Factors predicting parents' adaptation when supporting their young adult during a first-episode psychosis

The objective is to identify the factors that predict how well parents will adapt when supporting their adult child experiencing a FEP.

The study was conducted in Quebec city with 58 parents and stepparents who received services from a specialized clinic for treating psychotic illnesses in the early stages. Participants filled in four measuring instruments during a standardized telephone interview. Based on the model being proposed, bivariate analyses and linear regression models were carried out to identify factors that predict how parents will adapt.

The analyses allowed us to determine that the factors revealing the severity of the illness and the vulnerability of the young person predict the negative aspects of the parents' experience (R²  = 0.39, P ≤ 0.000), whereas the personal factors related to the parents themselves essentially predict the positive aspects (R²  = 0.51, P ≤ 0.001). The empowerment can be predicted by the combined effect of the positive aspects of the parents' experience and their coping strategies, more specifically those related to family intervention (R²  = 0.60, P ≤ 0.001), whereas the parents' social functioning is linked to their active participation in a family association (R² = 0.14, P ≤ 0.006).

This study contributes to how we think of parents' adaptation as it suggests a model that takes the positive aspects into account, associated with the role of support, along with family intervention strategies offered by social workers. Adaptation that is conceptualized using two dependent variables, empowerment and social functioning, allows to identify intervention targets that will be beacons of hope for both the parents and the young people with psychosis, while encouraging early intervention and partnership practices between services and family members.