A qualitative meta-synthesis of adult children of parents with a mental illness

Abstract

Aims and objectives. This article presents a qualitative meta-synthesis that explores the experiences of adult children of parents with a mental illness. Background. There has been growing interest in the experiences of children whose parents have mental illness. However, little literature explores the experiences of adult children. Design. Qualitative meta-synthesis. Method. A review of English language literature search engines was undertaken and identified 905 relevant articles. Articles were excluded if they used quantitative methodology, had other methodological issues or had a focus on parental drug/alcohol issues. Twelve articles were identified as using qualitative or mixed methods studies, which were reviewed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (Public Health Resource Unit 2006). Following this, seven studies were included in the metasynthesis. The main findings and themes identified by the original study authors were extracted from the results and discussions sections and further categorised into four main themes using content analysis methods.