Impact of parental health problems on children: concepts, methods, and unanswered questions

Abstract

Described conceptual and methodological issues that arise in the design and analysis of data from studies of the impact of parental health problems on children. Researchers should consider how the functional effects, duration, and type of exposure of parental health problems affect children's psychological experience. Multiple pathways (e.g., parental modeling, family socialization practices, and genetic factors) that affect the transmission of psychological and/or health risk to children need to be considered. Important methodological issues in this area of research include sample selection and bias, confounding factors, and limited assessment of family influences. Future work should identify factors that enhance child and family resilience to the effects of parental health problems. Studies are also needed to develop and test interventions to reduce the psychological morbidity associated with parental health problems.