Social support: The experience of social support by acute-care psychiatric in-patients

This is an exploratory-descriptive study which assesses the social support experienced by acute-care, uncertified psychiatric in-patients. A focus group of in-patients was formed in a provincial psychiatric hospital. The group was co-facilitated by the researcher and a research assistant. The purpose of the focus group was to generate questions which were then used to create a questionnaire about social support. The focus group-generated questionnaire, along with the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire, was given to 13 other acute-care in-patients at the same hospital. The data were coded and analyzed. By exploring the in-patients' experience of social support, this research project gives preliminary evidence that the respondents perceived that social support is lacking in the hospital. Based on the reported experience of the respondents, recommendations may point to a need for caregivers to have a particular sensitivity to the benefits of ensuring some autonomy for the in-patient. As well, the respondents highlighted issues of shame which they experience in the hospital setting.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Social Work (MSW)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Social Work

Year dc:date

1994

Author dc:creator

• Van Katwyk, Patricia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dennis Miehls

• Psychiatric and Mental Health

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/152

OAI record oai:identifier

https://scholars.wlu.ca/do/oai/?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_etdms&identifier=oai%3Ascholars.wlu.ca%3Aetd-1151