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Abstract
This study examined the experiences and psychological effects reported by people who grew up with a schizophrenic parent. Offspring of schizophrenic parents have been studied by scientific researchers for decades, usually with the goal of obtaining information about the presumed genetic components of schizophrenia. Such research has been conducted by observing the offspring and making objective evaluations of their pathology. Based on these results, interventions have been directed toward offspring of schizophrenic persons with the goal of stopping the "epidemic" of schizophrenia as a "brain disease."
In contrast, this study obtained subjective reports from twenty-one adult offspring of schizophrenic parents about their experiences and psychological needs as they were growing up. The subjects, three males and eighteen females, were each interviewed for approximately two hours using a semi-structured interview guide. A phenomenological/descriptive methodology was used to analyze the data inductively.
The subjects reported information about their lived experiences, including information about family members and their environment. Themes derived from these data included: chaos, disruptions, social isolation, abuse, and neglect. Subjects also reported the psychological effects of their experiences, including affective, behavioral, cognitive, and other psychological effects. They also reported what resources helped them cope with being the offspring of a schizophrenic parent, as well as what coping resources they needed but did not have. Finally, the subjects discussed their adult interactions with their schizophrenic parents.
These data were discussed with particular emphasis on: E. James Anthony's theories of invulnerability; the possibility of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as one of the effects of this experience for these subjects; and data found in this study that were not found in the literature. Implications of the results as well as indications for future research were also discussed.
