精神疾患の親を持つ子どもが成人後に認識した生きづらさとその要因に関する質的記述的研究—統合失調症圏の母親に関して

A Qualitative Descriptive Study about the Living Difficulties and Factors of Adult Children of a Parent with a Mental Illness: Focused on Mother with Schizophrenia-spectrum Disorder

要旨

　目的：精神疾患の親を持つ子どもが成人後に認識した生きづらさとその要因はどのようなものかを記述することを目的とした．

　方法：精神疾患の親を持つ成人7人に個別の半構造化面接を実施し，質的記述的に分析した．

　結果：研究協力者の親は6人が統合失調症，1人が妄想性障害だった．成人後の生きづらさには，【母親との関わりや思いが自分の人生の足枷となっている状態】，【母親と過ごす中で行動，思考の癖がしみついた後遺症のような状態】，【親から学べるはずの生きる術が乏しい状態】，【トラウマ体験にとらわれている状態】，【本来の自分や，自分で自分のために生きることがわからない状態】，【他の家庭環境と比べて辛くなる状態】があった．

　結論：生きづらさは様々な要因から引き起こされ，強化されたと認識されていた．成人後の生きづらさを社会が知り，支援や治療を進めること，子ども時代から家族支援を進めていく必要がある．

　Objective: This study aimed to describe the living difficulties of adult children of a parent with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder.

　Methods: We conducted individual, semi-structured interviews with seven adult children of a parent with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder. Data were analyzed using qualitative descriptive methods.

　Results: The parents of six participants had schizophrenia and one had paranoid disorder. The participants reported the following living difficulties: “Relationship and thoughts with my mother became fetters in my own life,” “The after-effect of the ingrained behavioral and thought habits due to having had a mother with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder,” “Lack of skills provided by parents,” “Being dragged down by traumatic experiences,” “A lack of understanding of true self, and what it means to live for myself,” “Feeling pain due to comparisons with other family environments.”

　Conclusions: Various conditions which caused or reinforced the living difficulties of these adult children were recognized for each living difficulty. Society needs to become more aware of the living difficulties of children of parents with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders after they reach adulthood and promote support and treatment for them. Family support should be continuously provided to both parents with mental illness and their children ever since the latter's childhood, and they should not be isolated from society.