A qualitative investigation into care‐leavers' experiences of accessing mental health support

Phillips, Alice R., Hiller, Rachel M., Halligan, Sarah L., Lavi, Iris, Macleod, John A. A. and Wilkins, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2780-0385 2024. A qualitative investigation into care‐leavers' experiences of accessing mental health support. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice 97 (3) , pp. 439-455. 10.1111/papt.12525

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Abstract

Introduction: People who grew up under the care of children's social services are a highly vulnerable group, with 50% of this population meeting the criteria for a mental health problem at any one time. Emerging evidence suggests that there is a disparity between the number of people who require support, and those that receive it, and that they face several barriers to accessing timely and effective mental health support. We have a limited understanding of how to support the mental health of this group as they ‘age out’ of children's social services, and the transition to independence, which occurs around the age of 18. We aimed to explore how care‐leavers understand their experiences of help‐seeking from formal mental health services. Methods: We used qualitative interviews, and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis with 9 care‐experienced young people aged between 18 and 25 years old. This work was co‐produced by a team of care‐experienced adults, from the conception of the study to write‐up. Results: Qualitative analysis revealed several themes which centred around: (1) taking reluctant steps towards recovery, (2) challenges with being understood and the importance of gaining an understanding of yourself, (3) navigating trust and (4) the legacy of not having your mental health needs met. Conclusions: We identified several important implications for health and social care practice, across primary and secondary health care settings. This work highlights ways to better support this highly vulnerable group in accessing evidence‐based mental health support, and how to maintain engagement.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	1476-0835
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 March 2024
Date of Acceptance:	18 February 2024
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2024 14:05
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/167081

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