An end to the cycle: supporting resilience in children of adults with mood disorders
Date
2024
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Abstract
In this literature review, I synthesize various relevant articles related to risk and resilience for children of adults with mood disorders. Additionally, to understand real world applications of my findings, I included sections from an interview that I conducted with licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Chelsea Kline. To begin my review, I argue that parental Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder contribute to cumulative risk and disrupt family functioning. Children of an adult with a mood disorder may be exposed to increased stress due to marital conflict, impaired interactions between the parent and child, chaotic household organization, and parentification. Research supports that children from this population are more likely to experience their own emotional and behavioral problems. Though children from this population are vulnerable, I spend a significant portion of my review discussing protective factors internal and external to the family. These factors interact with risk factors to promote positive outcomes. I discuss implications to consider when designing interventions including screening parents for mental health conditions, emphasizing improvement within family interactions, educating families on mental illness, approaching parental mental illness from a systemic theoretical background, and providing opportunities for autonomy to children when developmentally appropriate. In my review, I acknowledge the complexity of the inheritance of mental health conditions, and I call for an ecological systemic approach to expand the field’s current understanding of parenting with a mood disorder.
Description
Department of Psychology.
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Subject
risk factors
resilience
parenting
mood disorders
major depressive disorder
bipolar disorder
marriage and family therapy