Parents with Serious Mental Illness Served by Peer Support Specialists
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/b7t0xs38Keywords:
parents with mental illness, children of parents with mental illness, peer support specialistsAbstract
Parents with a mental illness, especially single mothers, who are caring for their children are particularly vulnerable to social isolation, stress, financial hardship, and lack of resources. Prevention and strengths-based interventions are needed for mothers with serious mental illness and their children. Current mental health interventions tend to focus on the individual without respect to family context and do not address parenting needs or support for both the parent and child. The literature indicates mothers with a mental illness and their children should be considered a high-risk group in need of more intensive and more frequent mental health supports. One alternative for more frequent mental health support is through the peer support specialist model. Although the peer support specialist model is a nationally recognized evidence- based practice, research is limited on identifying the program and service needs of parents with mental illness from a peer support specialist perspective. This study implemented an exploratory investigation to identify life stressors and specialized programs and service needs for parents with mental illness from a peer support specialist perspective. Results of this study identified support groups for parents with mental illness and for youth/young adults with a parent with a mental illness as the highest level of need. Results also found a need for peer support specialists to be paired with individuals based on mutual characteristics of parental status and identification of having a parent with a mental illness
Downloads
References
Bassett, H., Lampe, J., & Lloyd, C. (1999). Parenting: Experiences and feelings of parents with a mental illness. Journal of Mental Health, 8(6), 597-604.
Beardslee, W., Gladstone, T., Wright, E., & Cooper, A. (2003). A family-based approach to the prevention of depressive symptoms in children at risk: Evidence of parental and child change. Pediatrics, 112, 119-131.
Benders-Hadi, N., Barber, M., & Alexander, M. J. (2013). Motherhood in women with serious mental illness. Psychiatric Quarterly, 84, 65-72.
Blegen, N. E., Hummelvoll, J. K., & Severinsson, E. (2012). Experiences of motherhood when suffering from a mental illness: A hermeneutic study. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 21, 419-427
Bologna, M. J., & Pulice, R.T. (2011). Evaluation of a peer-run hospital diversion program: A descriptive study. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 14(4): 272-286.
Bond, G., Resnick, S., Drake, R., Xie, H., McHugo, H., Bebout, R. (2001). Does competitive employment improve nonvocational outcomes for people with severe mental illness? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 489-501. Doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.69.3.489.
Bouchard, L., Montreuil, M., & Gros, C. (2010). Peer support among inpatients in an adult mental health setting. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 31, 589–598. doi:10.3109/01612841003793049.
Carpenter-Song, E. A., Holcombe, B. D., Torrey, J., Hipolito, M. M. S., & Peterson, L. D. (2014). Recovery in a family context: Experiences of mothers with serious mental illnesses. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal.
Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/prj0000041.
Center for Health Care Strategies (2013). Family and youth peer support literature review. Available at http://www.nwi.pdx.edu/pdf/Peer-Support-Lit-Review.pdf.
Cook, J., Copeland, M., Corey, L., Buffington, E., Jonikas, J., Curtis, L., Grey, D., & Nichols, W. (2010). Developing the evidence base for peer-led services: Changes among participants following Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) education in two statewide initiatives. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 34(2), 113– 120.
Craig, E. A. (2004). Parenting programs for women with mental illness who have young children: a review. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 38, 923-928.
Diaz-Caneja, A., & Johnson, S. (2004). The views and experiences of severely mentally ill mothers - A qualitative study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 39(6), 472-482.
Davidson L., Bellamy C., Guy, K., & Miller R. (2012). Peer support among persons with severe mental illnesses: A review of evidence and experience. World Psychiatry, 11(2): 123-128.
Dickstein, S., Seifer, R., Hayden, L. C., Schiller, M., Sameroff, A. J., Keitner, G., & ... Magee, K. (1998). Levels of family assessment: II. Impact of maternal psychopathology on family functioning. Journal of Family Psychology, 12(1), 23-40. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.12.1.23.
Foster, K., O’Brien, L., & Korhonen, T. (2012). Developing resilient children and families when parents have mental illness: A family-focused approach. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 21, 3-11.
Gillard, S., Edwards, C., Gibson, S., Owen, K., & Wright, C. (2013). Introducing peer worker roles into UK mental health service teams: A qualitative analysis of the organisational benefits and challenges. BMC Health
Services Research, 13(188). doi: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/13/188.
Hinden, B. R., Biebel, K., Nicholson, J., Henry, A., & Katz-Leavy, J. (2006). A survey of programs for parents with mental illness and their families: Identifying common elements to build the evidence base. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 33(1), 21-38.
