“You don’t know until you get there”: The positive and negative “lived” experience of parenting an adult child with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Abstract

Parental distress through societal, educational, and health care invalidation persisted for decades for all participants. Conversely, distress facilitated psychological growth for redefining "self" and role as parents over time. Building on this phenomenological cameo, future research can educate against the plight of 22q11DS families. It can enlighten health care professionals in buffering against associated stigma, blame, and self-doubt, and in fostering psychological well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record