The care experience of looking after a spouse/partner with psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Carers’ experiences of looking after a spouse or partner with psychosis. An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis.
IRAS ID
275398
Contact name
Lai Chu (Emma) Man
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
London Metropolitan University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 29 days
Research summary
The model of care of those who suffer from severe and chronic mental health has changed from state care, e.g. state-run psychiatric institutions, to community care, e.g. outpatient/day clinics and home visits for the last 60 years. This shift in care has meant the burden of day to day care largely falls to informal carers, like family or friends. Public health England has said those suffering from Psychosis have the poorest life-long outcomes, e.g. in regard to things like health and work. This has a direct impact on the carers who look after this group of people and they are more likely to experience burnout compared to the normal population. It is estimated the government saves £132 million because of care provided by informal carers, but there is sparse research on carers who are partners or spouses (we shall refer to them as spousal carers). Hopefully this research will be able to add to the understanding of what spousal carer’s experience, when looking after someone with psychosis so it can; a) provide information to services to highlight important areas so services can provide more appropriate and tailored care; b)create more integrated care for a service user, working closely with partners; c) provide a platform for the spousal carer demographic (as they are under studied and under-represented) and; d) inform clinicians or therapists that see spousal carers (as they may have a higher risk of physical and mental health problems). \n\nThe study will be recruiting partners of people caring for a partner with psychosis to take part in this research. Recruitment will be from NHS sites and charity organisations, e.g. carer organisations. The researcher will be conducting an interview with the carer on individual basis face to face or through skype and this will last around 1-1.5 hours.\n
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/YH/0094
Date of REC Opinion
4 May 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion