Social Networks of Mental Health Service Users
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Examination of the Social Networks of Service Users with Long Term Mental Health Needs in England, Hong Kong and Australia
IRAS ID
219282
Contact name
Douglas L MacInnes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church Univeristy
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 28 days
Research summary
Background
For people with long term mental health problems, good social networks are associated with fewer in-patient admissions, less mental distress and a greater chance of recovery. The longer someone has a serious mental health problem, the smaller that person’s social network. However, there is ambiguity as to what comprises a “good” social network. The association between the number of people involved in a mental health service user’s social network and how this affects their well-being is unclear. This is also the case when examining the characteristics of the social network and the types of support the user receives. There is little information as to the consistency of social networks across different health services and countries. There is also no information about how the use of social media affects social networks.
Objectives
The primary objective is to describe the social networks of people with long-term mental health problems living in the community.
The secondary objectives are to examine:
• The levels of emotional and practical support offered by these networks.
• Any differences in the social networks structures of the participants in three different countries.
• The association between the characteristics of social networks and wellbeing in the three participating countries.
Design
A mixed methods approach will be used based on the assumption that collecting diverse types of data best provides an understanding of a research problem. It is proposed to recruit 30 people aged 18-65 from three countries; Australia, England and Hong Kong (90 service users in all). Information about each participant’s social network will be collected using questionnaires and a semi-structured interview at one time point. Specialist social network analysis software will examine the size, composition and structure of each participant’s social network. Statistical tests will also examine the relationship between social network data and mental wellbeing. Thematic analysis will be used to examine the qualitative data.REC name
London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0394
Date of REC Opinion
18 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion