Budden, Timothy, Hafizuddin, Ahmad, Dimmock, James A., Law, Kwok Hong, Furzer, Bonnie J., and Jackson, Ben (2023) Support needs and experiences of young people living in families with mental illness. Journal of Adolescence, 95 (4). pp. 784-796.

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Abstract

Introduction: Children and adolescents living in families affected by mental illness are at elevated risk of developing mental health problems. A range of interventions have been designed to help these young people; however, the effectiveness of these programs is, in some cases, mixed. Our aim was to understand in detail the support needs and experiences of a group of Australian children and adolescents living in families with mental illness.

Methods: Our study is a qualitative in nature. In 2020−2021, we interviewed 25 Australian young people (Mage = 13.60, SD = 2.26, 20 females and 5 males) living with family members affected by mental illness to understand their (the young people's) experiences, and to identify the types of support that these young people considered important or effective. We conducted reflexive thematic analyses of interview data, underpinned by interpretivist assumptions.

Results: We identified seven themes within two higher-order categories reflecting our aims to understand (1) lived experiences within families affected by mental illness (i.e., increased responsibilities, missing out, and stigmatization), and (2) support experiences, needs, and preferences (i.e., respite, shared experiences with like-minded others, education, and flexibility).

Conclusions: Our findings hold substantial practical value by informing services, interventions, and conversations that better support young people living in families affected by mental illness.

Item ID:	77959
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1095-9254
Keywords:	Adolescence, mental health, support
Copyright Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2023 2023 The Authors. Journal of Adolescence published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Foundation for Professionals in Services to Adolescents.
Date Deposited:	22 Mar 2023 08:09
FoR Codes:	52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5201 Applied and developmental psychology > 520199 Applied and developmental psychology not elsewhere classified @ 50% 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5203 Clinical and health psychology > 520304 Health psychology @ 50%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2005 Specific population health (excl. Indigenous health) > 200501 Adolescent health @ 100%
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