Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
Department of Psychosis, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2021 Aug;67(5):432-440. doi: 10.1177/0020764020960763. Epub 2020 Oct 3.
Informal caregivers are often placed in a better position to understand and advocate for the vocational needs of young persons with mental health conditions. However, their opinions are largely ignored in the planning of vocational outcomes. This qualitative study had two broad aims: to explore (1) the perceptions of caregivers of young adults with mental health conditions on issues of paid employment and (2) their views and expectations of employment support services.
A total of 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Caregivers were 45 years old on average, the majority were women (73%) and were of Chinese ethnicity (53%). Most participants (60%) were parents of the young persons with psychotic disorders (57%), or affective and mood disorders, such as depression or anxiety disorders (43%).
Thematic analyses of data revealed three superordinate themes: (1) caregiving roles, (2) caregivers' expectations and hopes, and (3) barriers to employmentof young persons with mental health conditions.
Caregivers strongly believed that employment support services should prioritise and advocate for recovery while securing employment. Local mental health employment support services should incorporate the views and expectations of caregivers of young persons with mental health conditions to foster better coordination between stakeholders, and enhance support for successful employment, reintegration into the community, and ultimately recovery for these individuals.
非专业照料者通常更能理解和倡导有心理健康问题的年轻人的职业需求。然而，在规划职业成果时，他们的意见在很大程度上被忽视了。这项定性研究有两个广泛的目的：（1）探讨照料者对有心理健康问题的成年子女的就业问题的看法，（2）了解他们对就业支持服务的看法和期望。
共进行了 30 次半结构化访谈。照料者的平均年龄为 45 岁，大多数是女性（73%），是华裔（53%）。大多数参与者（60%）是患有精神病障碍（57%）或情感和情绪障碍（如抑郁症或焦虑症）的年轻人的父母（43%）。
对数据的主题分析揭示了三个主要主题：（1）照顾角色，（2）照顾者的期望和希望，以及（3）有心理健康问题的年轻人就业的障碍。
照料者强烈认为，就业支持服务应优先考虑和倡导在确保就业的同时实现康复。当地的心理健康就业支持服务应纳入有心理健康问题的年轻人的照料者的意见和期望，以促进利益相关者之间更好的协调，并加强对这些人成功就业、重新融入社区以及最终康复的支持。
