Parent Carer Wellbeing
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, and self-harm in parent carers
IRAS ID
289869
Contact name
Siobhan O'Dwyer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
Family carers make a valuable social and personal contribution, but they receive little support and the role takes a serious toll on their wellbeing. A growing body of research also suggests that many carers may self-harm and consider killing themselves or the person for whom they care. Only three of these studies, however, have focused on parents caring for children with disabilities or long-term illnesses (DLTI), and none were conducted in the UK. More than 800,000 children in the UK have DLTI and their parents may be at greater risk of suicide, homicide, and self-harm than other family carers.
The aim of our project is to estimate how many parent carers in England have thought about and/or attempted suicide, and how many self-harm. We also want to identify the factors that contribute to and protect against these thoughts and behaviours. (Note: For legal and ethical reasons we will not be able to determine how many parent carers have thought about or attempted homicide). Finally, we want to understand the lived experience of parent carers who have considered suicide, considered homicide, or self-harmed, and seek their suggestions for research, practice, and policy. This information will ultimately allow us to develop better strategies for supporting carers in crisis.
We will conduct an anonymous survey of at least 1,000 parent carers in England. We will also conduct face-to-face interviews with 20 of these carers. Carefully developed protocols will ensure parent carers, their children, and the research team are supported and kept safe throughout the project.
This study is funded by the NIHR Research for Social Care (RfSC) scheme. We will share the findings with the wider community via easy-to-read summaries, policy briefings, short films, and a project website, and with other researchers via academic journal articles and conference presentations.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/WM/0190
Date of REC Opinion
21 Sep 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion