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Resource‐enhancing psychosocial support in family situations: needs and benefits from family members’ own perspectives
Author(s) -
Tanninen HannaMari,
HäggmanLaitila Arja,
Pietilä AnnaMaija
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05080.x
Subject(s) - psychosocial , mental health , nursing , social support , genogram , intervention (counseling) , resource (disambiguation) , context (archaeology) , family support , psychology , medicine , psychiatry , social psychology , computer network , paleontology , computer science , biology , physical therapy
Title. Resource‐enhancing psychosocial support in family situations: needs and benefits from family members’ own perspectives.Aim. This paper is a report of a study conducted to evaluate a resource‐enhancing family nursing intervention to identify and meet mothers’, fathers’ and children’s psychosocial support needs. Background. Although a family’s resources are a central concept in nursing science, descriptions of the content of the concept and ways to enhance families’ resources are scant. Studies have usually identified the need for support by families with children from the perspective of one family member, most often the mother. Method. A total of 75 family members from 30 families with small children participated in the study in 2004–2005. The data were collected before and after intervention, using structured questionnaires called the Family Situation Barometer. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric Wilcoxon tests were used as statistical methods. Results. Participants’ need for psychosocial support was reduced or alleviated during the family nursing intervention. The mental health of the mothers and fathers improved, as did their marital relationships and emotional lives. Furthermore, their social support networks increased and their employment situation improved. There were also positive changes in the mental health and sleep‐related issues of the children. Conclusion. The resource‐enhancing family nursing proved to be useful in improving the well‐being and health of family members. The Family Situation Barometer proved to be a practical tool in the home context and can supplement the instruments developed earlier in family nursing science. Research into supporting interpersonal and family‐systems nursing remains a future challenge.