Mental Health: A Report by the Surgeon General

The primary focus of family support groups is to provide information and emotional support to members who share a common problem or concern (e.g., disability, substance abuse, bereavement). Support groups for families of children with emotional or behavioral disorders are expanding. Although there is a wide variation in membership, format, and duration of these groups, most share some characteristics. Usually, from 4 to 20 parents meet regularly to discuss the problems and issues associated with parenting a child with emotional and behavioral disorders and to provide mutual encouragement and suggestions for dealing with problematic situations. Support services may be informal, organized, and parent led and are often associated with organizations such as the National Mental Health Association, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, or the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health. Mental health professionals may also participate in support groups (Koroloff & Friesen, 1991).

It was found that support groups for parents of children hospitalized with mental illness make parents feel more positive about themselves and increase their understanding of and communication with their children (Dreier & Lewis, 1991). Participation in a six-session education and support group for parents of adolescents with schizophrenia led to increased relaxation and concentration, less worry, changed attitudes toward discipline, and greater ease in discussing feelings. The support from parents in similar situations was highly valued (Sheridan & Moore, 1991).

Another approach to support for parents of children receiving mental health services is education: knowledge of the services; skills needed to interact with the system; and the caregivers’ confidence in their ability to collaborate with service providers (self-efficacy). A training curriculum for parents was tested in a randomized controlled trial involving more than 200 parents who either did or did not receive the training curriculum. Three-month and 1-year followup results demonstrated significant improvement in parents’ knowledge and self-efficacy with the training curriculum, whereas there was no effect on the mental health status of their children, service use, or caregiver involvement in treatment (Heflinger & Bickman, 1996; Bickman et al., 1998).

Next

Back to the Mental Health: The Surgeon General's Report Table of Contents

Back to Mental Health Articles