Psychological well-being and needs of parents and carers of children and young people with mental health difficulties: a quantitative systematic review with meta-analyses.

QUESTION: For parents of children and young people (CYP) with diagnosed mental health difficulties, what are the levels of parents' well-being and psychological need? STUDY SELECTION AND ANALYSIS: Medline, PsycINFO, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, Web of Science and Cochrane Library of Registered Trials were searched from inception to June 2023. INCLUSION CRITERIA: parents of CYP aged 5-18 years with formal mental health diagnosis. Data were extracted from validated measures of well-being or psychological needs with established cut-off points or from a controlled study. FINDINGS: 32 of the 73 310 records screened were included. Pooled means showed clinical range scores for one measure of depression, and all included measures of anxiety, parenting stress and general stress. Meta-analyses showed greater depression (g=0.24, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.38) and parenting stress (g=0.34, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.49) in parents of CYP with mental health difficulties versus those without. Mothers reported greater depression (g=0.42, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.66) and anxiety (g=0.73, 95% CI 0.27 to 1.18) than fathers. Narrative synthesis found no clear patterns in relation to CYP condition. Rates of parents with clinically relevant levels of distress varied. Typically, anxiety, parenting stress and general stress scored above clinical threshold. Quality appraisal revealed few studies with a clearly defined control group, or attempts to control for important variables such as parent gender. CONCLUSIONS: The somewhat mixed results suggest clinical anxiety, parenting and general stress may be common, with sometimes high depression. Assessment and support for parents of CYP with mental health problems is required. Further controlled studies, with consideration of pre-existing parental mental health difficulties are required. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022344453.

Parent-carer experiences using a peer support network: a qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: Parent-carers of children and young people (CYP) with mental health problems are at greater risk of poor outcomes, such as poor physical and mental health. Peer interventions for parent-carers of CYP with disabilities may improve parent-carer outcomes. This qualitative study investigates parent-carer experiences of using Parental Minds (PM), a multi-component peer support service for parent-carers of CYP with disabilities. METHODS: Twelve current service-users and four staff/volunteers at PM participated in one-to-one semi-structured interviews. All participants were white females, except for one service-user who was male. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of results was used to explore perceived benefits and disadvantages of PM and possible behaviour change mechanisms. RESULTS: Three themes and eight subthemes were identified. Participants identified that internal and external factors influence their self-concept. The identification of themselves as a priority, and empowerment by reassurance and affirmation lead to improved parent-carer self-efficacy and agency to better care for their CYP. Participants described the difficulty of speaking honestly with friends and family about what they experience because it is perceived as different to what "normal" parents experience. From participant accounts, PM enables the construction of a support network and links external services to help manage family circumstances rather than offer curative treatment/intervention. Proactive and immediate advice which is constantly and consistently available was valued by participants. Participants expressed the need for a flexible range of service components which provide holistic support that encompasses both health and social care. CONCLUSIONS: PM was perceived to be beneficial as a multi-component peer support service which increases parenting self-efficacy and empowerment, reduces isolation, improves access to services, and is tailored to individual needs. Parent-carers reported benefits in parenting and wellbeing practices. The development of a refined logic model will inform a future study of the effectiveness of PM on parent-carer outcomes.