Parents of children with mental health problems described feeling blamed and isolated when others judged how they cared for their children, according to a small interview study led by Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University researchers. The findings suggest clinicians may need to address parents’ experiences of stigma alongside a child’s treatment, but the study does not prove that a particular support strategy improves outcomes.
Researchers interviewed 24 parents whose children had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression or substance-use problems. The parents discussed what made them feel respected as caregivers, how their child’s difficulties affected that sense of identity and how they responded to judgment from others, according to a Weill Cornell Medicine report. The study was published online Oct. 6 in Psychiatric Services.
Parents cited emotional support, open communication, appropriate boundaries, positive role modeling and their child’s well-being as qualities they associated with good parenting. When they felt unable to meet those ideals, some said they blamed themselves. Others described being judged by relatives, teachers, neighbors or health care providers.
Researchers are testing a support approach
Dr. Tim Becker, the study’s first author and a child psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health, said supporting children also requires attention to what parents are experiencing. Earlier research has linked parental stigma with depression, lower quality of life and reluctance to seek help for a child, the Cornell report said.
The authors suggest that clinicians ask about stigma when planning a child’s care and involve parents in practical ways to support the child. Explaining a diagnosis and treatment options alone may not address the day-to-day judgment a family encounters.
Based on the interviews, the team developed a video in which an actor portrays a parent describing stigma, help-seeking and a restored sense of competence. Researchers are evaluating whether it changes parents’ feelings about stigma and seeking care. The video’s effectiveness has not yet been established.
Because the study draws on interviews with 24 parents, it describes their experiences rather than measuring how common those experiences are among all families. Parents concerned about a child’s mental health should seek individualized guidance from a qualified clinician; the study does not offer a diagnosis or treatment recommendation for any child.
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