Pictured above (L-R): Professor Niamh Stack, Head of the Department of Psychology at MIC; Tracy Dsane, a parent partner of the study and Joanne Perill from Clarecare launching 'Building Connections: The experience of parenting while living with mental health challenge'.
The Department of Psychology in Mary Immaculate College—in partnership with Parents, HSE, Tusla and Clarecare—has launched a new study to examine the experiences of parents living with mental health challenges.
Entitled 'Building Connections: The experience of parenting while living with mental health challenge', the study aims to find out more about the difficulties parents face, and the supports and barriers that are in place in terms of seeking help. Parents are being invited to complete a short online anonymous survey to share their experiences (more information available here).
Previous Irish research suggests that approximately 23% of families have at least one parent who has experienced a mental health disorder (Mulligan et al., 2021), with adults in Ireland having one of the highest incidence of mental health illness across Europe (OECD, 2021). Research is essential to target what kind of support is needed and what will be most beneficial to families.
Commenting on the study, Professor Niamh Stack, Head of the Department of Psychology at MIC and one of the researchers involved in the project noted: “This research is important and timely in order to help develop better supports for families. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Parents, HSE, Tusla and Clarecare to undertake this study. We hope as many parents as possible will share their experiences through the survey, so that their voices can be heard.”
Adding to this, Joanne Perill a Team Leader from Clarecare Family Support Service said: “Involving parents and hearing their voice is crucial when we are looking at what supports might be helpful so we are delighted that MIC have come on board to partner with us on this study.”
The study had a timely launch on World Mental Health Day (10 October), the official theme of which is prioritising mental health in the workplace.
