Health visitors family focused practice
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A multi-perspective exploration of health visitors’ family focused practice with families impacted by maternal mental illness in Northern Ireland.
IRAS ID
224323
Contact name
Rachel Leonard
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 28 days
Research summary
Research Summary
Maternal mental illness is a major public health issue. Increasingly, policy recommends a whole family approach, for families impacted by maternal mental illness. The aim of the study is to explore multiple perspectives of health visitors’ FFP with families impacted by maternal mental illness. Practicing health visitors, mothers who have a mental illness and their partners are eligible for the study. The study will be conducted across the five health and social care trusts. The study will commence in September 2017 and will aim to be completed by September 2019. Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire and take part in semi-structured interviews.Summary of Results
The questionnaire was completed by 230 health visitors from 5 Health and Social Care Trusts across Northern Ireland. All participants were female, with a mean age of 44.31 (SD = 9.35). Three multiple regression models were developed to test whether workload, professional knowledge and health visitors’ professional and personal experience predicted their family focused practice. Model three (professional and personal experience) was significant (p < .01), while models one (workload) and two (professional knowledge) were not.
Thematic analysis of interview data suggested that health visitor’s family focused practice largely consisted of supporting the mother and child, with partners seen as secondary. In addition, underpinning health visitor’s family focused practice were feelings of stigma and fear of mental illness and traditional perceptions of the family and gender roles (i.e. father as the breadwinner). Following synthesis of the three perspectives (health visitor, mother and partner) it was evident that health visitors and mothers converged on many issues, including the influence of the health visitor’s personal qualities and personal and professional experiences on their practice and relationships with mothers. Dissonance was largely found in relation to differing perceptions of the partner, for example, mothers and health visitors had views of the partners that were not in agreement with how the partners viewed themselves. Partners did not see themselves as the primary focus of health visitors, nor did they believe that health visiting support would be beneficial. Contrary to this both health visitors and mothers believed that partners required support in relation to their own well-being.
After integration of quantitative and qualitative data, findings suggested that Family Focused Practice, is not only an approach to practice, it is also a mentality; the manifestation of ideologies (such as family, gender and mental health) through an individual’s behaviour and attitudes. Viewing family focused practice in this way, clarifies why physical attributes of the healthcare system, such as workload, and knowledge, did not predict health visitor’s family focused practice. It is also not only influenced by the health visitor’s perceptions but also the family that the health visitor works with, and their mentality towards gender roles, mental health and support. Mothers and partners that had more traditional views of gender roles within the family were less likely to believe that the partner required support, thus the partner had less engagement with the health visitor. In addition, mothers who feared the stigma of mental illness, were more reluctant to seek support from their health visitor.REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
17/WS/0131
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion