The Impact of a Parent's Mental Illness on a Child's Life

The aim of this study is to find out what effect does parental mental illness have on the life of the child. A sub-objective of the study is to show the specific problems of the children and the strategies they use to cope with the family situation. The starting point is the concept of parental mental illness as a risk factor in child development. The issue is approached through an ecological approach explaining the interdependence between humans and their environment. The text is developed as a theoretical essay that analyses the literature sources dealing with the issue of serious mental illness of a parent and its impact on the child. Literature sources were searched for keywords in English and Czech in the Science Direct, Scopus Preview, Cambridge Core and National Library of Medicine databases. The results show a basic overview of risk and protective factors, children’s emotional experience, their specific problems, especially stigma, separation from the parent, and coping strategies to deal with family stress.