Suchergebnisse

AbstractMany women who experience mental illness are mothers. Evidence suggests that the role of mother is of great importance and value to these women, yet they are more likely than other women to have their children removed from their care. Little is known about the experiences of these mothers after their children are removed. This paper presents a phenomenological analysis of in‐depth interviews with 8 women to answer the following question: How do mothers living with severe mental illness experience mothering after removal of their children by child protection services? The analysis showed that mothering continued to be a major life role for these women, but the way they enacted this role was transformed. Their mothering was now constrained and prescribed by external agents, likened to Greek gods, which imposed both boundaries to what they could do and an obligation to prove themselves worthy. Like Greek gods, these external agents were seen as all powerful, unpredictable, and flawed. The study highlights the need for child protection services and support services to recognize and support noncustodial mothering activities.

AbstractInternational research indicates that delayed discharges from inpatient mental health units are common and most occur because patients lack suitable housing. However, little is known about this issue in an Australian setting. This mixed‐methods study aimed to investigate the extent, cost and contributors to housing‐related delayed discharge (HRDD) from inpatient mental health units in one Local Health District in New South Wales, Australia. A medical records review was conducted to quantify housing‐related delay and housing difficulties noted. Perceptions of discharge staff about the factors contributing to the delays were gathered through in‐depth interviews and analysed using constant comparative analysis. Findings indicated that HRDD for working aged adults accounted for 11.6% of total mental health bed days in 2018, costing the health system $4,054,149. When extrapolated nationally HRDD could cost Australia $269.5 million per year. While individual characteristics and contexts were thought to make some patients more vulnerable, data indicated that the major contributors were lack of housing options, lack of services, difficulty with funding and lack of clear pathways to achieve housing. The findings highlight the urgent need for additional housing for people with mental health issues and a whole of government approach to addressing the substantial issue of housing‐related delayed discharge.

AbstractSecure and appropriate housing is critical for the well‐being of people living with mental illness (consumers). Yet it is often difficult to achieve. Housing assistance is available, but is often difficult for consumers to access and negotiate. While the need for support is well‐recognised, little is known about the active part consumers play in finding and keeping appropriate accommodation. This paper addresses the research question: How do consumers who use housing assistance actively manage their housing situations? In‐depth interviews were conducted with 18 consumers who had used housing assistance within the past five years. These were analysed using constant comparative analysis, based on a grounded theory approach. Participants engaged in a range of activities to address six major concerns: working toward my home; following the rules to keep what I have; managing and improving my accommodation; working with housing services; living within my current situation; and finding and using supports. All participants described times when their mental health negatively affected their ability to do these activities. The findings highlight the need for housing services and mental health services to collaborate to develop policies and protocols that place reasonable demands on consumers and support their abilities to actively manage their housing situations.

Employment is a crucial avenue through which young people with disability can experience material wellbeing and social participation. While the low employment rates of young people with disability are well established, little is known about the stability of employment status – that is, the degree to which individuals remain in or move in and out of employment. This article uses longitudinal data from a large Australian national data set to investigate the transitions between full‐time, part‐time and non‐employment for young people with and without disability. Considerable mobility was found between employment states for both young people with and without disability, with young people with disability more likely than their peers without disability to transition to reduced levels of employment and less likely to transition to increased levels of employment. Social background and contextual factors predicted employment for young people with disability; however, disability represented an additional penalty even after taking these factors into account. Findings suggest a need for social policy targeted specifically towards the barriers to maintaining and increasing employment experienced by young people with disability.

Background Increasing emphasis is being given to carrying out parent education programmes at home with widely reported benefits. The purpose of this paper is to draw lessons for practitioners from implementing a randomized trial of a home‐based parent education programme for parents with intellectual disabilities that addressed child health and safety issues.Methods A thematic analysis of case notes and parent feedback from the 45 parent participants in this programme was conducted prior to two team sessions to discuss the findings.Results Programme‐specific issues included format, content and presentation style. Themes relevant to home‐based programmes for parents with intellectual disabilities more generally included the suitability of the home as a learning environment; identifying parent priorities; parent readiness to learn; and parent control (or lack of) over the home environment. In addition, practice points for parent educators were identified.Conclusions The home environment benefits both teaching and learning, however, as this paper highlights careful consideration needs to be given to each parent‐learner's home situation. We recommend that in future the processes involved in home‐based programmes be reported alongside programme outcomes.