A Qualitative Study on Challenges in Marriage of the Children of Parent With Mental Illness: Gloomy Horizon

Background: In the families of patients with mental disorder, children are in a critical situation since they are faced with several problems that may not be efficiently noticed. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges concerning the marriage of children of parent with mental illness in Iran. Patients and Methods: This study was a part of more comprehensive study conducted using qualitative method. It was conducted in a mental hospital Qazvin City, Iran. In the present research, semi-structured interviews were performed with 17 participants, selected based on purposeful sampling. The obtained data were analyzed using constant comparison analysis. Results: According to the findings, main theme of “Gloomy Horizon” with subthemes of premarriage and postmarriage issues was emerged. People were unwilling to marry these children. In addition, these children considered marriage as a challenging issue, due to their fear of genetic transferability of their parents’ illnesses and incidence of having problems with their spouses’ families. Conclusions: Regarding the challenges opposed to the marriage of these children, allocation of necessary actions within their care services as well as offering educational programs seems to be of prime importance for the society. Keywords: Child; Qualitative Research; Marriage; Mental Disorders; Parent