Departure scripts and life review of parents living with abusive adult children with mental disorder

• The experience of aging parents living with abusive children with mental disorder revealed five “departure scripts” (DS).
• The departure scripts are: a pragmatic DS, a burned-out DS, a dead-end DS, an optimistic DS, and a violent DS.
• The construction of different DSs was accompanied by an experiential review of the past.
• The DSs can serve as a framework for developing tailored intervention methods for families at this stage of life.

BackgroundIncreasing numbers of aging parents are finding themselves in the role of caregiver for their mentally ill adult child due to global deinstitutionalization policy. The aim of this article is to explore preparations for the end of life in light of the life review process among old parents of abusive children with mental disorder.MethodData collection was performed through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 parents, followed by phenomenological analysis.ResultsFive different types of departure scripts emerged: a pragmatic departure script, a burned-out departure script, a dead-end departure script, an optimistic departure script, and a violent departure script.ConclusionThe parents in this study tended to interpret events in their past to fit their perception of the current relationship with their child, thus connecting past, present, and future into one coherent picture. Years of extended care have led to a unique aging process which does not allow separation from the child or the development of a sense of closure that characterizes the aging process. This calls for better insights and deeper understanding in regard to intervention with such families.