Fathers of Persons with Mental Illness: A Preliminary Study of Coping Capacity and Service Needs

Issues faced by fathers coping with the mental illness of an adult child represent an unexplored dimension of service needs. A preliminary exploratory study found that a group of 25 such fathers manifested important indicators of emotional stress that were largely unrecognized and unacknowledged. They also demonstrated typical patterns of healing that were different from those experienced by their wives. The paper reports findings that suggest that fathers employ more isolating strategies, and suggests service approaches that might be more fruitful in responding to these serious needs.