Relationship between paid and unpaid carers of people with MH issues.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The contemporary dynamics of caring - An in depth qualitative study of the relationship between paid and unpaid carers of people with long term mental health conditions.
IRAS ID
138655
Contact name
Jeremy Walsh
Contact email
Research summary
The focus of the research is an exploration of care for people with long term mental health conditions with three main areas of enquiry:
• The nature of the relationships between unpaid carers and professional people in caring roles;
• Greater understanding of the lived experience of carers;
• Identifying the elements of sacrifice and burden, as well as satisfaction and reward, involved in caring for someone with a long-term mental health condition.Greater recognition of the role of carers in society has emerged over the past 40 years, and in the area of caring for someone with a long term mental health condition a network of relationships can exist between the person with the mental health condition and those people in their care network, who may be a family member, friend, neighbour or mental health professional. This adds a degree of complexity to any consideration of the nature of, and arrangements of care, which in mental health services is frequently referred to as the ‘triangle of care’.
Agreeing definitions and terms in the area of caring is important, and issues around carer recognition within the context of mental health conditions, and what it means to be a carer in contemporary society, will also be considered as part of the research. In discussing unpaid carers this term refers to those people who provide an emotional and practical caring role, whereas paid carer refers to people in formal employment, often from a professional background.
The nature of the caring role will also be explored with caring considered as an attitude i.e. ‘to be concerned about’, and as a pattern of behaviour in respect to individuals who experience long-term mental health conditions.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NW/0877
Date of REC Opinion
21 Jan 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion