Volume 26, Issue 1 pp. 5-19
Review Article

‘Canaries in the mine’. Parents of adult children with schizophrenia: An integrative review of the literature

Debra Klages

Corresponding Author

Debra Klages

School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

Correspondence: Debra Klages, School of Health, University of New England, Elm St, Armidale, NSW 2000, Australia. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
Kim Usher

Kim Usher

School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

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Debra Jackson

Debra Jackson

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK

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First published: 20 December 2016
Citations: 6
Debra Klages, RN, BScN, Cert Case Mgmt., M Adv Nurs Prac (Mental Health), CMHN.
Kim Usher, RN, RPN, A/DipNEd, BA, BHSc, MNSt, PhD, FACN, FACMHN, AM.
Debra Jackson, RN, PhD, FACN.

Abstract

The purpose of this integrative review was to evaluate the current state of knowledge of parents who have adult children diagnosed with schizophrenia and their relationship with mental health professionals. Findings indicated that parents (primarily mothers) believed they intuitively knew when their adult children were becoming unwell and that they doggedly pursued connections with mental health care providers. Five themes were evident in the literature: trusting your instincts, feeling dismissed and devalued, making connections and making concessions, living with distress and sorrow, and becoming your own health-care provider. The implications of the findings on mental health nursing practice indicate that professional family relationships were not ideal, and that parents wanted to improve these relationships. Parents wanted health-care professionals to respond to their requests for help for both their children and for themselves, and wanted to be able to help the mental health team to help their adult children.

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