Wong Daniel E K
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong.
Soc Work. 2007 Apr;52(2):127-35. doi: 10.1093/sw/52.2.127.
This study attempted to identify the crucial individuals in the help-seeking pathways of Chinese caregivers of relatives suffering from early psychosis in Hong Kong. In-depth interviews with 58 caregivers were conducted. The findings suggest that although the family caregivers usually initiated the help-seeking process, informal network members were instrumental in confirming the presence of mental illness and encouraged the caregivers to seek external help. School social workers acted as a bridge between the informal and formal networks and referred the adolescents for psychiatric consultations. However, it was found that some of the ill relatives did not recognize the severity of their mental health problems, which posed a major obstacle to help seeking. Contrary to the claims in overseas literature, the informal network members' accurate recognition of mental illness quickened the help-seeking process. Individual, cultural, and social institutional factors were identified and used to further explain these characteristics of help seeking. Implications for social work practice are highlighted.
本研究试图确定香港早期精神病患者亲属的中国照顾者寻求帮助途径中的关键人物。对58名照顾者进行了深入访谈。研究结果表明，尽管家庭照顾者通常启动寻求帮助的过程，但非正式网络成员在确认精神疾病的存在方面发挥了作用，并鼓励照顾者寻求外部帮助。学校社会工作者充当了非正式和正式网络之间的桥梁，并将青少年转介进行精神科咨询。然而，研究发现一些患病亲属没有认识到他们心理健康问题的严重性，这对寻求帮助构成了主要障碍。与海外文献中的说法相反，非正式网络成员对精神疾病的准确认识加快了寻求帮助的过程。确定了个人、文化和社会制度因素，并用于进一步解释这些寻求帮助的特征。强调了对社会工作实践的启示。
