Pascoe, Claire2024-05-302024-05-302023https://hdl.handle.net/2440/141062This item is only available electronically.Parenting with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been described as both a challenging and rewarding experience. Characteristics of BPD include difficulties in interpersonal relationships, inconsistent behavioural responses to stress and mentalizing, which can lead to challenging relational environments. Family members of people with BPD can experience increased burden, grief, and their own mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression. Despite this, little research exists regarding the experiences of individuals who share the parenting role with someone who has a diagnosis of BPD. This study aimed to explore parents’ experiences of sharing parenting with an individual with a diagnosis of BPD to gain insight into their wellbeing and support needs. Parents’ experiences were gathered through semi-structured interviews and a qualitative online survey. Reflexive thematic analysis of interviews and surveys resulted in five themes: (1) ‘Increased Responsibility’, (2) ‘Self-care Suffers’, (3) ‘Information and Supports are Lacking or Self-initiated’, (4) ‘Relational Challenges’ and (5) ‘Importance of Love, Connection, Understanding and Acceptance’. This study contributes valuable information about families parenting in the context of BPD and hopes to inform future research and service provision to optimise appropriate support and facilitate positive outcomes for families. Key words. Borderline Personality Disorder; parenting; wellbeing; support; case study; thematic analysisMasters; Psychology; ClinicalThesis