Home Treatment as an Alternative to Hospital Admission for Mothers in a Mental Health Crisis: A Qualitative Study

Hills

Int J Mental Health Nurs

2017

Hospitalisation of a parent with acute mental health problems impacts the consumer, their extended family/carers and children. Mental health nurses are at the forefront of promoting recovery for consumers in an acute inpatient setting. Recovery-oriented care can include provision of family-focused care which supports recovery of the parent-consumer and their family members and contributes to prevention of intergenerational mental illness. The aim of this narrative literature review was to explore existing knowledge regarding the experiences, care and support needs of parent-consumers, their family members/carers and children during the parent's acute mental health hospitalisation. It also aims to explore existing knowledge about the practices of mental health nurses providing care to this consumer group, to inform future healthcare practice and strengthen parent, child and family outcomes. Nineteen published studies addressed the review questions. In the context of hospitalisation, the majority of research regarding parenting with a mental illness is focused on mothers. Parents reported experiencing stigma during their hospitalisation. Separation from children was a concern for parents and their extended family, but admission provided an opportunity for the parent to receive treatment and for the family to receive support. Mental health nurses did not always identify parental status on admission. When parental status was identified, nurses reported issues regarding logistics and practicalities of using family rooms, children visiting the unit, and their own professional knowledge and organisational support regarding familyfocused care. Implications for practice are identified, highlighting how mental health nurses can develop their practice to support the recovery of parent-consumers.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In a UK study (Khalifeh et al . ), most mothers expressed a preference for home‐based treatment, rather than hospitalization.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Addressing the support needs of families during the acute hospitalization of a parent with mental illness: A narrative literature review

Hills

Int J Mental Health Nurs

2017

Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs

“…One of the most pervasive factors affecting parents' access to and participation in mental health services is the stigma accompanying mental illness (Khalifeh et al . , Montgomery et al . ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Worker, workplace or families: What influences family focused practices in adult mental health?

Maybery

Goodyear

Reupert

et al. 2016

Accessible summaryWhat is known on the subject?• Family focused practice leads to positive outcomes for parents and children.• There are barriers and enablers for practitioners being family focused.What this paper adds to existing knowledge?• Worker skill, knowledge and confidence about family work are the most important factors associated with family focused practices.What are the implications for practice?• Mental health nurses require specific skill training in family focused practices, time to engage with clients on parenting issues and that there are adequate services to refer family members to. AbstractIntroduction: Family focused practice is thought to lead to positive outcomes for all family members. However, there are multiple barriers and enablers in adult mental health services to practitioners undertaking these actions. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the relative importance of worker, workforce and family factors to predict family focused practices (FFPs) in adult mental health services. Method: Three hundred and seven adult mental health workers completed a 45 items family focused practice measure of 16 family focused practices. Thesis: It was found that worker skill and knowledge about family work and an ability to assess the degree of parental insight into the child's connections to other family members and the community were important predictors of FFP, along with the closely related-worker confidence. While aspects of the worker, workplace and family each contribute to FFPs, this study highlighted the importance of worker skill, knowledge and confidence as central issues for adult mental health workers. Implications for practice: Study implications include the need for training in specific FFPs, the provision of time to engage with clients on parenting issues and the need 5 to ensure that there are adequate services for workers to refer family members to.

Families with Parental Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Narrative Review of Family‐Focused Practice

et al. 2021

The mental health problems of parents can negatively affect their whole family. The organisational and wider context may also influence the outcomes for all involved. The aims of this systematic review were: to develop a working definition of family‐focused practice (FFP); identify the types of outcomes that are measured with a focus on service user experiences; and explore how well interventions in the included studies fit with previously established components of FFP. A comprehensive literature search of 16 databases was conducted for peer‐reviewed, primary research studies related to FFP published between 1998 and 2016. In total, 3731 articles were identified and screened by four reviewers. Of those, 40 articles met all of the inclusion criteria. The review focused on family outcomes and, consistent with previous reviews, there was a reasonable degree of consistency about the core components of FFP. An additional component, identified by this review, which was part of some interventions, was work to improve access to and engagement with community supports and services. The review concludes that there is a need for: an agreed definition of FFP; clearer links to relevant theories; a more consistent approach to measuring outcomes, including economic perspectives; and an increased strategic promotion of whole family approaches.Key Practitioner Messages There is an immediate need for an agreed definition of family‐focused practice. Relevant theory could further clarify the theories of change and anticipated outcomes. There is consistency across studies about the key components of family‐focused practice. This review suggests the inclusion of an additional component, which is practice that improves access to and engagement with community supports and services. Economic evaluations of family‐focused practice are needed. ‘There is an immediate need for an agreed definition of family‐focused practice’