Effect of Preventive Interventions in Mentally Ill Parents on the Mental Health of the Offspring: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Abstract
Objective Mental illness in parents affects the mental health of their children. A systematic review and a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of interventions to prevent mental disorders or psychological symptoms in the offspring were performed.Method The Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases were searched for randomized controlled trials of interventions in parents with mental disorders. Outcomes in the child included incident mental disorders of the same nature and internalizing (negative emotions, depressive symptoms, anxiety) or externalizing (hyperactivity, aggressiveness, behavioral problems) symptoms. Relative risks and standardized mean differences in symptom scores were combined in random-effects meta-analysis.Results Thirteen trials including 1,490 children were analyzed. Interventions included cognitive, behavioral, or psychoeducational components. Seven trials assessed the incidence of mental disorders and seven trials assessed symptoms. In total 161 new diagnoses of mental illness were recorded, with interventions decreasing the risk by 40% (combined relative risk 0.60, 95% CI 0.45-0.79). Symptom scores were lower in the intervention groups: standardized mean differences were -0.22 (95% CI -0.37 to -0.08) for internalizing symptoms (p = .003) and -0.16 (95% confidence interval -0.36 to 0.04) for externalizing symptoms (p = .12).Conclusions Interventions to prevent mental disorders and psychological symptoms in the offspring of parents with mental disorders appear to be effective.
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Interventions in mentally ill parents reduce the risk of the children developing the same mental illness by 40%.
“Outcomes from a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of interventions in mentally ill parents concluded that the risk of developing the same mental illness was reduced by 40% in the children [10].”
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“Outcomes from a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of interventions in mentally ill parents concluded that the risk of developing the same mental illness was reduced by 40% in the children [10].”
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- Authors
- Siegenthaler, E., Munder, T., & Egger, M.
- Affiliations
- University Hospital of Bern (CH)
- University of Bern (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Siegenthaler, Eliane
- ORCID
- Egger, Matthias
- Venue
- Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-01
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 8-17.e8
- ISSN
- 0890-8567 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2123981658
- Cited by
- 452
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 31 · 2018: 36 · 2017: 44 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 43 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 6.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Bern Open Repository and Information System (University of Bern) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Family Support in Illness
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Keywords
- parental mental illness, offspring mental health, preventive interventions, child psychopathology, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, depressive symptoms, anxiety, hyperactivity, behavioral problems, cognitive intervention, behavioral interventions, psychoeducation
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Mental Disorders, Child, Humans, Parent-Child Relations, Risk, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Treatment Outcome, Mentally Ill Persons, Persons with Psychiatric Disorders
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