Strand Jennifer, Olin Elisabeth, Tidefors Inga
Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Health Soc Care Community. 2015 Mar;23(2):141-9. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12122. Epub 2014 Oct 15.
As a consequence of the deinstitutionalisation of mental health services, family members have become an important part of the care system. However, little is known about mental health professionals' perceptions of these family members. The aim of this study was to explore professionals' views of one particular group, the parents of patients with psychotic disorders. Because sensitive issues such as professionals' perceptions of parents can be difficult to capture via interviews or self-report instruments, we conducted participant observation of 20 multi-professional team meetings. The observations were carried out during 2011 at a psychiatric care unit specialised in working with patients with psychosis. Approximately 10 inpatients and outpatients were discussed in each team meeting. All conversations about the patients' parents were documented with field notes that were later analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Through the analysis, a complex and multi-faceted image emerged of parents as seen by mental health professionals. Some parents were described as a helpful resource, but others were thought to hinder treatment. Conflicts between staff members and parents were commonly due to their differing views on the treatment, particularly the medical treatment, of the patient. Other parents were described as causing the patient emotional pain and some parents were perceived as neglectful or abusive. These findings highlight the crucial role mental health professionals play in identifying families' particular needs and capacities to provide interventions that effectively address each specific situation. Professionals should also recognise families with adverse experiences and help parents fulfil their potential to become resources for their children with psychosis.
由于精神卫生服务的去机构化，家庭成员已成为护理系统的重要组成部分。然而，对于心理健康专业人员对这些家庭成员的看法却知之甚少。本研究的目的是探讨专业人员对一个特定群体——精神病患者父母的看法。由于诸如专业人员对父母的看法等敏感问题难以通过访谈或自我报告工具来获取，我们对20次多专业团队会议进行了参与观察。观察在2011年期间于一个专门治疗精神病患者的精神科护理单元进行。每次团队会议大约讨论10名住院患者和门诊患者。所有关于患者父母的谈话都用现场记录进行了记录，随后使用归纳主题分析法进行分析。通过分析，呈现出了心理健康专业人员眼中父母复杂多面的形象。一些父母被描述为有益的资源，但另一些则被认为会阻碍治疗。工作人员与父母之间的冲突通常源于他们对患者治疗，尤其是药物治疗的不同看法。其他父母被描述为给患者带来情感痛苦，还有一些父母被认为疏忽或虐待孩子。这些发现凸显了心理健康专业人员在识别家庭的特殊需求和提供有效应对每种具体情况的干预措施的能力方面所发挥的关键作用。专业人员还应识别有不良经历的家庭，并帮助父母发挥潜力，成为其患有精神病子女的资源。
