Negotiation Between the Youth and Parents regarding Mental Health Recovery in Mainland China: A Socially Constructed Process

Research has revealed an unprecedentedly high prevalence of mental illnesses among Chinese youth, which has demonstrated paramount importance in exploring the issues related to this population. When treating youth with psychological problems, involving their families to discuss the goals and preferences of the treatment regimen is vital. The current study is a qualitative research that endorses a novel theoretical framework that integrates social power theory and Foucault’s discourse to probe this phenomenon. A dyadic interview and analysis were conducted with 16 family pairs involving youth aged 16–24 years during their treatment in a Grade A tertiary hospital in Guangzhou, China. Three themes were identified: (a) negotiation regarding the severity and the necessity of the treatment; (b) negotiation regarding the course and types of treatment; and (c) negotiation regarding the essence of the recovery. The narratives provided dyadic insights from both sides in how they perceived the mental illnesses and the pathway they suggested towards recovery. The findings shed light on the clinical practice of mental health treatment in mainland China.