The Process of Home-Visiting Nurses Supporting People with Mental Disorders

Abstract

The number of people with mental disorders (PMD) living in the community is increasing; however, it is unclear how home-visiting nurses (HVNs) supporting them in the community acquire their support skills. This study aimed to reveal the process of how HVNs learn support skills for PMD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 HVNs supporting PMD living in the community. The grounded theory approach was used for data analysis. As a result, two stages were present: “Explore the personal recovery of PMD” and “Believe in the potential of PMD and accompanying them”. The first stage is further divided into two themes: “Overlapping the worlds of PMD and HVNs”, and “Easing difficulty in living for PMD”. In the first stage, HVNs gained a better understanding of PMD and obtained insight into the support they needed in their daily lives. In the second stage, HVNs became to provide the support that PMD truly needed. HVNs gained a deeper understanding of the reality of PMD through their support. After HVNs found the support PMD required, they sought to provide it, ultimately resulting in finding ways to facilitate the personal recovery of PMD.