The parent-child relationship in the context of parental mental illness-Possibilities for intervention

Abstract

The parent-child relationship is the earliest and one of the most important close social relationships in aperson's life. It begins even during pregnancy, is expressed in interactions and is accompanied by many neurobiological processes. Asensitive interaction with the parent who is well-adapted to the needs of the child, is necessary for ahealthy child development; however, parents with mental disorders often face more difficulties in parenting than healthy parents. They tend to exhibit more intrusive or withdrawn behavior and report experiencing increased stress in parenting, which in turn can be arisk factor for the mental disorder. At the same time, parenting can be agreat resource. Early recognition of stress in parenting is central to healthy child development and also to the parent's mental health. In addition to disorder-specific treatment for parents, parent-child focused interventions can be used in relationship or interaction disorders. This article presents and discusses different prevention and intervention approaches.