Interpersonal relationships and the origins of mental health

Abstract

This paper reviews current evidence of the significance of interpersonal relationships ‐ at community, workplace, school and family levels ‐ in influencing mental health and well‐being. It argues that the parent‐child relationship is of pre‐eminent importance both because of its direct effect on future mental health and because it sets the scene for future relationships. It also argues that, because of the reciprocal nature of the relationships, the mental health of society can be improved by improving the mental health of any of its individual members. From this it follows that to focus mental health promotion programmes entirely on the most vulnerable limits the potential for improvement, because working with people who are not mentally ill will increase their ability to support those who are. Universal mental health promotion programmes should therefore have relationships ‐ and parent‐child relationships in particular ‐ at their heart, aiming to improve everyone's capacity to relate supportively and respectfully to others.