Healthy development in youth of parents who are emotionally ill

Abstract

Family life provides the context for the development of most youth. The age-appropriate tasks of adolescence, including the development of significant peer relationships, formation of identity, and navigation of opportunities for separation and independent adult functioning, emerge in the context of home, family, and parent-child relationships. At best, parents meet the needs of youth for basic care; safety; emotional warmth; the encouragement of learning, guidance, and limit-setting; and a stable family life (Brockington et al., 2011). When parents' functioning is compromised, the needs of youth may not be well met. Life stressors, unfortunate circumstances, and acute or chronic illness may undermine even the most devoted, skilled parent's efforts to parent well. The focus of this entry is parental mental illness, its impact on youth development, and strategies for promoting healthy development in youth when a parent is emotionally ill.