Lived experiences of mothers: A longitudinal study of impacts and adjustment following adolescent psychiatric hospitalization for suicide attempts or other reasons.

Introduction: Parents play crucial roles in monitoring and supporting youth who have been hospitalized after suicide attempts, but their adjustment in the period following hospitalization has been understudied. This study assessed the adjustment and impacts on mothers during the year following hospitalization.

Method: Participants included 135 mothers of suicidal adolescents and 117 mothers of adolescents hospitalized for other reasons. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID) and the Child and Adolescent Impact Assessment were used to assess psychiatric diagnoses of Major Depressive Disorder [MDD], Generalized Anxiety Disorder [GAD], and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD], and impacts on caregivers at one, three, six, and 12 months after hospitalization.

Results: Higher rates of MDD, GAD, and PTSD, and greater impacts were evidenced closer in time to the hospitalization. There were few overall differences between mothers of youth with and without suicidal behavior. However, family history of suicidal behavior was related to higher rates of MDD and PTSD, and greater severity of youth suicidal thoughts and behavior over the follow-up was related to greater impact upon mothers of suicidal youth.

Conclusions: This study highlights the mental health struggles of mothers of suicidal and other hospitalized youth and underscores the importance of support for caregivers.