Nurses' dilemmas concerning support of relatives in mental health care.
Relatives of persons with severe mental illness face a straining life situation and need support. Exclusion of relatives in mental health care has long been reported. The aim of this study was to describe conceptions of nurses in mental health care about supporting relatives of persons with severe mental illness. Focus group interviews with nurses from all levels of mental health care in Norway were performed. A phenomenographic approach was used. The nurses found that their responsibility first and foremost was the patient, especially to develop an alliance with him or her. Additional premises for supporting relatives were the context framing the nursing care, aspects of the actors, and relational concerns between them. Competing or contradictory demands were found within these premises. Two paths were identified concerning the nurses' support of relatives: seeing the relative in the shadow of the patient or as an individual person.
Department of Research and Development, Division of Mental Health Services, Akershus University Hospital, Lorenskog, Norway. bente.weimand@ahus.no
Bente M
BM
Weimand
Christina
C
Sällström
Marie-Louise
ML
Hall-Lord
Birgitta
B
Hedelin
D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000941:ethics* / Q000523:psychology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000941:ethics* / Q000379:methods; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D017132:Workplace / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology
Focus group interviews; mental health nursing; moral distress; phenomenography; relatives of persons with severe mental illness; support