Nursing for children with parental depression
Ollagnier, Nadège; Chen, You (2015)
Ollagnier, Nadège
Chen, You
Jyväskylän ammattikorkeakoulu
2015
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2015060812854
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2015060812854
Tiivistelmä
Depression is a significant mental illness treated in various health care settings in Finland, such as closed or open psychiatric wards, clinics but also in any other health institution. Nurses can meet depressive patients in any working environment.
Depressive patients experience a various range of symptoms and those having children can encounter challenges in their parenting skills. Therefore children can be impacted by their parent’s condition. Nevertheless, child-parent bonding and positive relationship is essential in child’s development and general well-being. Based on this knowledge, it appeared relevant to explore how nurses working in psychiatric wards experienced the care of children with parental depression. More specifically, the aim of this research was to identify the main challenges nurses face when dealing with children of patients suffering from depression. The purposes were to have a better understanding on the obstacles working with children of depressive patients nurses can face, help to adapt the solution and support given to nursing staff in dealing with children of psychiatric patients and provide more information about communication between nurses and children with parental depression for other nursing students when it comes to mental health nursing.
Qualitative video recorded interview provided three main results. Nurses expressed the challenge meeting depressive patients and their family can be. In fact, they can sometimes feel emotionally affected by the patients’ and their relatives’ situation. A wide-range of feelings is experienced by nurses who, nevertheless, have to remain professional and work in an appropriate manner. (1) Despite challenges and stigma on depression and its care, nurses described their role as essential in caring for children with parental depression, especially in ensuring connection and communication between family members. (2) Finally, nurses’ experiences revealed that their practice could easily and efficiently be improved by using existing resources, alternative and creative methods to encounter children, and by the presence of a ward’s culture and multi-professional way of working, focused on family nursing and child’s inclusion in depressive patients’ care. (3)
These highlights helped in gaining a better understanding on nurses’ experiences in dealing with children of depressive patients as well as provoking an encounter between nurses from different wards and enable them to share about their experiences and ideas on the topic. Finally, this paper can be a support for students or professionals interested in a more efficient inclusion of children in family care and depressive patients’ care.
Depressive patients experience a various range of symptoms and those having children can encounter challenges in their parenting skills. Therefore children can be impacted by their parent’s condition. Nevertheless, child-parent bonding and positive relationship is essential in child’s development and general well-being. Based on this knowledge, it appeared relevant to explore how nurses working in psychiatric wards experienced the care of children with parental depression. More specifically, the aim of this research was to identify the main challenges nurses face when dealing with children of patients suffering from depression. The purposes were to have a better understanding on the obstacles working with children of depressive patients nurses can face, help to adapt the solution and support given to nursing staff in dealing with children of psychiatric patients and provide more information about communication between nurses and children with parental depression for other nursing students when it comes to mental health nursing.
Qualitative video recorded interview provided three main results. Nurses expressed the challenge meeting depressive patients and their family can be. In fact, they can sometimes feel emotionally affected by the patients’ and their relatives’ situation. A wide-range of feelings is experienced by nurses who, nevertheless, have to remain professional and work in an appropriate manner. (1) Despite challenges and stigma on depression and its care, nurses described their role as essential in caring for children with parental depression, especially in ensuring connection and communication between family members. (2) Finally, nurses’ experiences revealed that their practice could easily and efficiently be improved by using existing resources, alternative and creative methods to encounter children, and by the presence of a ward’s culture and multi-professional way of working, focused on family nursing and child’s inclusion in depressive patients’ care. (3)
These highlights helped in gaining a better understanding on nurses’ experiences in dealing with children of depressive patients as well as provoking an encounter between nurses from different wards and enable them to share about their experiences and ideas on the topic. Finally, this paper can be a support for students or professionals interested in a more efficient inclusion of children in family care and depressive patients’ care.