Assessment of Parenting Competency in Mothers with Mental Illness

This book guides professionals through the process of evaluating whether a mother with a major mental illness is at risk for maltreating her child.Children of parents with a major mental illness are at a high risk for both emotional disorders and developmental delays. However, attachment theory holds that the bonds of love between parent and child are among the most powerful indicators of future emotional health. Assessing when a parent poses a significant risk to her children is fraught with problems: there are few instruments that look at psychological functioning as it relates to parenting skills, the observation of a parent in multiple contexts is extremely difficult, there are differences in childrearing practices across cultures, and many instruments tend to focus on parenting deficits rather than strengths, just to name a few.This book provides a comprehensive overview about how to evaluate whether a mother with a mental illness is able to safely care for her children. The book synthesizes the research about psychiatric disorders and parenting and outlines eight principles for sound assessment methodology. It provides a step-by-step description of a parenting evaluation, including assessment of the parent's capabilities, the examination of the child's needs, and consideration of the social factors in the relationship. The book also includes numerous clinical vignettes drawn from the author's experiences.