Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore experiences with daily challenges and the development of salutogenic copings skills among young adults with serious mental illness. Methods Nine young adults with serious mental illness were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to reflexive thematic analysis. Results Two main themes were identified through the analysis: “The influence of symptoms in everyday life and challenges with participating in the community” and “Making the small things matter.” The findings show that different life experiences, or on-going challenges, often can affect or interfere their lives on a daily basis, and that previous experiences with psychosis can contribute to the development of salutogenic coping skills. Conclusions This study shows the importance of increased knowledge and awareness of different life experiences and challenges among people with serious mental illness such as schizophrenia spectrum disorders. It is significant to strengthen the ability to identify and use appropriate resistance resources to promote salutogenic coping skills and thus better health. Furthermore, it is important to be aware that the development of salutogenic coping skills must be personalized to cultural contexts and society as well as supported by local communities, families and services.
Highlights
Serious mental illness (SMI) such as schizophrenia spectrum disorders are characterized by an extensive disruption of thinking, perceptions, and emotions
Through the process of the thematic analysis, we identified two overarching themes responding to the participants lived experiences with daily chal lenges and the development of salutogenic copings skills among young adults suffering from SMI; (1) The influence of symptoms in everyday life and challenges with participating in the community, and (2) Making the small things matter
We will present the results from the thematic analysis regarding the challenges that young adults with SMI experiences in their everyday life and how those challenges influence their coping skills
Summary
Serious mental illness (SMI) such as schizophrenia spectrum disorders are characterized by an extensive disruption of thinking, perceptions, and emotions. Torgalsbøen et al (2018) found that the potential for improvement appears to be greatest in the first years after the onset of illness and that the ability to adapt and use available resources seems to be affected by the inten sity and duration of the psychosis. It seems that persons who have achieved a certain level of progress in their recovery are more able to use and learn from the adversity of their psychosis as they seem to reflect on their experiences differently than those who experience less progress. It is important to identify the person’s ability to respond to the adversity from the illness, by grasping the person’s perception and tailoring treatment (Torgalsbøen et al, 2018)
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