Schizophrenia and motherhood

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511543838.013

11 - Schizophrenia and motherhood

from Part III - Specific disorders: the impact on parent–child relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 August 2009

Edited by

Jeni Webster and

Mary V. Seeman: Affiliation:
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Michael Göpfert: Affiliation:
Webb House Democratic Therapeutic Community, Crewe
Jeni Webster: Affiliation:
5 Boroughs Partnership, Warrington
Mary V. Seeman: Affiliation:
University of Toronto

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Summary

In the first edition of this book, I used case examples to illustrate how women with schizophrenia, because of illness, have difficulty with tasks of parenting such as nurturing independence, establishing intimacy, enhancing growth through stimulation, modelling appropriate social habits and communicating effectively (Seeman, 1996). Since then, much new research has emerged and broader questions can now be addressed:

How many women with schizophrenia become parents? How many actually bring up their children? In other words, what are the dimensions of the potential problems that the conjunction of motherhood and schizophrenia poses?
What is the subjective experience of these mothers? How important is the parenting role to them as individuals and how do they perceive the assistance they receive in fulfilling that role?
What determines parenting capacity and how and when should assessments be done?
What are the mental health outcomes in children of mothers with schizophrenia, whether reared with or reared away from their mothers?
What is the subjective experience of these children?
Does schizophrenia impact differently at different stages of a child's life and/or at different phases of the mother's illness?
How can psychiatric services best assist mothers with schizophrenia?

Scope

Van Bussel undertook a survey of the total population of a community inner city programme for schizophrenia in Toronto, Canada (Van Bussel, pers. comm.). Fifty-one women attended the programme. Seventeen were interviewed and information about the others was obtained from their case managers. Twenty-seven of the women (53%) had had at least one full-term birth.

Keywords

children motherhood Parenting assessments Schizophrenia Subjective experiences

Type: Chapter
Information: Parental Psychiatric Disorder
Distressed Parents and their Families
, pp. 161 - 171

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511543838.013 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2004

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11 - Schizophrenia and motherhood

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