Evaluating the effectiveness of the Family Connections program for caregivers of youth with mental health challenges, part II: A qualitative analysis

Autor: Natasha Y. Sheikhan, Karen Wang, Tali Boritz, Lisa D. Hawke, Shelley McMain, Joanna Henderson
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Health Expectations, Vol 24, Iss 2, Pp 709-718 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1369-7625
1369-6513
DOI: 10.1111/hex.13220
Popis: Abstract Background The Family Connections™ (FC) program is a 12‐week support and skill‐training program for caregivers of youth with mental health challenges. The intervention was originally developed with a focus on borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is important to understand the experiences of caregivers in such interventions, as well as its applicability beyond BPD, for the purposes of evaluation and ongoing program improvement. Objective To explore and analyse the experiences of caregivers of youth with diverse mental health challenges and who participated in FC. Design Semi‐structured interviews with thirteen FC‐participating caregivers of youth with mental health challenges. Results Thematic analysis uncovered three major themes regarding caregivers' experience with FC: (a) FC increased the caregivers' ability to manage their youth's mental health challenges; (b) participating in FC impacted their intra‐ and interpersonal spheres; and (c) improvements to the program were proposed. Following participation in FC, caregivers felt they learned a new approach to understanding themselves, their youth and mental health, and were better able to manage their youth's mental health challenges. Discussion and conclusion FC is a promising intervention for caregivers of youth with mental health challenges, beyond the traditional BPD focus. The intervention has the potential to provide broad‐based benefits for caregivers and should be considered for implementation and scale‐up across youth‐ and caregiver‐serving organizations. Potential areas of intervention flexibility and improvement are discussed. Patient/public contribution Caregivers were involved in the program development and facilitation of FC. A person with lived experience was involved with the analysis.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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