Parents' conceptualization of adolescents' mental health problems: who adopts a psychiatric perspective and does it make a difference?

Author:
MOSES Tally
Journal article citation:
Community Mental Health Journal, 47(1), February 2011, pp.67-81.
Publisher:
Springer

A cross-sectional, mixed-method study of 70 parents of adolescents receiving wraparound mental health services was used to examine: (1) how parents conceptualize their child’s mental health problems; (2) factors related to parents’ conceptualization of youths’ problems using medical model terms; and (3) associations between parents’ problem conceptualization and their emotional or coping responses to their child having psychiatric problem(s). Content analysis indicated that 54.3% of parents definitively conceptualized adolescents’ problems using psychiatric terms, 37.1% reported uncertainty about the nature of their child’s problems, and 8.6% gave alternative, non-psychiatric explanations for their child’s problems. Significant relationships were found between parents’ problem conceptualization and their attitudes and experience with mental health treatment, demographics, as well as with adolescents’ clinical characteristics. Parents who conceptualized problems using psychiatric terminology were more likely to express sadness and pessimism relative to other parents, though there were no differences in expressions of worry, guilt, pragmatism and optimism by problem conceptualization.

Subject terms:
medical model, mental health problems, parental attitudes, children;
Content type:
research
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN online:
1573-2789
ISSN print:
0010-3853

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