The mental health and wellbeing of families in Ireland: the experiences, needs and support use of individuals with and without relatives affected by mental health problems

Anna Connolly

Trinity College Dublin

Anna Connolly is a Psychology student at Trinity College Dublin, currently in her final year of an undergraduate degree. Her interests cover a large range of psychological topics with particular enthusiasm for developmental psychology. Earlier in the year, she was a co-recipient of the Ray Fuller Prize in Psychology for receiving the highest mark in the group project assessment. Anna is also a research assistant at the Infant and Child Research Centre at Trinity College where she is in the process of conducting her final year project, focusing on the impact of child temperament on fathers’ control behaviour.

Natalia Duda

Trinity College Dublin

Natalia Duda is a final year undergraduate student of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin. She is interested in a wide variety of psychological topics, including psychological disorders, psychotherapy, clinical and experimental neuropsychology, perception and cross-modal cognition. She is particularly interested in the emerging field of Neuropsychoanalysis, which aims to combine insights from psychoanalysis and neuroscience to understand the human mind and how it relates to the first-person experience. She has also undergone training in art therapy, and has worked as a research assistant for the Multisensory Cognition Research Group at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience.Her academic achievements include the Ray Fuller Award, awarded by the Trinity College Dublin School of Psychology for achieving the highest grade in the Junior Sophister group research project. Her current final year research project is an investigation of the intrinsic value of self-disclosure.

Corina Chitic

Trinity College Dublin

Corina Chitic is a final year undergraduate Psychology student at Trinity College Dublin. Her research interests center on a variety of topics in the realm of psychology. In particular, she in interested in health psychology, affective disorders, and mental health and well-being in adults. She has been awarded the Ray Fuller Award by the Trinity College Dublin School of Psychology for her group research project, which achieved the highest grade in the Junior Sophister year. She is currently focusing on her final year research project, which will investigate the role of mindsets in determining performance under stress.

Caroline Gaughan

Trinity College Dublin

Caroline Gaughan is a fourth year undergraduate student in Psychology at Trinity College Dublin. She has an interest in a broad range of psychological topics, including psychological disorders, clinical case formulations in adult mental health, and preclinical and clinical models of neuropsychiatric disorders. More specifically, she is interested in the effects of mental health difficulties on the individual and also on their family members. She won the Ray Fuller Prize in third year as part of a group studying the mental health and general wellbeing of people who have a relative with mental health difficulties. She is currently working on her final year project which is a qualitative study that aims to explore the life experiences of adult children who have a parent with depression.

Sarah Ledden

Trinity College Dublin

Sarah Ledden is a final year student in the School of Psychology in Trinity College Dublin. Her research interests include mental health and well-being, mental health literacy and adolescent psychology. Her academic achievements include the Ray Fuller Award, awarded by the Trinity College Dublin School of Psychology for achieving the highest class grade in the Junior Sophister group research project. Her current final year research project will examine the effects of mental health education and personal experience with mental health difficulties on mental health literacy.

Abstract

Background: Research since the 1950s has recognized that the mental health difficulties of an individual impact the family as a whole. Despite the high prevalence of mental illness in Ireland, research on this topic is lacking.

Aim and objectives: The current study sought to explore the mental health and wellbeing, experiences, needs and support use of individuals with relatives affected by mental health difficulties in Ireland.

Method: Following ethical approval from the authors' institution, a survey was issued to the general public exploring the impact of an individual's mental health problems on other members of the family. 126 participants (87 female; 39 male) aged 18 to 55 identified themselves as relatives or non-relatives of an individual affected by mental health problems. Participants completed the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI), Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) and five open-ended questions regarding actual or perceived experiences, needs and support use. Mixed methods were used to analyse the results. A one-way between-groups ANOVA was conducted on the PGWBI and SF-36. Thematic analysis was conducted on the open-ended responses.

Findings: Statistically significant differences in psychological health and general wellbeing were found between relatives and non-relatives of individuals with mental health problems. Relatives had lower PGWBI scores, and this difference was significant at the p<0.005 level. Furthermore, relatives had significantly lower levels of General Health and Emotional Wellbeing as measured by the SF-36. The themes identified from the survey responses were Daily Demands and Responsibilities, Personal Affect, Impact on Family Relationships, Awareness and Understanding of Mental illness, and Support Use. The majority of individuals felt personally affected by their relative's condition and indicated the need for support. However, many individuals did not avail of support services.

Conclusions and Implications: The mental health difficulties of an individual have profound consequences on the health and wellbeing of other family members. The current findings provide a preliminary foundation which can be built upon by further research. Increased education and awareness of the needs and experiences of family members are identified and explored as implications for policy and practice. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Authors

Anna Connolly (Trinity College Dublin)
Natalia Duda (Trinity College Dublin)
Corina Chitic (Trinity College Dublin)
Caroline Gaughan (Trinity College Dublin)
Jonathan Fry (Trinity College Dublin)
Sarah Ledden (Trinity College Dublin)

Topic Area

Mental Health

Session

PP-WT » Posters: Wednesday and Thursday (13:30 - Wednesday, 4th November, Outside Seminar Room 1.10)

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