Effectiveness of Nurse-Provided Social Support versus Social Support for Parents of Children with Mental Illness Essay

Effectiveness of Nurse-Provided Social Support versus Social Support for Parents of Children with Mental Illness

When a child has a mental health disorder, it can influence other family members, including parents’ social and psychological well-being. Nursing practitioners are known for their holistic care and procedures that focus on the entire family. Nurses should directly interact with patients and their families (Vives-Espelta et al., 2022). According to the American Psychiatric Association (2018), mental diseases are connected with distress and/or difficulties functioning in social, work, or family activities. Leonard et al. (2020) showed that nurses see moms as the primary carers for children with mental illnesses. They saw fathers’ demands as secondary. This is connected to the subjective interpretation of the family notion as well as stereotyped views about gender roles. Furthermore, several nurses did not see their responsibility as including assistance for dads or mothers’ partners. Therefore, increasing the pressure of raising mentally ill children falls more on the mothers. Again, the needs of children were emphasized over those of parents (Ordan et al. 2018).

A study by Grant et al. (2019) shows parents’ distress was caused by both the child’s conduct and their interpretations of those behaviors. When parents are overwhelmed, they have more trouble managing their child’s conduct, have heightened anxiety or other emotional disturbances, and may experience health problems such as stomach upsets or migraines. This increase in stress is significant since studies have shown that stress is a factor in establishing and managing emotional/behavioral difficulties in children. The study has stressed the significance of supporting the whole family unit in a family with a child’s mental disorder because the child’s issues influence the entire family (Grant et al., 2019).

Nurses can give emotional support to parents suffering from mental illnesses by listening to their worries and expressing understanding. Nurses can also provide appraisal support by praising, affirming, or criticizing. The nurse should also encourage the parents to talk since communication exchanges can help them cope with challenges and pressures in their lives (Vives-Espelta et al., 2022). This allows parents to discuss some of the stresses and worries of raising a unique kid with the nurse. The nurses supply not only a listening ear but also the support and validation that these parents are required to continue to parent their special needs children. 

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2018). What is Mental Illness? Accessed from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness

Grant, A., Reupert, A., Maybery, D., & Goodyear, M. (2019). Predictors and enablers of mental health nurses’ family-focused practice. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 28(1), 140–151. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12503

Leonard, R., Linden, M., & Grant, A. (2020). Predictors of family focused practice among health visitors: A mixed methods study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(5), 1255–1265. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14310

Ordan, R., Shor, R., Liebergall-Wischnitzer, M., Noble, L., & Noble, A. (2018). Nurses’ professional stigma and attitudes towards postpartum women with severe mental illness. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(7–8), 1543–1551. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14179

Vives-Espelta, J., Burjalés-Martí, M.-D., & Ferré-Grau, C. (2022). Nurses’ views and practices on parental mental illness: An integrative review. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 31(1), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12937