Premium
Family Members' Perceptions of How They Benefit When Relatives Living with Serious Mental Illness Participate in Clubhouse Community Programs
Author(s) -
PerniceDuca Francesca,
Biegel David E.,
Hess Heather Renee,
Chung ChiaLing,
Chang ChingWen
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
family relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1741-3729
pISSN - 0197-6664
DOI - 10.1111/fare.12127
Subject(s) - mental illness , mental health , psychology , perception , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , independence (probability theory) , psychiatry , statistics , mathematics , neuroscience
Family members provide a significant source of social support to relatives living with a serious mental health disorder, such as schizophrenia. Few public mental health programs offer families a supportive environment where their relatives can develop independence, life skills, and satisfying relationships that are not dependent on the family's involvement. The Clubhouse is one such model. Although family members are not directly involved, they may experience indirect effects from their relative's participation. Family members with relatives involved in Clubhouse ( n = 35) completed an in‐depth semi‐structured interview. Transcripts were analyzed to identify underlying themes. Five primary themes emerged ranging from less burden to greater positive family interaction. Specifically, family members attributed Clubhouses as providing a supportive external community for their loved ones, but also ameliorating negative aspects of family care and improving family interactions. Practical implications for family professionals are discussed.