Leung Judy, Arthur David G
School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2004 Dec;13(4):232-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-0979.2004.00339.x.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of self-help groups in the rehabilitation of people recovering from mental illness. A qualitative approach was adopted, with individual interviews of 12 clients and four focus group interviews of 22 professionals and volunteers, in a Hong Kong self-help organization. Three major categories emerged from the client interviews: the meaning of self-help; experience of self-help group involvement; and changes in life. The major categories which emerged from the focus groups were: the meaning of self-help; therapeutic factors; therapeutic process; facilitators' expectation; and difficulties encountered. Results indicated that self-help group involvement provided positive experiences for the members and led to some changes in their lives which contribute to the rehabilitation of their illness. Meanwhile, the professionals' and volunteers' view of the use of self-help groups was found to coincide with previous literature. Moreover, a spiritual dimension was expressed by all respondents as one of the factors that enhanced the group cohesiveness. It was concluded that self-help group involvement is beneficial to psychiatric rehabilitation. Findings have implications for further utilization of self-help groups for the people recovering from mental illness, as an alternative form of health care to complement the inadequacies in the present health care system.
本研究的目的是检验自助小组对从精神疾病中康复的人们的康复效果。研究采用定性研究方法，在香港一个自助组织中，对12名服务对象进行了个人访谈，并对22名专业人员和志愿者进行了4次焦点小组访谈。从服务对象访谈中出现了三大类主题：自助的意义；参与自助小组的经历；以及生活中的变化。从焦点小组中出现的主要类别包括：自助的意义；治疗因素；治疗过程；促进者的期望；以及遇到的困难。结果表明，参与自助小组为成员提供了积极的体验，并导致他们生活中的一些变化，这有助于他们疾病的康复。同时，发现专业人员和志愿者对使用自助小组的看法与先前的文献一致。此外，所有受访者都表达了精神层面是增强小组凝聚力的因素之一。得出的结论是，参与自助小组对精神康复有益。研究结果对于进一步利用自助小组帮助从精神疾病中康复的人们具有启示意义，作为一种替代的医疗保健形式，以补充当前医疗保健系统的不足。
