Establishing research and translation priorities and care pathways for families where a parent lives with mental ill health.

Service users and carers have recently had input into establishing mental health research and translation priorities in Australia. This study extends that work to include the voice of those with lived experience of parental mental ill health. Although, parental mental ill health is a global public health issue there is a substantial gap in knowing the research and implementation priorities for parents and their families. This study sought to establish the priorities that families with lived experience of parental mental ill health have for support and intervention, along with what social factors they identify as important to positive and negative outcomes. There were seventy-eight respondents to two open-ended survey questions related to mental health care improvements and social determinants impacting mental health. Respondents were parents with lived experience of mental ill health (n = 43), partners of parents (n = 11), family members (e.g., aunty, sibling; n = 14), and adult children of a parent (n = 10). Approximately 80% described their gender as female and 27 contributors reported having multiple lived experiences/roles (for example, as a parent and an adult child). More than 500 responses to the two open ended questions were entered into Leximancer 5 analysis software. The key priorities were: strengthening family member relationships; supporting children earlier and providing whole of family/group approaches; the need for practical, emotional and social elements of support within families and at home to address stress; increased well-being, and improved family cohesion and communication. Social priorities were access for childcare, community groups, therapy, and respite care, with an emphasis on relieving pressure points and promoting family cohesion. Intergenerational trauma and young caregivers were also highlighted, as were social determinants including reducing poverty and improving finances along with housing stability. These findings form priorities for future mental health research and have already led to the establishment of implementation actions for guiding future efforts by governments, service providers and researchers.