Childhood Experiences of Individuals Whose Parents are Schizophrenia Patients: A Phenomenological Study

Schizophrenia is a disease that affects not only the individual but also their family. Especially when the schizophrenic individual is one of the parents, a child's life changes multidimensionally, and this may have negative effects on the child's social, physical, and emotional development. In this study, which was conducted to reveal the childhood experiences of individuals whose parents are schizophrenia patients, as a qualitative research design, the phenomenological approach was used. The sample of the study consisted of 26 participants, and the data were collected between 1 January 2022 and 1 March 2022 using a Descriptive Characteristics Questionnaire and a Semi-Structured In-Depth Individual Interview Form. In the interpretative phenomenological analysis, six themes, which were named "Opinions about Schizophrenia," "Growing up with a Schizophrenia Patient Parent," "Childhood Experiences," "How I Coped," "Resilience," and "Reflections on Adulthood," and 23 subthemes were determined. It was found that adults who had parents who were schizophrenia patients had experienced many challenges in their childhood in the physical, psychological, economic, and social dimensions such as neglect, abuse, child labor, stigmatization, and loneliness. The participants stated that they coped with these challenges through social support, love, patience, and sharing during recovery periods, as well as withdrawal and introversion. It was found that some participants became stronger and more resilient as a result of negative childhood experiences, and these effects were reflected in their adulthood. In line with these results, it is recommended to handle other family members and their children, if any, as well as the patient while providing care to schizophrenia patients and provide protective and supportive care to them.