Parents’ experiences of caring responsibility for  their adult child with schizophrenia

• As a consequence of the latest psychiatry-related reform in Sweden and its implementation, related parties and family members have taken over from the healthcare system a large responsibility for the care of persons with a mental disability and illness. The aim of this study was to systematically analyze and describe the experiences of parents’ care responsibility. The questions were: what are the experiences around the parents informal care activities and responsibilities, how do parents construct and manage their caring responsibility and with what consequences? Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted (16 h data recorded material) with eight parents who were all members of the Interest Group for Schizophrenia [Intresseföreningen för schizophrenic (IFS)] in Sweden. A deductive hermeneutic method was used for the interpretation of the data material. The parents endow their informal caring responsibility with meaning of being a good parent, responsible and accountable within the context of their personal and social relationships as well as to the psychiatric care representatives. In this tense situation parents’ compromise between elements of struggle, cooperation, avoidance and adaption in their interaction with the world outside as well as the world inside.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Interaction

parents

informal care responsibility

mentally ill family member

psychiatric care.

Hälso- och sjukvårdsforskning

Health Care Research

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)