Understanding the relationship between siblings impacted by psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the relationship between siblings, when one person is impacted by psychosis: a grounded theory approach
IRAS ID
336077
Contact name
Lauren Laverick-Brown
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church University, Salomons Centre for Applied Psychology
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Mental health services use the term ‘psychosis’ to describe people's experiences of perceiving reality differently to those around them. Such experiences can cause distress, and families can become invaluable sources of support and care for a person experiencing psychosis. This includes siblings, whose relationship is often the longest standing in a person's life. As such, one sibling may be a primary source of care and support to the other sibling experiencing psychosis. Importantly, ‘caregiving’ siblings often require support to maintain their own well-being, yet services frequently fail to address their needs.
Studies have started to consider siblings’ experiences of caregiving and factors that influence their move towards a caregiving role, but the area remains under-researched. The purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical framework relevant to the relationship between siblings, and how these changes when one sibling offers care and support to their brother/sister experiencing psychosis. It is hoped the framework could improve service provision for families; in particular, promoting recognition that siblings can take on a supportive role.
Participants will be involved in either a focus group or a 1:1 semi-structured interview. Data generated from a focus group and one-to-one interviews will be analysed using a grounded theory approach. The resultant theory produced will seek to describe the relationship evolution between siblings, when one person experiences psychosis and the other steps into a supportive role. Participants recruited will identify as offering care to their brother or sister with psychosis, who will have accessed support through adult mental health secondary care teams.
This project is being conducted in partial fulfilment of the Doctor of Clinical Psychology degree awarded by Canterbury Christ Church
REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/WM/0098
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jun 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion