Hjälp! Mitt barn har Schizofreni

: En kvalitativ litteraturstudie om att vara förälder till ett vuxet barn med schizofreni

Abstract

Background: When a child suffers from a mental illness it often has a negative impact on the whole family, and the risk of the parents losing their footing can be a devastating consequence. Given the severity and extent of the symptoms of schizophrenia, it is easy to understand how much the disease can affect the parents. The need to involve parents in care is of great importance, and that they receive adequate information regarding where to turn for support. Aim: The aim was to investigate parents' experience of having an adult child with the psychotic disease schizophrenia. Method: A literary study based on nine qualitative articles. The information search took place in databases in psychology and nursing. The articles that met the purpose were selected and reviewed according to HKR's review template for qualitative articles. The analysis was performed according to Friberg's (2017) five-step model. Results: The result highlights the parents' difficult time before and after the children were diagnosed, that acceptance of the disease and life is a process they have handled differently, and that, despite the diagnosis, there is a life worth living. Discussion: The method discussion was based on four concepts of credibility according to Shenton (2004). The discussion of results focused on three key findings: Adequate support leads to improved quality of life; The emotional experience of being a parent of an adult child with schizophrenia remains unchanged over time; Out of the crisis - new insights and perspectives are growing. The discussion also involves two ethical perspectives and one societal perspective.

Date of Award	2021-Dec
Original language	Swedish
Supervisor	Fredrik Gasser (Supervisor) & Kerstin Blomqvist (Examiner)