THE ROLE OF ADULT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN SUPPORTING PARENTING

  • Hope Adderley

Student thesis: Doctor of Clinical Psychology

Abstract

Families in which a parent has dependent children and experiences mental health difficulties need to be offered greater and more appropriate family support. Whilst this need is recognised, there is limited knowledge about how best to offer support to enhance wellbeing and improve future outcomes for parents and children. One way to meet this need could involve incorporating parenting interventions into adult mental health services. Such integration could improve family functioning and have a direct and positive impact on the wellbeing of parents experiencing the challenges of managing their mental health alongside the stressors of parenting. The papers in this thesis investigate the role of adult mental health services in supporting parenting. Paper 1 is an integrative systematic literature review of influential factors in the family-focused practice (FFP) of adult mental health staff. Stemming from the recognised difficulties in facilitating FFP within adult mental health services, this paper synthesises quantitative and qualitative literature to provide an account of modifiable factors required for its successful implementation. Family-focused assessment and support practices were shown to be influenced by practitioner and workplace factors – these included personal attitudes, beliefs about job role and perceptions of workplace support. Results highlighted that focusing efforts on factors working at the level of the individual are pivotal in successful FFP-implementation; subsequent evidence-based recommendations are therefore outlined. Paper 2 reports on an empirical study which used Q methodology to explore beliefs relating to parenting and psychosis held by practitioners working in adult mental health settings in the UK. Specifically, it explored practitioners’ beliefs regarding the parenting needs of adults experiencing psychosis who have dependent children, as well as their professional role as an adult mental health practitioner. Results showed that each practitioner’s set of beliefs on these issues could be represented by one of three groups, labelled as follows: ‘Parenting interventions are worthwhile, and I’d deliver them’, ‘Parenting interventions are worthwhile, but I’m not confident to deliver them’, and ‘Parenting interventions might be worthwhile, but it’s not my responsibility’. Findings indicated that most practitioners were amenable to using parenting interventions in their clinical work, but lack of confidence in perceived ability could impede the adoption of family-focused approaches. To improve support offered to families in which a parent experiences psychosis or other serious mental illness, efforts must be made to enhance adult mental health practitioners’ skill, knowledge and confidence in FFP. Paper 3 is a critical and reflective evaluation of undertaking this research project. Both the systematic review and empirical paper are considered within the context of the wider literature and in their implications for clinical practice and future research. The author discusses the strengths and challenges of this project, as well as the clinical and academic learning opportunities that were presented throughout the development and final submission of this thesis.
Date of Award31 Dec 2019
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • The University of Manchester
SupervisorRichard Drake (Supervisor), Anja Wittkowski (Supervisor) & Lynsey Gregg (Supervisor)

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