Parental illness and disability: a family systems framework

Coping with the strains and uncertainties of parental illness and disability can be a monumental challenge. The Family Systems-Illness Model offers a psychosocial map to address this challenge and make the inevitable strains more manageable. Attending to the longitudinal psychosocial pattern of a condition within a multigenerational, life cycle and belief system context can provide the kind of structure – a common language that facilitates collaborative, creative problem solving and quality of life for families where a parent has a serious health problem. Some of the major challenges in families facing parental illness are addressed.