Caring for a Family Member with Mental Illness: Exploring Spirituality

ObjectivesThe mental health profession exposes healthcare workers to unique stressors such as associative stigma (stigmatisation that is extended from the stigmatised patients to psychiatric professionals and is based on affiliation with an individual with mental illness). Enhancing resilience, or the ability to ‘bounce back’ from adversity, is found to be useful in reducing occupational stress and its negative effects. In view of the high burnout rates reported among mental health professionals, this study aimed to examine resilience in this group of professionals and to explore the association between resilience and associative stigma.DesignObservational study—cross-sectional design.SettingTertiary psychiatry hospital in Singapore.ParticipantsThe study was conducted among 470 mental health professionals (doctors, nurses and allied health professionals) working in the hospital.MeasuresResilience was assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and participants completed questionnaires that examined associative stigma. Participants provided their sociodemographic information, length of service, and information on whether they knew of a close friend or family member who had a mental illness.ResultsMean resilience score for the overall sample was 3.59 (SD=0.64). Older age (β=0.012, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.019, p=0.003) and having known a family member or close friend with a mental illness (β=0.155, 95% CI 0.019 to 0.290, p=0.025) predicted higher BRS score. Associative stigma remained significantly associated with resilience score after controlling for sociodemographic factors whereby higher associative stigma predicted lower resilience scores.ConclusionThe present finding suggests that resilience building programmes among mental health workers should target those of the younger age group, and that addressing the issue of associative stigma is essential.

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FUTURE PLANNING AMONG OLDER CAREGIVERS OF FAMILY MEMBERS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY OR MENTAL ILLNESS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1060 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S287-S287 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Fei Wang ◽

Yangdi Han

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Intellectual Disability ◽

Family Member ◽

Family Members ◽

Institutional Care ◽

Family Care ◽

Future Planning ◽

Ideal Situation ◽

Older Caregivers ◽

The Ideal

Abstract Objectives: This study aims to examine future planning among older caregivers for family members with intellectual disability or mental illness, focusing on preferences, predictors and barriers. Method: Data were drawn from 260 caregivers (aged 50 or older) to a family member with intellectual disability or mental illness in Shanghai, China. Caregivers rated six types of future care arrangement under three circumstances: (1) the ideal situation, (2) unable to provide care due to age-related illnesses, and (3) caregivers are deceased. Socio-demographic factors associated with future planning were examined using multinomial logistic regression. Caregivers also rated twelve barriers to future planning. Results: Government-subsidized care facility is the most preferable care arrangement across the three circumstances. While continuing family care was still preferred if caregivers were to become sick or deceased, it was a less preferred option in the ideal situation. Common barriers were the cost of institutional care and the inadequate skills of the staff. Regarding the predictors of future planning, the older the caregivers were, the less likely they had no future plans. Caregivers were more likely to prefer family care over institutional care if their family members had mild impairment. Caregivers of a family member with mental illness were more likely to have no future planning than caregivers of a family member with intellectual disability. Conclusion: This study identified the needs of older caregivers for future planning specific to different circumstances. It also identified demographic profiles of future planning and the caregiver population at risk of no future planning.

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Overcoming Barriers Faced by African-American Families with a Family Member with Mental Illness

Family Relations ◽

10.2307/585040 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 163 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

David E. Biegel ◽

Jeffrey A. Johnsen ◽

Robert Shafran

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

African American ◽

Family Member ◽

African American Families ◽

American Families

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The Relationship Between the Perceived Risk of Harm by a Family Member with Mental Illness and the Family Experience

Community Mental Health Journal ◽

10.1007/s10597-014-9799-3 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 51 (7) ◽

pp. 790-799 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Judith Katz ◽

Deborah Medoff ◽

Li Juan Fang ◽

Lisa B. Dixon

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Family Member ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Family Experience ◽

The Family ◽

The Relationship

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Family repercussion of the deinstitutionalization of the ent with mental disorder

Research Society and Development ◽

10.33448/rsd-v9i11.10006 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. e35991110006

Author(s):

Gabrielle Soares Batista ◽

Liana Dantas da Costa e Silva Barbosa ◽

Maria Enoia Dantas da Costa e Silva

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Family Member ◽

Chronic Condition ◽

Qualitative Data ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

European Portuguese ◽

The Family ◽

Therapeutic Services ◽

Distinct Period ◽

Selection Of

The deinstitutionalization of care for individuals with mental illness is one of the fundamental purposes of Psychiatric Reform in Brazil. Therefore, there is as a central phase, the resizing of the asylum with the argument of the gradual extinction of this circumstance, through the reduction of the number of beds and exchange for therapeutic services that are made available to the community. To identify the repercussions of the deinstitutionalization process for the family member of patients with mental disorders. Scientific articles were searched in the SCIELO, LILACS, BVS-BIREME databases, referring to the theme, with no distinct period. The inclusion criteria for the selection of the sample were: articles published in Portuguese, English, Spanish and European Portuguese that portrayed the theme under study, published and indexed in the referred databases. It can be seen that the greater predominance was given to the qualitative study with 12 articles (80%) due to being researches that mostly interpret qualitative data. It is understood, therefore, that living with the chronic condition becomes, in addition to the difficulties for the family member, a condition that alters the process of being healthy for individuals and groups.

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Men on Losing a Male to Suicide: A Gender Analysis

Qualitative Health Research ◽

10.1177/1049732318769600 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (9) ◽

pp. 1383-1394

Author(s):

John L. Oliffe ◽

Alex Broom ◽

Mary T. Kelly ◽

Joan L. Bottorff ◽

Genevieve M. Creighton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

At Risk ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Family Member ◽

Knowledge Gap ◽

Gender Analysis ◽

Research Attention ◽

Male Suicide ◽

Male Friend

Although male suicide has received research attention, the gendered experiences of men bereaved by male suicide are poorly understood. Addressing this knowledge gap, we share findings drawn from a photovoice study of Canadian-based men who had lost a male friend, partner, or family member to suicide. Two categories depicting the men’s overall account of the suicide were inductively derived: (a) unforeseen suicide and (b) rationalized suicide. The “unforeseen suicides” referred to deaths that occurred without warning wherein participants spoke to tensions between having no idea that the deceased was at risk while reflecting on what they might have done to prevent the suicide. In contrast, “rationalized suicides” detailed an array of preexisting risk factors including mental illness and/or substance overuse to discuss cause–effect scenarios. Commonalities in unforeseen and rationalized suicides are discussed in the overarching theme, “managing emotions” whereby participants distanced themselves, but also drew meaning from the suicide.

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