“You are not alone…I am here”: Lived Experiences of Parents of Filipino Young Adults with Mental Health Conditions

Abstract

Crucial in every transition in the life span is the role of parents. Many young adults face a challenging journey during the post pandemic era which affected their mental health. This study aims to investigate the lived experiences of parents of Filipino young adults with mental health conditions. Criteria in choosing the participants are parents with young adults diagnosed with a mental condition and residing in Cavite, Philippines. Seven parents met the criteria and voluntarily agreed to become the participants of the study. The researchers employed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to delve deeply into the experiences of parents. Findings revealed the group experiential themes (GETS) derived from the narratives – parental distress, caregiving hardship, compassion and empathy, restorative practices, and holistic support system. A framework “masked heart” concludes the journey as it represents parents who may experience hardship but with compassion and empathy, wholeheartedly supported the young adults. Read Article Download PDF Dig Deeper With AI Readers can now gain more insights about this research manuscript using chat. Powered by Scholar Lens AI. BRJ now support Model Context Protocol 786df6a2-0ffd-412b-a34d-ead0ab39c2dd Research ID Universal Unique Research ID #research-barcode { width: 100% !important; height: 100px !important; } Citation Generator APA (BRJ Compatible) MLA Chicago Harvard BibTeX Cite This Research Manuscript Your citation will appear here... Copy to Clipboard Figures References (APA) Al Yahyaei, A., Al Omari, O., Abu Sharour, L., Cayaban, A. R., Shebani, Z., Al Hashmi, I., ALBashtawy, M.,Alkhawaldeh, A., & Alhalaiqa, F. (2024). The lived experience of parent caregivers of adolescents with mental illness: A phenomenological study. International Journal of Community Based Nursing & Midwifery, 12 (1), 2–12. https://doi.org/10.30476/IJCBNM.2023.100667.2375 Cashin, A. (2024, July 23). On edge: Understanding and preventing young adults’ mental health challenges . Making Caring Common. https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/on-edge Chavez, M. L., & Manaois, J. G. (2025). Understanding the experiences of middle-aged Filipino parents of children with undiagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions in rural northern Philippines. International Journal of Social Science and Education Research Studies, 5 (4). https://doi.org/10.55677/ijssers/v05i04y2025-02 Department of Health (DOH). (2023). National Mental Health Program annual report . Fakhrou, A. A., Adawi, T. R., Ghareeb, S. A., Elsherbiny, A. M., & AlFalasi, M. M. (2023). Role of family in supporting children with mental disorders in Qatar. Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 45 (3), 123–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcamh.2023.08.005 Fernández-Ávalos, M. I., Pérez-Marfil, M. N., Ferrer-Cascales, R., Cruz-Quintana, F., Clement-Carbonell, V., & Fernández-Alcántara, M. (2020). Quality of life and concerns in parent caregivers of adult children diagnosed with intellectual disability: A qualitative study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (22),8690. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228690 George, E. S., Kecmanovic, M., Meade, T., Lensen, S., Andersson, M., & Gebski, V. (2020). Psychological distress among carers and the moderating effects of social support. BMC Psychiatry, 20 (1), 154. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02571-7 Guy-Evans, O. (2024, June 19). Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory . Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bronfenbrenner-ecological-systems-theory.html Harries, C. I., Smith, D. M., Gregg, L., & Wittkowski, A. (2023). Parenting and serious mental illness (SMI): A systematic review and metasynthesis. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 26 (2), 303–342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-023-00427-6 Havighurst, S. S., Keating, L., & Franks, H. M. (2020). The role of parents in mental health prevention and promotion: A review of the literature. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 54 (6), 585–596. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867420912108 Heiman, T. (2021). Parents’ voice: Parents’ emotional and practical coping with a child with special needs. Psychology, 12 (5), 675–691. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2021.125042 Holmes, C., Zeleke, W., Sampath, S., & Kimbrough, T. (2024). “Hanging on by a thread”: The lived experience of parents of children with medical complexity. Children, 11 (10), 1258. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11101258 Kaynak, Ö., Whipple, C. R., Burma, R., Verdia, S., Sturges, N., Saylor, E., & Kensinger, W. S. (2024). “Everyone blames you”: Stigma and caregiver burden among parents of children with substance use disorder. Journal of