An exploration of whether mental health nurses practice in accordance with The Family Model (original) (raw)

Predictors and enablers of mental health nurses' family-focused practice

International journal of mental health nursing, 2018

Family-focused practice improves outcomes for families where parents have a mental illness. However, there is limited understanding regarding the factors that predict and enable these practices. This study aimed to identify factors that predict and enable mental health nurses' family-focused practice. A sequential mixed methods design was used. A total of 343 mental health nurses, practicing in 12 mental health services (in acute inpatient and community settings), throughout Ireland completed the Family Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire, measuring family-focused behaviours and other factors that impact family-focused activities. Hierarchical multiple regression identified 14 predictors of family-focused practice. The most important predictors noted were nurses' skill and knowledge, own parenting experience, and work setting (i.e. community). Fourteen nurses, who achieved high scores on the questionnaire, subsequently participated in semistructured interviews to el...

Differences Between Irish and Australian Psychiatric Nurses' Family-Focused Practice in Adult Mental Health Services

Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 2016

Psychiatric nurses' practice with parents who have mental illness, their children and families is an important issue internationally. This study provides a comparison of Irish and Australian psychiatric nurses' family focused practices in adult mental health services. Three hundred and forty three nurses across Ireland and 155 from Australia completed the Family Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire. Crosscountry comparisons revealed significant differences, in terms of family focused skill, knowledge, confidence and practice. Australian psychiatric nurses engaged in higher family focused practice compared to Irish nurses. The comparative differences between countries may be attributable to differences in training, workplace support and policy.

Implementing child-focused family nursing into routine adult psychiatric practice: hindering factors evaluated by nurses

Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2008

Journal of Clinical Nursing 17, 499-508 Implementing child-focused family nursing into routine adult psychiatric practice: hindering factors evaluated by nurses Aims and objectives. The aim of this study is to describe nurses' evaluations of factors that are hindering implementation of child-focused family nursing (CF-FN) into adult psychiatric practice. In addition, it explains the nurses' evaluations of the hindering factors related to the hospital organizational structure, the individual nurse, nursing and family. Background. There is an increasing amount of families with dependent children in adult psychiatry. Although these families have long-term benefits from preventive family interventions, implementation of CF-FN is not routine mental health practice. Design and methods. Data were collected via a questionnaire-survey completed by Registered Psychiatric Nurses (n ¼ 223) and practical Mental Health Nurses (n ¼ 88) from 45 adult psychiatric units in five Finnish university hospitals. The response rate was 51%. Results. Family-related factors, such as families' fears and lack of time, were considered as 'most hindering' to CF-FN. Nurses who used a family-centred approach and had further family education considered most of the factors as 'less hindering' in comparison to other nurses. Conclusion. To meet the needs of the families in mental health services, it is essential to develop nursing intervention methods such as CF-FN. There is a need for further education and use of family-centred care to develop this preventive approach. Relevance to clinical practice. The results of this study could be considered when developing mental health services and family interventions for families with parental mental illness.

Family-focused practice in mental health care: an integrative review

Child & Youth Services, 2015

Family-focused practice in mental health care: an integrative review Highlights  In mental health services, family-focused practice is poorly defined concept  An integrative review was conducted to synthesize evidence in this area  Six core and interrelated family-focused practices were identified  Family as defined by its members provides a basis for "whole of family" care

A Family-Focused Intervention for Parental Mental Illness: A Practitioner Perspective

Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2021

Background: Parental mental illness (PMI) is common and can lead to children developing mental disorders. Family Talk (FT) is a well-known and widely implemented intervention designed to reduce the risk of transgenerational psychopathology. However, given the research to practise "gap," very little qualitative research, to date, has investigated practitioner experiences in implementing FT. This study aimed to explore the practitioner-perceived barriers and facilitators to the implementation and sustainability of FT within mainstream mental health settings. Methods: This qualitative study was nested within a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of Family Talk [N = 86 families (139 parents, 221 children)] within 15 adult (AMHS), child (CAMHS), primary care mental health, and child protection sites in Ireland. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were undertaken with a purposive sample of clinicians (n = 31) and managers (n = 10), based on their experiences of implementing FT. Interview data were transcribed verbatim, analysed using constructivist grounded theory, and informed by Fixsen's implementation science framework. Results: Service providers highlighted a number of benefits for approximately two thirds of families across different diagnoses and mental health settings (AMHS/CAMHS/primary care). Sites varied in their capacity to embed FT, with key enablers identified as acquiring managerial and organisational support, building clinician skill, and establishing interagency collaboration. Implementation challenges included: recruitment difficulties, stresses in working with multiply-disadvantaged families, disruption in delivery due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, and sustainability concerns (e.g., perceived fit of FT with organisational remit/capacity, systemic and cultural barriers to change). Conclusion: This study is only the second qualitative study ever conducted to explore practitioner experiences in implementing FT, and the first conducted within the context of an RCT and national research programme to introduce family-focused practise (FFP) for families living with PMI. The findings illuminate the successes and complexities of implementing FFP in a country without a "think family" infrastructure, whilst highlighting a number of important generalisable lessons for the implementation of FT, and other similar interventions, elsewhere.

Working with Families Affected by Mental Distress: Stakeholders' Perceptions of Mental Health Nurses Educational Needs

Issues in mental health nursing, 2017

Family and informal caregivers provide a substantial amount of care and support to people who experience mental health problems. The aim of this study was to explore mental health nurses', students' and service users' perceptions of the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required by mental health nurses to work with families and carers using a qualitative methodology. Three themes emerged from the data: Knowledge of the family and how mental distress affects the family; working with the family - support and education; and valuing the role of the family. The three themes demonstrate the complexity of preparing mental health nurses to work with families and carers, and the article offers recommendations about how this might be achieved.

The Family-Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire

Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 2012

The central aim of this survey is to determine training needs and interests regarding family focused mental health practices. The survey focuses upon mental health worker skill and knowledge, workplace policies and procedures, time, workload and location problems, opportunities for professional development and engagement and confidence issues in relation to working with parents with a mental illness, their families and children. Questions also focus on the capacity and interest that workers have to work with families and children of parent-consumers. If you decide to participate, the survey will take between 10 and 20 minutes to complete. We are interested in your honest feedback about your activities and your organisation. There is no right or wrong answers. For each question below please circle the answer (number) that best corresponds with your experience. Please note that the term 'family work' is used generally to describe the process of working with children and families and with mental health consumers about parenting issues. Use the following scale as a guide to answer.