Shalev Anat, Shor Ron
Meital, Be'er Sheva Mental Health Center.
Primary medicine unit, Division of community health, Health sciences faculty, and Department of Social Work, Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
Harefuah. 2016 Dec;155(12):749-752.
Limited research attention has been given to the needs of family caregivers of persons with mental illness in psychiatric hospitals despite the stressors and difficulties they experience. In light of the recognition of the significance of helping family caregivers, a new model of consultation and support centers for family caregivers, called Meital, has been developed.
To examine the needs of family caregivers who receive help in Meital, at the Beer Sheva Mental Health Center.
Eighty-five family caregivers participated in the research. They completed a structured questionnaire constructed for this research two weeks after they started receiving services from Meital. The questionnaire included four areas of needs for help. These areas examined the extent of the need for help with respect to each of the items in the instrument.
The mean of the extent of need for help of the items in the 'information and knowledge' subscale was the highest. Average to high means of the items of the subscales were found in the subscales relating to 'difficulties stemming from the impact of the situation of the person with mental illness on the function of the family caregiver receiving help,' 'on the function of other family members' and 'difficulties coping with the person with mental illness.' The mean of the items of the subscale 'relationships with professionals and informal systems' was the lowest. An examination of the items within the subscales indicated that items relating to the 'impact of the situation of the person with mental illness on the family caregiver who receives help' were ranked higher than the items relating to the 'impact on the function of other family caregivers.' Items relating to 'relationships with professionals' were ranked higher than items relating to 'relationships with informal systems.'
This research emphasizes the importance of implementing the family-centered approach, the basis of the Meital Model, in psychiatric institutions. The focus of this approach is on the need for help of family caregivers beyond the help needed for them to function as a resource of help for the ill person. The findings also illuminate the importance of making information and knowledge accessible for family caregivers.
尽管精神病院精神疾病患者的家庭照顾者面临压力和困难，但针对他们需求的研究关注有限。鉴于认识到帮助家庭照顾者的重要性，已开发出一种名为Meital的家庭照顾者咨询与支持中心新模式。
调查在贝尔谢巴精神卫生中心接受Meital帮助的家庭照顾者的需求。
85名家庭照顾者参与了研究。他们在开始接受Meital服务两周后完成了为本研究构建的结构化问卷。问卷包括四个需要帮助的领域。这些领域考察了工具中每个项目的帮助需求程度。
“信息与知识”子量表中项目的帮助需求程度均值最高。在与“精神疾病患者状况对接受帮助的家庭照顾者功能的影响所产生的困难”、“对其他家庭成员功能的影响”以及“应对精神疾病患者的困难”相关的子量表中，发现项目均值为中等至高。“与专业人员和非正式系统的关系”子量表中项目的均值最低。对子量表内项目的考察表明，与“精神疾病患者状况对接受帮助的家庭照顾者的影响”相关的项目排名高于与“对其他家庭照顾者功能的影响”相关的项目。与“与专业人员的关系”相关的项目排名高于与“与非正式系统的关系”相关的项目。
本研究强调了在精神病机构实施以家庭为中心的方法（Meital模式的基础）的重要性。这种方法的重点是家庭照顾者的帮助需求，而不仅仅是他们作为患者帮助资源所需的帮助。研究结果还阐明了让家庭照顾者获取信息和知识的重要性。
