Black Carers’ Professional Help-Seeking for Psychosis v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Black African and Black Caribbean Carers’ Experiences of Professional Help-Seeking for First Episode of Psychosis
IRAS ID
359496
Contact name
Chloe Orme
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Essex
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 25 days
Research summary
The study aims to understand the experiences of Black African and Caribbean carers during professional help-seeking when their loved one was experiencing a First Episode of Psychosis (FEP). There are two objectives: 1) to understand what aided this process, and 2) to understand the barriers and challenges that carers faced. It also aims to understand what can be changed to improve this process for people from this ethnic background. The objective is to explore recommendations from carers to improve the help-seeking process. Their experiences are important to understand, as carers are integral to the process of people experiencing an FEP being able to access prompt assessment and treatment. Additionally, people from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds show a higher risk of experiencing an FEP and poorer treatment outcomes. No study in the UK has exclusively investigated the experiences of help-seeking for FEP amongst carers from this ethnic background.
A minimum of fifteen participants will be recruited from Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) teams within North and Mid-Essex. They will be eligible if they are aged 18 and over, identify as Black Caribbean, Black African or both, and actively supported someone when they first entered the team. Carers whose loved ones are currently engaging in crisis intervention or are detained in hospital will be excluded, as this likely will be a distressing time for them, and the interviews may worsen this.
Participants will be invited for a 60-90 minute one-on-one interview at their nearest EIP base or virtually, depending on their preference. The interviews will be semi-structured and explore their experience of help-seeking in the community and with professionals, and what that process was like for them. They will also be asked how their culture influenced the process. The interview will be analysed using a reflective Thematic Analysis.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NW/0373
Date of REC Opinion
24 Feb 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion