Dear Colleagues,

Children of parents with mental health problems are at a high risk of developing a mental illness themselves. Research on the mechanisms of the cross-generational transmission of mental illness has increased considerably during the last 30 years. However, even though the public and scientific community have become more sensitized to this topic, these children can still be a forgotten, at-risk population—and a population of which little is known. We are facing several enormous challenges: Epidemiological data on the number of affected children is lacking. The mechanisms of cross-generational transmission as well as the connection between parental illness and offspring vulnerability need to be understood in greater depth. On this basis, effective interventions need to be developed and evaluated in the framework of high-quality trial designs. Finally, evidence-based interventions have to be implemented in general medical care. However, this is a difficult task as systems of medical care are centered on individual patients rather than on families— however, such a cross-generational therapeutic perspective is essential if the situation of children of parents with mental illnesses is to be improved successfully. The current Special Issue sheds light on the mechanisms of the cross-generational transmission of mental illness based on epidemiological findings and statistical models of transmission. Evidence-based interventions that have become well established internationally are presented together with online tools that have been developed on this basis. Eventually, the specific challenges of implementing effective interventions in general medical care will be discussed. We hope that this Special Issue will disseminate the current state of research and helps to produce effective and accurate support for the children of parents with mental illnesses in the future.

Prof. Dr. Silke Wiegand-Grefe
Dr. Angela Plaß-Christl
Prof. Dr. Sibylle Winter
Guest Editors

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• epidemiology
• transmission
• models
• interventions
• prevention
• evaluation
• implementation
• family-based health care