Thinking families: A study of the characteristics of the workforce that delivers family-focussed practice.

Parenting with mental illness is not uncommon and is often associated with a range of challenges for parents, children, and the family unit. Family-focussed practice involves the provision of services to the wider family system, including children. While family-focussed practice is important to consumers and their families, adult mental health practitioners do not routinely discuss parenting or children with their clients, nor work closely with the whole family. In the present study, we aimed to examine the characteristics of practitioners from Australian adult mental health services associated with family-focussed practices. Characteristics included sex, years of experience, location, and previous training in child and family-focussed practice. A total of 307 adult mental health practitioners from Victoria, Australia, responded to the Family Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire and a series of demographic items. The results indicated that particular practitioner characteristics predicted the delivery of family-focussed practice. Practitioner experience, sex, working in a rural location, and previous family- or child-related training were found to be important in the provision of family-focussed practice. More experienced, female, rurally-located, and well-trained practitioners undertake most family-focussed practice. These results suggest that training in family-focussed practice needs to be promoted, with considerations made for differing needs according to the characteristics of the adult mental health practitioner.

Changing places: the impact of rural restructuring on mental health in Australia.

Significant demographic, social and economic change has come to characterise much of rural Australia, with some authors arguing there are now two sharply differentiated zones, one of growth and one of decline. This restructuring process, which has been similar to other western nations, has had a profound impact upon rural places-socially, economically and physically. Findings from research investigating the relationship between health, place and income inequality suggest that rural 'desertification', which is characterised by decline of the agricultural sector, net population loss and the deterioration of demographic structures, may negatively influence mental health outcomes in these areas. By contrast, the growth in rural areas, which is associated with expanding employment opportunities and the movement of capital and people, may confer positive benefits to mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in mental health and well-being between rural communities experiencing growth and decline as measured by net population change. Utilising a survey methodology, questionnaires were distributed to 20,000 people randomly sampled from the electoral role in rural Australia. We selected four sub-regions from the sample area that were characteristic of areas experiencing population growth and decline in Australia and analysed the results of respondents from these four regions (n = 1334). The analysis provided support for our hypothesis that living in a declining area is associated with poorer mental health status; however, the factors that underpin growth and decline may also be important in influencing mental health. Discussed are the mechanisms by which demographic and social change influence mental health. The findings of this study highlight the diversity of health outcomes in rural areas and suggest that aspects of place in declining rural areas may present risk factors for mental health.

Challenging roles: insights into issues for men caring for family members with mental illness.

Assumptions informing expectations of caring may not reflect the diversity of circumstances in which informal care is provided, and scant attention has been given to the experiences of men providing care to family members. This study reports on qualitative findings from a study that explored these issues among rural men caring for partners or children with a range of mental illnesses. The findings suggest that the primary relationship between carers and care recipients influences the ways in which the men understand and practice their caring roles. Fathers consistently described proactive approaches to caring and were strongly focused on managing the illness condition. There was some complementarity between parenting and caring roles that is likely to explain why they reported a high use of, and satisfaction with, mental health services. Husbands tended to take reactive approaches to caring in which they were more concerned with managing situations that were associated with their partners' illnesses. Husbands reported limited contact with treatment and support services and perceived them as inappropriate to their circumstances. All of the men were presented with complex tensions in their caring roles, and the men's accounts of caring that are presented offer useful insight into the contexts in which men are increasingly taking on caring roles in families and inform efforts to support men in this capacity.

Dual relationships in mental health practice: issues for clinicians in rural settings.

OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to provide an overview of the literature on non-sexual dual relationships, and to discuss these in the context of rural mental health practice in Australia. METHOD: An internet-driven literature search was undertaken using OVID databases, which include MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and EMBASE: Psychiatry. Ethical codes of practice for the mental health professions of psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, social work and nursing were referred to. Searches were not limited by year of publication. Other unpublished material or information was included where relevant. RESULTS: Dual relationships are common in rural mental health practice. However, research on non-sexual dual relationship boundary issues in rural mental health is limited. Ethical codes of practice of mental health professional bodies provide little guidance regarding non-sexual dual relationships. Decision-making models addressing the ethics of dual relationships are restricted to considerations of whether to enter a dual relationship rather than how to manage such a relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Everyday' dual relationships are a predictable part of rural mental health practice. Further research is required to identify the benefits and/or problems in clinical practice resulting from non-sexual dual relationships. Responsibility for identifying and implementing ways of appropriately managing such relationships should be shared by the patient, the clinician, mental health services and professional organizations.