Caregiving for Parents Who Harmed You: A Conceptual Review.

Objectives

This paper aims to provide a conceptual review of prior research on the effect of a history of parental childhood maltreatment on the experiences and outcomes of adult-child caregivers who provide care to their perpetrating parents.

Methods

We performed a search using several databases including PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, and Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) for relevant papers and reviewed reference sections of selected papers.

Results

Histories of childhood maltreatment are associated with adverse psychological health in adult-child caregivers and reduced frequencies of providing support to their parents. The potential factors affecting the experiences and outcomes of such caregivers include contemporaneous relationships with perpetrating parents; caregivers' sense of choice about providing care; opportunities for posttraumatic growth; and participating in care through the end of life.

Conclusions

Caregiving for perpetrating parents can be particularly challenging due to complex, intersecting factors; thus, healthcare practitioners' increased awareness of and knowledge about such caregivers are crucial to provide effective support.Clinical Implications: We highlighted the importance of ensuring caregivers' sense of choice and assessing their posttraumatic growth. In caregiving at the end of life, we noted the importance of using a trauma-informed approach when interacting with caregivers and their family members during illness and bereavement.