Following an experience of mental health problems (e.g., psychosis) individuals go through a process of trying to understand what this experience means for their current and future self (Birchwood, Mason & MacMillan, 1993).... [ view full abstract ]
Following an experience of mental health problems (e.g., psychosis) individuals go through a process of trying to understand what this experience means for their current and future self (Birchwood, Mason & MacMillan, 1993). This can result in the formation of negative beliefs (e.g., I will never get a job) which have been associated with distress (Acosta, Aguilar, Cejas, & Gracia, 2013). In addition, for some people, experiences like psychosis might affect the goals that matter to them, in that they may appear less achievable. Research indicates that hope and goal setting are important factors in recovery from psychosis, as identified by service users (Law & Morrison, 2014).
The beliefs an individual forms about the personal meaning of their mental health experience will depend on their social context and cultural background, with ideas about mental health held by family being likely to impact on those held by the individual. Given this, and also the importance of hope and goal setting, it would be important to explore how psychosis influences the aspirations parental carers have for their child’s future as this may present opportunities for working with parental carers.
The current study aims to explore parental carers experience of caring for a young person with psychosis in terms of the impact this has on the hopes, goals and expectations the carer holds for their child. A total of nine parental caregivers of individuals being supported an early intervention service in the North West of England will be interviewed using semi-structured interview. The transcripts will be analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 1996). The results of this analysis will be presented in this talk. Preliminary analysis indicates that parental carers are optimistic about their child’s future, in spite of the challenges presented by their experiences of psychosis.
Therapeutic relationships , Early intervention , Other family work
