School of Rural Health, Monash University, Moe, Victoria, Australia.
Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2018 Apr;27(2):672-682. doi: 10.1111/inm.12353. Epub 2017 Jul 18.
Social connection is a fundamental human need, but challenging for individuals with characteristics that are socially stigmatized. Parenting with mental illness presents obstacles, as well as opportunities, for connection. In the present study, we examined connectedness within a personal recovery paradigm for rural mothers with a mental illness. In-depth interviews with 17 mothers with a mental illness, utilizing constructivist grounded theory, resulted in six categories of meaning, including 'yearning for connection', 'connecting intensely', 'encountering rejection and exclusion', 'choosing isolation', 'being known', and 'finding peers/helping others'. Women expressed a strong desire for connection, but for many, prior experiences of trauma and rejection created barriers to the development of trust, preventing some women from seeking opportunities for connection. Connectedness to self and significant others, and a broader life meaning and purpose can support and expedite personal recovery from mental illness for rural women. However the factors that contribute to the mental illness might also inhibit the development of trust needed to attain social connection. Increasing connectedness in mothers with mental illness is a complex endeavour requiring concerted focus as distinct from other service-delivery goals. The perinatal period could be a key time for intervention.
社会联系是人类的基本需求，但对于那些具有被社会污名化特征的人来说，这是具有挑战性的。患有精神疾病的父母在建立联系方面既有障碍，也有机遇。在本研究中，我们在农村精神病母亲的个人康复范式内考察了联系。对 17 名患有精神疾病的母亲进行了深入访谈，运用建构主义扎根理论，得出了六个类别的意义，包括“渴望联系”、“强烈联系”、“遭遇拒绝和排斥”、“选择孤立”、“被了解”和“找到同伴/帮助他人”。女性表达了强烈的联系愿望，但对许多人来说，先前的创伤和排斥经历阻碍了信任的发展，使一些女性无法寻求联系的机会。与自我和重要他人的联系，以及更广泛的生活意义和目标，可以支持和加速农村妇女从精神疾病中康复。然而，导致精神疾病的因素也可能抑制建立信任所需的社会联系的发展。增加精神病母亲的联系是一项复杂的努力，需要与其他服务提供目标相区别的集中关注。围产期可能是干预的关键时期。