Hinden, B. R., Biebel, K., Nicholson, J., & Mehnert, L. (2005). The invisible children's project: Key ingredients of an intervention for parents with mental illness. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 32(4), 393-408.
Katz, J., & Salzer, M. S. (2007). Certified peer specialist training program descriptions. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Collaborative on Community Integration.
Lagan, M., Knights, K., Barton, J., & Boyce, P. M. (2009). Advocacy for mothers with psychiatric illness: A clinical perspective. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 18, 53-61.
Maybery, D., & Reupert, A. (2006). Workforce capacity to respond to children whose parents have a mental illness. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40, 657-664.
McCormack, L., White, S., & Cuenca, J. (2016). A fractured journey of growth: Making meaning of a ‘broken’ childhood and parental mental ill-health. Community, Work & Family, DOI: 10.1080/13668803.2015.111748
Montgomery, P., Tompkins, C., Forchuk, C., & French, S. (2006). Keeping close: mothering with serious mental illness. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 54(1), 20-28.
Mowbray, C. T., Moxley, D. P., Jasper, C. A., & Howell, L. L. (Eds.). (1997). Consumers as providers in psychiatric rehabilitation. Columbia, MD: International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services.
National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (2014). Peer support: Why it works. Available at http://www.ncmhr.org/downloads/References-on-why-peer-support-works-4.16.2014.pdf.
National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health (2014). National certification of parent support providers. Available at https://www.ffcmh.org/certification.
Nicholson, J., Albert, K., Gershenson, B., Williams, V., & Biebel, K. (2009). Family options for parents with mental illnesses: A developmental, mixed methods pilot study. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 33(2), 106-
114. doi:10.2975/33.2.2009.106.114.
Nicholson, J., & Biebel, K. (2002). Commentary on 'community mental health care for women with severe mental illness who are parents'—the tragedy of missed opportunities: What providers can do. Community Mental Health Journal, 38(2), 167.
Nicholson, J., Biebel, K., Williams, V., & Katz-Leavy, J. (2004). Prevalence of parenthood among adults with severe mental illness. Mental health, United States, 2002 Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.
Nicholson, J., & Blanch, A. (1994). Rehabilitation for parenting roles for people with serious mental illness. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, 18, 109-119.
Nicholson, J., & Henry, A. D. (2003). Achieving the goal of evidence-based psychiatric rehabilitation practices
for mothers with mental illness. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 27(2), 122-130.
Nicholson, J., Hinden, B. R., Biebel, K., Henry, A. D., & Katz-Leavy, J. (2007). A qualitative study of programs for parents with serious mental illness and their children: Building practice-based evidence. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 34(4), 395-413. doi:10.1007/s11414-007-9063-5.
Nicholson, J., Biebel, K., Hinden, B., Henry, A.D., & Stier, L. (2001). Critical issues for parents with mental illness and their families. Center for Mental Health Services Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School. Available at: http://www.parentingwell.info/critical.pdf.
Oyserman, D., Mowbray, C. T., Meares, P. A., & Firminger, K. B. (2000). Parenting among mothers with a serious mental illness. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70(3): 296-315.
Oyserman, D., Mowbray, C.T., & Zemencuk, J. K. (1994). Resources and supports for mothers with serious mental illness. Health Social Work, 19(2): 132-42.
Perera, D. N., Short, L., & Fernbacher, S. (2014). “It’s not that straightforward”: When support is challenging for mothers living with mental illness. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/prj0000074.
Reupert, A., & Maybery, D. (2007). Families affected by parental mental illness: A multiperspective account of issues and interventions. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(3), 362-369.
Salzer, M. S. (2010). Certified peer specialists in the United States behavorial health system: An emerging workforce. In L.D Brown & S. Wituk (Eds.), Mental health self-help: Consumer and family initiatives (pp. 169-191). New York, NY: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-6253-9_8.
Salzer, M. S. (2013). Benefits of working as a certified peer specialist: Results from a statewide survey. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 36(3), 219-221.
Salzer, M. S., & Liptzin, Shear, S. (2002). Identifying consumer-provider benefits and evaluations of consumer-delivered services. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 25, 281-288. doi: 10.1037/h0095014.
Salzer, M. S. & Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania. (2002). Consumer-delivered services as a best practice in mental health care and the development of practice guidelines. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Skills, 6, 355-382. doi: 10.1080./10973430208408443.
Walker, G., & Bryant, W. (2013). Peer support in adult mental health services: A metasynthesis of qualitative findings. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 36(1), 28-34.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.