Major depression in a family: what happens and how to manage - a case study

Caring Situation, Health, Self-efficacy, and Stress in Young Informal Carers of Family and Friends with Mental Illness in Sweden

This study compared the caring situation, health, self-efficacy, and stress of young (16-25) informal carers (YICs) supporting a family member with mental illness with that of YICs supporting a friend. A sample of 225 carers, assigned to a family group (n = 97) or a friend group (n = 128) completed the questionnaire. It was found that the family group experiences a lower level of support and friends experienced a lower positive value of caring. No other differences in health, general self-efficacy and stress were found. YICs endure different social situations, which is why further study of the needs of YICs, especially those supporting friends, is urgently needed.

Effectiveness of web-based versus folder support interventions for young informal carers of persons with mental illness: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

Compare the impact of two interventions, a web-based support and a folder support, for young persons who care for people who suffer from mental illness.

METHODS

This study was a randomized control trial, following the CONSORT statements, which compared the impact of two interventions. Primary outcome variable was stress, and secondary outcome variables were caring situation, general self-efficacy, well-being, health, and quality of life of young informal carers (N=241). Data were collected in June 2010 to April 2011, with self-assessment questionnaires, comparing the two interventions and also to detect changes.

RESULTS

The stress levels were high in both groups at baseline, but decreased in the folder group. The folder group had improvement in their caring situation (also different from the web group), general self-efficacy, well-being, and quality of life. The web group showed increase in well-being.

CONCLUSION

Young informal carers who take on the responsibility for people close to them; suffer consequences on their own health. They live in a life-situation characterized by high stress and low well-being. This signals a need for support.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The non-significant differences show that each intervention can be effective, and that it depends upon the individual's preferences. This highlights the importance of adopting person-centered approach, in which young persons can themselves choose support strategy.

Support for young informal carers of persons with mental illness: a mixed-method study

The aim of this study was to explore how young (16-25 year old) informal carers of a person with a mental illness experience and use support. In a mixed method approach, we interviewed 12 young carers, and 241 completed a self-administered questionnaire. While the young carers strive to maintain control, their main support seems to be others in their lives, who often define the situation differently. The carers said web-support, counseling, and group counseling might be helpful, yet very few had any professional support. Young carers are greatly in need of support and it should be provided.

Daily life for young adults who care for a person with mental illness: a qualitative study

This study describes the daily life and management strategies of young informal carers of family members or friends with mental illness. Twelve young adults (three men and nine women; 16-25 years old) in Sweden were voluntarily recruited between February and May 2008. Data collected through eight individual semi-structured interviews and one focus group interview were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed nine subthemes that were further grouped into three main themes: showing concern, providing support and using management strategies. Participants lived in constant readiness for something unexpected to happen to the person they cared for, and their role in the relationship could change quickly from family member or friend to guardian or supervisor. Supporting a friend was considered as large a personal responsibility as supporting a family member. Their management strategies were based on individual capacities and their ability to step aside should the situation become too demanding. These young informal carers need support in caring for the mentally ill. As the internet becomes increasingly fundamental to daily life, support could be provided most effectively through person-centred web sites.

Children's experiences of parental mental illness: a literature review

AIM

This paper provides a review of published qualitative research on children's experiences of parental mental illness.

METHODS

We undertook a comprehensive search of Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Sociological Abstracts and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts databases, as well as citation searches in Web of Science and manual searches of other relevant journals and reference lists of primary papers.

RESULTS

Although 20 studies met the search criteria, only 10 focused exclusively on children's descriptions of their experience--the remainder elicited adults' perspectives on children's experiences of parental mental illnesses. Findings are organized under three themes: the impact of illness on children's daily life, how children cope with their experiences and how children understand mental illness.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite references to pervasive knowledge gaps in the literature, significant information has been accumulated about children's experiences of parental mental illness. Considerable variability in research findings and tensions remain unresolved. For example, evidence is mixed as to children's knowledge and understanding of mental illnesses and how best to deploy resources to help them acquire optimal information. Furthermore, children's desire to be recognized as important to their parents' well-being conflicted with adults' perceptions that children should be protected from too much responsibility. Nevertheless, the cumulative evidence remains a key reason for advocating for psychoeducation and peer-support group interventions for children, which are endorsed by child and adult study participants alike.

'Family in the waiting room': a Swedish study of nurses' conceptions of family participation in acute psychiatric inpatient settings

Family plays an important role in the care provided for patients in all areas of nursing. However, relatively few studies deal with the focus of the present study: the ways that nurses experience family participation in acute psychiatric inpatient settings. Data were collected by interviewing 18 nurses who had experience working in such settings. A phenomenographical approach was used to analyse the interviews. Three descriptive categories were found: family participation as a part of the caring process, barriers to family participation, and nurses' resources in family participation. The findings show that the nurses' conceptions of family participation varied, and that the family was not always a priority in this caring context. The implementation of family participation was often only based on the nurses' own interests and insights. This could mean that family participation differed substantially, depending on which nurse a family encountered, and which unit the patient was admitted at. Finally, nurses had little professional autonomy, and organizational support and education were also lacking.

Family nursing research for practice: the Swedish perspective

This article offers a synthesis of the significant developments and progress of family nursing in Sweden. A review was conducted to locate Swedish family nursing research produced over the past 10 years. CINAHL, Medline, and PubMed were the primary databases used to locate approximately 75 family nursing studies conducted in Sweden. The majority of the studies used descriptive methods with data collected from surveys and interviews involving nurses and family members either together or individually. Only a few of the studies examined family nursing interventions. This article also reports the results of a recent survey of Swedish nurses that examined how family nursing is used in practice. After 10 years of creating a strong foundation for family-focused nursing in Sweden, there is still a need for nurse researchers, educators, and administrators to collaborate in the implementation of family nursing to practice.

Being closely connected to health care providers experiencing burnout: putting one's life on hold to help

Being closely connected to a person experiencing illness may be a trying experience.This study aimed to illuminate meanings of being closely connected to health care providers experiencing burnout. Ten interviews were conducted with five people closely connected (i.e., family members or supportive friends) to health care providers recovering from burnout. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the resulting text was interpreted using a phenomenological-hermeneutic method. One consequence of being closely connected to health care providers experiencing burnout is putting one's life on hold to help. In facing an almost unmanageable burden, those closely connected revealed their own suffering, emphasizing their need for support. Health care professionals need to be aware that those who are closely connected to a person experiencing burnout may lack knowledge about burnout and its related challenges. It is to be hoped such knowledge would allow significant others to better support the person experiencing burnout and promote their own health.

Effects on resilience of women family caregivers of adults with serious mental illness: the role of positive cognitions

This study examined the effects of risk and protective factors on resilience in 60 women family members of adults with serious mental illness. Both the risk factors constituting caregiver burden (strain, stigma, client dependence, and family disruption) and protective factors, including eight positive cognitions were found to predict two indicators of resilience: resourcefulness and sense of coherence. The effects of caregiver burden on resourcefulness and sense of coherence were mediated by positive cognitions, lending support to resilience theory and suggesting the need to develop interventions to encourage positive thinking among women caregivers of adults with mental illness.