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The Views of Mental Health Manager Towards the Use of a Family Work Model for Psychosis in Guangzhou, China

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Abstract

Family Interventions in Psychosis (FIP) have been promoted internationally but have been criticised for being based on western cultural models. This paper reports on a focus group study with 10 Integrated Mental Health Service Managers in Guangzhou, China using thematic analysis. Managers believed FIP might benefit families but identified potential difficulties due to (a) families avoiding services due to the ‘shame’ of mental illness (b) unrealistic expectations of services amongst families (c) deferral to ‘key decision-makers’ within families when discussing family issues with workers. The findings indicate that FIP work should focus on interaction between carers in the first instance with service users being introduced into sessions at a later date and that more attention needs to be given by the research community to how FIP may be adapted to cultural norms within China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Jeremy Dixon

  2. School of Sociology and Anthropology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

    Jie Lei

  3. Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

    Wanyi Huang

  4. St George’s, University of London, London, UK

    Jacqueline Sin

  5. University of Reading, Reading, UK

    Jacqueline Sin

  6. Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Bath NHS House, Royal United Hospital, Bath, UK

    Gina Smith

Authors
  1. Jeremy Dixon
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  2. Jie Lei
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  3. Wanyi Huang
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  4. Jacqueline Sin
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  5. Gina Smith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jie Lei.

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Dixon, J., Lei, J., Huang, W. et al. The Views of Mental Health Manager Towards the Use of a Family Work Model for Psychosis in Guangzhou, China. Community Ment Health J 54, 1057–1063 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-018-0247-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-018-0247-7

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