming the caregiver role, and becoming an emotional support for parents).
Conclusion: The findings highlight the negative impacts of growing up and living with parents suffering from depression. Psychologists, relevant professionals, and families should be aware of these issues to provide appropriate support when problems arise.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
เรื่องที่ลงตีพิมพ์ในวารสารจิตวิทยาคลินิกแล้วถือเป็นลิขสิทธิ์การเผยแพร่โดยวารสารจิตวิทยาคลินิกแต่เพียงผู้เดียว การตีพิมพ์หรือเผยแพร่ซ้ำในที่อื่นต้องได้รับอนุญาตจากกองบรรณาธิการวารสารฯ
References
Beardslee, W. R., Versage, E. M., & Gladstone, T. R. (1998). Children of affectively ill parents: A review of the past 10 years. Journal of the
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 37(11), 1134-1141.
Bellis, M. A., Lowey, H., Leckenby, N., Hughes, K., & Harrison, D. (2014). Adverse childhood experiences: Retrospective study to determine their impact on adult health behaviours and health outcomes in a UK population. Journal of Public Health (Oxford), 36(1), 81-91. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdt038
Chutha, W., & Makkhlai, K. (2024). Prevalence of emotional disorders: A national mental health epidemiological survey of Thai people in
Mental Health Knowledge Repository, Department of Mental Health. https://dmhelibrary.org/items/show/1681 (in Thai).
DiMarzio, K., Parent, J., Forehand, R., Thigpen, J. C., Acosta, J., Dale, C., & Compas, B. (2021). Parent-child role confusion: Exploring the role of family processes in the context of parental depression. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 51(6), 982-996.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2021.1894943
Epstein, N. B., Baldwin, L. M., & Bishop, D. S. (1983). The McMaster Family assessment device. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy,
(2), 171-180. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.1983.tb01497.x
Erikson, E. H., & Erikson, J. M. (1998). The life cycle completed: Extended version. W. W. Norton & Company.
Eyre, O., Jones, R. B., Mars, B., Hammerton, G., Sellers, R., Potter, R., Thapar, A., Rice, F., Collishaw, S., & Thapar, A. (2014). Reported
child awareness of parental depression. Psychiatric Bulletin, 38(3), 122-127. https://doi.org/10.1192/pb.bp.113.044198
Jorm, A. F. (2012). Mental health literacy: Empowering the community to take action for better mental health. American Psychologist,
(3), 231-243. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025957
Meadus, R. J., & Johnson, B. (2000). The experience of being an adolescent child of a parent who has a mood disorder. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 7, 383-390. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2850.2000.00319.x
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2009). Depression in parents, parenting, and children: Opportunities to
improve identification, treatment, and prevention. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12565
Nolte, L., & Wren, B. (2016). Talking or keeping silent about parental mental health problems: A grounded theory of parents’ decision-making and experiences with their children. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 42(4), 731-744. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12177
Pruksarungruang, J., & Rhein, D. (2022). Depression literacy: An analysis of the stigmatization of depression in Thailand.
SAGE Open, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221140376
Reigstad, K. M., Marceau, K., Gunlicks-Stoessel, M. L., VanZomeren, A. A., Westervelt, A., Brand, A. E., Zahn-Waxler, C., Hastings, P. D., & KlimesDougan, B. (2023). Parenting processes mediate the link between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent psychopathology. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32(3), 716-732.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02460-5
Smith, J. A., Flower, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. SAGE Publications. United Nations International Children's Emergency
Fund. (2019). Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study: Research on adverse childhood experiences in Serbia. United Nations Children’s Fund. https://www.unicef.org/serbia/en/reports/adverse-childhood-experiences-ace-study
Van Parys, H., Bonnewyn, A., Hooghe, A., de Mol, J., & Rober, P. (2015). Toward understanding the child’s experience in the process of
parentification: Young adults’ reflections on growing up with a depressed parent. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 41(4), 522-
https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12087
Van Parys, H., & Rober, P. (2013). Trying to comfort the parent: A qualitative study of children dealing with parental depression. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 39(3), 330-345.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2012.00304.x
Van Parys, H., Smith, J., & Rober, P. (2014). Growing up with a mother with depression: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.
The Qualitative Report, 19(29), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1245
World Health Organization. (2020, January 28). Adverse childhood experiences international questionnaire (ACE-IQ). https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/adverse-childhoodexperiences-international-questionnaire-(ace-iq)
Yeh, K.-H., Tsao, W.-C., & Chen, W.-W. (2010). Parent-child conflict and psychological maladjustment: A mediational analysis with
reciprocal filial belief and perceived threat. International Journal of Psychology, 45(2),131-139. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020759