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Alone together: A grounded theory study of experienced burden, coping, and support needs of spouses of persons with a bipolar disorder
Author(s) -
Van Der Voort Trijntje Y. G.,
Goossens Peter J. J.,
Van Der Bijl Jaap J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of mental health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.911
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1447-0349
pISSN - 1445-8330
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0349.2009.00634.x
Subject(s) - grounded theory , bipolar disorder , coping (psychology) , psychology , spouse , social support , psychiatry , clinical psychology , psychotherapist , qualitative research , cognition , social science , sociology , anthropology
Bipolar disorder is a chronic and severe mental disorder. Little is known about the experiences of the spouses of such patients. A grounded theory study was undertaken to examine the burden for spouses living with a partner with a bipolar disorder and to explore how they cope and what support they need. Fifteen spouses and ex‐spouses were interviewed; they experienced heavy burden and found themselves to be ‘alone together.’ Their coping process is found to involve appraisal of the situation and attempts to achieve a balance between self‐effacement and self‐fulfilment. While support can clearly reduce experienced burden, the spouses surprisingly receive virtually no professional support. A theory is developed that constitutes a starting point for the development of adequate support for spouses.