An interpretative phenomenological analysis of parents’ experience of making sense of at risk mental state

At Risk Mental State (ARMS) refers to people deemed at elevated risk of experiencing a first episode of psychosis. Family relationships often play a significant role in both the development and experience of early psychosis. How families make sense of problems influences their emotional experiences and relationships. To date there has been no research exploring how parents make sense of ARMS. Seven parents with a child meeting the ARMS criteria shared their experiences through semi-structured interviews and the data gathered were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings suggested that parents experienced three stages when making sense of the ARMS criteria: initial uncertainty, experience of getting support and the process of looking to the future. Parents felt they lacked the skills to help their child and often had difficulty accessing the right services. The research also demonstrated that carer beliefs about psychosis identified in carers of those who experienced a first-episode psychosis are present even prior to a diagnosis of psychosis. Future work could consider ways of including and supporting parents during this sense-making process as well as better promoting ARMS services.