A comparison of two types of social support for mothers of mentally ill children.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this analysis was to compare social support offered by two telehealth nursing interventions for mothers of children with serious mental illnesses.


METHODS
A randomized, controlled, quantitative investigation is underway to test two support interventions, using the telephone (TSS) or Internet (WEB). Qualitative description was used to analyze data generated during telehealth interventions.


RESULTS
The behaviors and attitudes of children were challenging for the mothers to manage. Mothers' emotional reactions included fear, frustration, concern, and guilt. They sought to be advocates for their children. The nurses provided emotional, informational, and appraisal support. TSS mothers were passive recipients, while WEB mothers had to choose to participate.


CONCLUSIONS
Mothers in both interventions shared similar concerns and sought support related to their child's problems.
Scharer
Kathleen
K
College of Nursing, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA. kmschar@mailbox.sc.edu
Colon
Eileen
E
Moneyham
Linda
L
Hussey
Jim
J
Tavakoli
Abbas
A
Shugart
Margaret
M
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004493:Education; D004644:Emotions; D005196:Family Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011340:Problem Solving; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012424:Rural Population; D012944:Social Support; D013689:Telephone