When Care-givers Become the Cared-For: Exploring the Impact of Parent’s Chronic Mental Illness on Parent-Child Relationship

Abstract

Navigating the complexities of having a parent with chronic mental illness not only reshapes the traditional dynamics of caregiving but also presents considerable hurdles to the foundational elements of relationships, notably their stability. Therefore, the present research was conducted with the aim of exploring the impact of a parent’s chronic mental illness on the parent-child relationship. For this purpose, the study employed qualitative methodology, consisting of focus group discussion. The data from focus group discussion was analysed using narrative analysis and the emergent themes were- search for meaning, absence of self, ambivalence and fantasies. A parent’s chronic mental illness plays a role in shaping the self of the individual which in turn shapes the relational thread, giving rise to the ambivalent feelings that are navigated with the help of defenses in the form of fantasies and splitting. Lastly it also brings along the possibilities of abuse and violence in the relationship thus questioning the relational-ethic based on ethics of care and ethics of justice. This research, although emphasizing the lived experiences of a care-giver, equally sheds light on mental illness not simply as a cluster of symptoms but also contextualizes it in the social context. It thus holds implications for clinical interventions and policy change with regards to mental illness.