Understanding the experiences of family, friends and carers attending Recovery Colleges: focus group study.

IF 3.9 3区 医学 Q1 PSYCHIATRY
BJPsych Open Pub Date : 2025-03-11 DOI:10.1192/bjo.2024.852
Bryher Bowness, Sarah Bicknell, Lana Samuels, Yasma Osman, Vanessa Kellermann, Claire Henderson, Vanessa Lawrence
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Abstract

Background: Family and friends (family carers) provide substantial support to those with mental ill health, often affecting their own well-being. Subsequently, family carers have their own recovery journeys. Research highlights numerous benefits of attending Recovery Colleges, but whether these apply for family carers remains unexplored.

Aims: We aimed to explore family carers' experiences of attending Recovery Colleges across England, to understand current provision and how this might better include and support family carers.

Method: Together with lived experience researchers, this qualitative focus group study used collaborative thematic analysis of online focus groups and interviews with family carers and Recovery College staff from across England.

Results: We generated six superordinate themes: 'The "carer" identity is not clearcut', 'Recovery ethos applies to family carers too', 'Power of lived experience', 'Educational focus is appealing', 'Family carers deserve recognition and provision' and 'Reaching out and fitting around family carers'. Attending Recovery Colleges developed family carers understandings and gave them skills to navigate services and support themselves and others, which furthered their own recovery journeys. Shared learning spaces were helpful, but participants felt these were not always oriented to include family carers. Our findings revealed ways Recovery Colleges could increase their relevance and accessibility to family carers.

Conclusions: The unique characteristics of Recovery Colleges suited the recovery needs of family carers. However, more resources are needed to develop this potential and reach more family carers. Family carer co-researchers enriched our findings, and discussions with the Recovery College community furthered our recommendations for practice.

了解参加康复学院的家庭、朋友和照顾者的经历:焦点小组研究。
背景:家人和朋友(家庭照顾者)为精神疾病患者提供大量支持,往往影响到他们自己的福祉。随后,家庭照顾者有他们自己的康复之旅。研究强调了参加康复学院的许多好处,但这些是否适用于家庭照顾者仍未得到探索。目的:我们的目的是探索家庭照顾者在英国各地参加康复学院的经历,了解目前的规定,以及如何更好地包括和支持家庭照顾者。方法:与生活经验研究人员一起,对在线焦点小组进行了定性焦点小组研究,并对来自英格兰各地的家庭护理人员和康复学院工作人员进行了访谈。结果:我们产生了六个优先主题:“照顾者”身份不明确”、“康复精神也适用于家庭照顾者”、“生活经验的力量”、“教育重点很有吸引力”、“家庭照顾者值得认可和提供”和“接触和适应家庭照顾者”。参加康复学院培养了对家庭照顾者的理解,并赋予了他们驾驭服务、支持自己和他人的技能,这进一步推动了他们自己的康复之旅。共享学习空间是有帮助的,但参与者认为这些空间并不总是面向家庭照顾者。我们的研究结果揭示了康复学院可以提高其与家庭照顾者的相关性和可及性的方法。结论:康复学院独具特色,适合家庭照顾者的康复需求。然而,需要更多的资源来开发这一潜力并接触到更多的家庭照顾者。家庭照顾者共同研究人员丰富了我们的发现,与康复学院社区的讨论进一步促进了我们的实践建议。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
BJPsych Open
BJPsych Open Medicine-Psychiatry and Mental Health
CiteScore
6.30
自引率
3.70%
发文量
610
审稿时长
16 weeks
期刊介绍: Announcing the launch of BJPsych Open, an exciting new open access online journal for the publication of all methodologically sound research in all fields of psychiatry and disciplines related to mental health. BJPsych Open will maintain the highest scientific, peer review, and ethical standards of the BJPsych, ensure rapid publication for authors whilst sharing research with no cost to the reader in the spirit of maximising dissemination and public engagement. Cascade submission from BJPsych to BJPsych Open is a new option for authors whose first priority is rapid online publication with the prestigious BJPsych brand. Authors will also retain copyright to their works under a creative commons license.
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