As Australia grapples with its mental health crisis, the parental experiences of fathers who suffer from mental illness will, for the first time, be the subject of a new study at Charles Sturt University (CSU).

 

While the experiences of mothers who have a mental illness have been investigated, CSU academic Dr Andrea Reupert has identified that research into the mental health system has overlooked fathers who suffer from illnesses such as depression, anxiety, manic depression or schizophrenia.

 

“The experiences of mentally ill fathers and their perceived needs as a parent are a vital area to study because of the well acknowledged role of fathers in the development of their children as well as the impacts on their adult relationships, employment and community life,” said Dr Reupert.

 

This information is important for future policy development, intervention and the delivery of mental health support and rehabilitation services.”

 

The Mental Health Council of Australia calculates mental illness represents 13 per cent of the country’s disease burden[1] and governments have recognised the need for a coordinated national action plan on mental health.

 

A psychologist, lecturer and researcher with CSU’s Faculty of Education, Dr Reupert has been involved with a number of studies examining parental mental illness, including collaborative projects with the Victorian Department of Health and the national depression support agency Beyond Blue as well as the Catholic welfare agency, Centacare.

 

The CSU-funded study will involve face-to-face interviews with between 12 to 15 fathers initially drawn from the Riverina region of NSW. Specific questions to be posed include what are the experiences of mentally ill fathers, how does the illness impact on their parenting role, what are their needs in their role as fathers and what barriers do they face in accessing support.

 

“I hope to expand this initial research nationally to focus on the accurate number of fathers in Australia who have a mental illness as well as examine the different ways mental health services are delivered to this group,” said Dr Reupert.

 

All information collected throughout the study will be confidential and no identifying information will be used. 

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