|
Year Awarded: 2006
Project Leaders:
Joanne Riebschleger, Social Work; Esther Onaga, Child & Family Ecology; Betty Tableman, Engagement & Outreach; Peg Whalen, Social Work; Mary Ludtke and Sheri Falvay, Michigan Department of Community Health, Mental Health Services to Children & Families; Amy Winans, Association for Children's Mental Health; Bob Radaz, Gratiot Community Mental Health; Michael McCartan, St. Clair County Community Mental Health; Robert Sheehan, Clinton, Ingham, Eaton Mental Health; Richard Osburn, Northern Lakes Community Mental Health; Jim Wargel, Macomb Community Mental Health
Project Description:
This study explores the needs and resources of an invisible population - children of a parent with a serious mental illness. Nine million American children may be living with stressors such as parental mental illness symptoms, separations from caregivers, isolation, poverty, and worrying about stigma, parental suicide, parents "taking drugs" and whether they are to blame for parental symptoms. The children appear to be at higher risk for developing a serious mental illness through genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) mechanisms. Despite increased risks, there are few studies or programs targeting children of a parent with a serious mental illness. Four multidisciplinary university and five community collaborators shall investigate child and family needs and resources. Drawn from stress/coping and developmental assets theories, data shall be collected from case records, focus groups with mental health professionals, child/family program site visits, child/youth educational materials, program documents, and face to face and/or telephone interviews with school social workers, mental health professionals, and directors of national and international programs for children with a parent with a serious mental illness. This is a mixed method (qualitative-quantitative) study, with text data thematic coding (Straus and Corbin, 1990) and correlational analysis. The research team shall develop one or more tentative models of intervention for the children and families. Findings shall guide the development of a follow-up study of children and families to further strengthen the proposed innovative, evidence-based models so that the children will become more visible.
|
