Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

Purpose: The recent case of the Texas woman who allegedly drowned her young children has focused national attention on the fact that many parents may be living with mental illness (Nicholson & Biebel 2002). Current data suggests that the majority of women who suffer from severe mental illness are mothers (Diaz, 2004; Ackerson, 2003; Nicholson et al., 2001; Joseph et al., 1999). Yet research aimed at understanding the experiences of motherhood by these women presents a void in the literature. There is also a paucity of empirical literature that examines parenting stress as a problem experienced by mothers with severe mental illness. Much of the existing research has generally focuses on the mothers' pathology and maternal behavior is often examined in relation to child risks and deficits (Ackerman, 2003; Sands, 1995). The purpose of this longitudinal investigation is to examine how demographic, clinical and contextual variables may affect the experience of parenting stress in this population. We hypothesize that elevated levels of parenting stress will correlate with the mothers in the sample who reported the experience of violence by an intimate partner and who have a history of substance misuse (dual diagnosis). This position is supported by almost twenty years of research indicating that substance misuse is highly prevalent within the population of those with severe mental illness. Women from the spectrum of social and racial identities may become victims of partner violence. However, those most often victimized are poor, black, young and separated, particularly those with substance abuse problems (El-Bassel, et al. 2003; Kilpatrick, 1997), and those diagnosed with mental disorders (Liebschutz, et al., 2002; Gearon & Bellack, 1999). Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of longitudinal data using hierarchical multiple regression. The original research was funded by a grant from National Institute of Mental Health. The participants were part of a longitudinal, community-based study of mothers with severe and persistent mental illness who were interviewed over three time periods N=379 (60% African American and 30% Caucasian), N=322, N=321 respectively. For the current analysis we used demographic, clinical and contextual variables at Time 1 (N=321) to predict parenting stress at Time 3 (N=321). Results: Contrary to hypotheses, within this sample, (a) substance misuse and the reported experience of intimate partner violence were not associated with increased levels of parenting stress. Predictors of parenting stress at Time 3 included (b) the marital status of being single or separated as compared to being married or divorced; (c)having a diagnosed mental illness for 5 years or more; (d) elevated levels of financial worries; (e) less social support than those without increased levels of parenting stress; and (f) having elevated levels of parenting stress at Time 1. Conclusions / Implications: Parenting stress appears to be stable over time. Professionals servicing mothers with mental health problems need to be aware of the role that marital status, length of time of the mental illness, financial worries, and lack of social support may play in the experience of parenting stress.