Keogh Brian, Brady Anne Marie, Downes Carmel, Doyle Louise, Higgins Agnes, McCann Thomas
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Traveller Counselling Service, Dublin, Ireland.
Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2020 Sep;41(9):799-806. doi: 10.1080/01612840.2020.1731889. Epub 2020 May 13.
Irish Travellers are a small indigenous minority group with a distinctive lifestyle and culture which sets them apart from the general population. Travellers are vulnerable to significant mental distress which is exacerbated by the social disadvantage that they experience. A Traveller Mental Health Liaison Nurse (TMHLN) was introduced in one health care region in Ireland to provide support for Travellers and increase their access to mental health services. The aim of this paper is to present the findings from an evaluation which explored Travellers access to and reasons for accessing the TMHLN, the interventions provided and their experiences of and perceptions of the role of the TMHLN. A descriptive qualitative approach was used. Ten Travellers who used the service were interviewed. Following data analysis, three themes emerged: factors affecting Traveller mental health; accessing the TMHLN and the Travellers experiences and perceptions of the TMHLN. The participants were extremely positive about the TMHLN and valued the support provided. The findings highlight how the interpersonal skills associated with mental health nursing set against recovery orientated and culturally congruent practices are suitable approaches when working with Travellers.
爱尔兰游民是一个小型本土少数群体，拥有独特的生活方式和文化，这使他们有别于普通人群。游民容易遭受严重的精神困扰，而他们所经历的社会劣势又加剧了这种困扰。爱尔兰的一个医疗保健地区引入了一名游民心理健康联络护士（TMHLN），为游民提供支持并增加他们获得心理健康服务的机会。本文的目的是展示一项评估的结果，该评估探讨了游民接触TMHLN的情况及接触原因、所提供的干预措施以及他们对TMHLN角色的体验和看法。采用了描述性定性研究方法。对10名使用该服务的游民进行了访谈。经过数据分析，出现了三个主题：影响游民心理健康的因素；接触TMHLN的情况以及游民对TMHLN的体验和看法。参与者对TMHLN极为肯定，并重视所提供的支持。研究结果突出表明，与心理健康护理相关的人际技能，结合以康复为导向且符合文化习俗的做法，是与游民合作时的合适方法。
