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‘It’s been really, really hard’: a qualitative study of the health problems of people receiving emergency relief in Australia
Author(s) -
Frederick John,
Goddard Chris
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
health and social care in the community
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.984
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1365-2524
pISSN - 0966-0410
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2524.2009.00860.x
Subject(s) - neglect , mental health , qualitative research , exploratory research , poverty , emergency relief , sample (material) , coding (social sciences) , medicine , emergency management , psychology , nursing , psychiatry , sociology , political science , social science , chemistry , chromatography , law
The aim of the research reported in this paper was to explore the perspectives and insights of emergency relief recipients in relation to their complex health problems, which had contributed to their position of needing to seek emergency relief. The sample consisted of 20 adults aged between 19 and 51 years who had received emergency relief in a regional city in Victoria, Australia. Non‐probability sampling was used, employing the convenience sampling procedure. A qualitative, exploratory research approach utilising in‐depth interviews was selected to obtain data from the respondents. The method of data analysis used involved open, axial and selective coding. The main findings were that the participants experienced abuse and neglect in childhood, the effects of mental health problems, going without food, lack of access to and the high cost of health care, and the interactive aspects of health problems and poverty. Implications for policy and service delivery are outlined.