The Effects of Parental Dysfunction on Children

Experience with interventions designed to promote the well-being of children and to prevent mental health problems has identified particular challenges in families with disordered parents. These families are often very difficult to engage in mental health promotion and prevention programs, and they may be especially resistant to intervention. This text explores the level of knowledge regarding the processes by which a number of parental disorders influence the developmental outcomes of children. Scientist-practitioners from the United States, Canada, and Australia contributed ten chapters to this volume addressing the topic of the effects of parental behavioural and emotional disorders on children. The major topics covered by this book focus on children growing up in families in which the parents suffer from major psychosocial difficulties, including schizophrenia, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, anxiety disorders, intellectual disabilities, and antisocial personality disorder.