[Psychosocial stress in children of somatically ill parents. Perspectives of mental health prevention]

Abstract

Irrespective of their well-known increased risk for mental health problems, children of somatically ill parents are a clinically underserved as well as under-researched group. In this article, the authors introduce the epidemiologic and clinical relevance of this topic and present a theoretical framework for understanding the sequelae of a serious parental illness on minor-age children, based on family dynamics and developmental concepts. This is followed by a comprehensive review of current empirical studies in this field, with a special emphasis on results from a transnational European collaborative study (COSIP = Children of Somatically Ill Parents), which was coordinated by the last author. The most important recommendations from intervention concepts published to date are summarized. Some outlooks for clinical practice as well as future research are presented.