Children exposed to the risk factors associated with parental mental illness are seen to be at risk of developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioural difficulties in preschool and later in life. Given that educational settings are seen as optimal for early intervention, preschool teachers have an important role to play in identifying and responding to the needs of these vulnerable children at a critical period of their development. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of preschool teachers who have taught, or currently teach, preschool aged children (4–6 years) affected by a parent’s mental illness. Seven university qualified preschool teachers were interviewed about their experiences and reflected on their practices, specifically those practices that seemed to help support the child and those that did not. The findings highlighted that preschool teachers are knowledgeable and have the skills to identify warning signs and risk factors for young children, however this knowledge was limited in the context of parental mental illness and associated risks for preschool children. As such, the present study highlighted the need for targeted and specialized training and resources designed for the needs of preschool teachers. Several implications were discussed.

暴露于与父母精神疾病相关的危险因素的孩子在幼儿园和以后的生活中有发展为认知，情感和行为困难的风险。鉴于教育环境被视为最适合早期干预的最佳方式，学前教师在其成长的关键时期，在识别和应对这些弱势儿童的需求方面可以发挥重要作用。这项研究的目的是探讨曾教过或目前正在教受父母精神疾病影响的学龄前儿童（4-6岁）的学龄前教师的经验。采访了七名大学合格的学前班老师，以了解他们的经历并反思他们的做法，特别是那些似乎有助于养育孩子的做法和那些没有帮助孩子的做法。调查结果强调，学龄前教师知识渊博，并且具有识别幼儿警告信号和危险因素的技能，但是，这种知识在父母精神疾病和学龄前儿童相关风险的背景下受到限制。因此，本研究强调需要针对学龄前教师的需求进行有针对性的专门培训和资源。讨论了几个含义。