Growing up with a parent with multiple sclerosis - interviews with 14 young adults

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• Young adults of parents with multiple sclerosis learn to be caring and responsible, and many choose health-related educations. • They conceal their feelings and desires to avoid distressing their parents, and they continue showing restraint in relationships with the parent without multiple sclerosis, friends, and partners. • Health care professionals can support the family coping with chronic parental illness by promoting openness and knowledge about the illness, referral to relevant help, and to support groups for the family members. Some of the children and young adults growing up with parental illness could benefit from receiving psychological help on a long-term basis. Previous studies have mostly focused on young children or teenagers but in this study young Danish adults were interviewed, since this age group has received little attention before.

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