ABSTRACT
The purpose of this triangulated study was to understand parents' experience of help-seeking in response to their child's first episode of schizophrenia. Twenty participants completed questionnaires related to stigma, parental caregiver burden, uncertainty in illness and help-seeking. Findings indicated: (1) as stigmatized attitudes towards mental illness and feelings of ambiguity increased, so did burden; (2) as parental education increased, uncertainty regarding their child's illness decreased; (3) as the number of symptoms causing distress increased so did burden and lack of clarity regarding their child's illness. A significant amount of time passed before parents were able to access help. No relationships were found between indicators of parental help-seeking and the study variables. A subset of five participants described their help-seeking experience. Three overarching themes emerged: (1) Evolving change: What does it mean? (2) Continuous help-seeking, and (3) The help-seeking experience: Impact on parents.
Subject(s)
Caregivers/psychology , Parents/psychology , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/psychology , Schizophrenia/therapy , Adaptation, Psychological , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Caregivers/education , Cost of Illness , Educational Status , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nursing Methodology Research , Parents/education , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data , Stereotyping , Surveys and Questionnaires , Time FactorsABSTRACT
TOPIC: The loss and reconstruction of self in patients with a chronic mental illness. PURPOSE: To describe the loss of self and its reconstruction. SOURCES: The authors' own clinical work and review of the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses can help patients who have undergone a loss of self to discover a more active sense of self, take stock of the self, put the self into action, and use the enhanced self as a refuge. This process involves the fostering of hope.
