Comparison of Separation Patterns between Parents and Offspring in Psychiatric and Nonclinical Families

Abstract

This study examined the specific separation patterns of binding and expelling in families with young adults. 103 families were divided into three groups according to the ICD–10 diagnosis of offspring (18-35 years old): (1) schizophrenia (ns = 32 mothers and 30 fathers), (2) personality disorders (ns = 34 mothers and 30 fathers), (3) control, nonclinical group (ns=34 mothers and 32 fathers). The participants (mothers and fathers) independently completed the Relational Individuation Questionnaire designed for this study. Despite expectations, there was no statistical significance found between the mean scores of the parents' binding of offspring diagnosed with schizophrenia or personality disorders or from the nonclinical families. There was, however, a difference in the intensity of the mothers' expelling (F_2,97 = 10.90, p< .0001) and of the fathers' expelling (F_2,89 = 5.96, p<.005) from different family groups. The parents of offspring from clinical families expelled their offspring more intensively than parents from nonclinical families. The correlation between expelling by mothers and expelling by fathers in all families was positive. These results suggest that expelling may be a strategy used by parents with children with serious mental disorders when these children reach young adulthood.