Family caregiver involvement in forensic mental health care – A qualitative study of healthcare professionals' perceptions

This qualitative study aims to explore healthcare professionals' (HCPs) perceptions of facilitators and barriers in their collaboration with family caregivers in forensic mental health care (FMHC). A thematic analysis resulted in two interrelated themes: (1): Organizational constraints, with subthemes Resource-driven time and staffing constraints, Duty of confidentiality, and External substance use treatment, and (2) Collaboration with family caregivers, with subthemes Alliance in collaboration, and Overinvolvement. The findings show that HCPs prefer family caregivers to support care and treatment, reflecting a unilateral direction of support.

Relevance statement

Family caregivers of service users in forensic mental health care settings are burdened by the service user's mental illness, offense(s) and difficult collaboration with health care professionals, including nurses. However, the involvement and support of family caregivers in mental healthcare is a national and international objective in policy papers and guidelines because it has been documented to foster the recovery process of service users. Healthcare professionals' perceptions regarding facilitators and barriers in relation to the involvement of family caregivers in the care and treatment of the service user, is needed for the healthcare professionals for optimal support of the service user and family caregivers.