Consequences of sexual abuse are highly associated with psychological suffering. The minister can be the first person a victim, belonging to a Christian congregation, turns to for support. This study investigated the reported readiness among ministers of the Church of Sweden to disclose ongoing sexual abuse and meet psychological as well as existential needs of victims. Questionnaires were administered to ministers in all dioceses. A majority, 77%, reported that they as professionals had met victims of sexual abuse and they estimated their readiness for this task as high. However, there is still a need to promote further an accepting attitude and to establish cooperation with social authorities and non-confessional professionals.
People often seek counsel from clergy before they seek help from mental health professionals. There is a need for clergy to have a way to make referrals to clinicians, and for clinicians to have a familiarity with the multiple roles of clergy and religion. Collaboration between clinicians and religious congregations provides a way to initiate and sustain continuities of mental health care. As a pilot study for a project on applying the Clergy Outreach and Professional Engagement (COPE) model in Sweden, a focus group with licenced psychologists and pastoral care givers was conducted. Transcript was analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Findings included a need for knowledge and a need for collaboration. Barriers for collaboration concerned ministers' vow of silence and a lack of resources within primary care and psychiatry. There is a need to further discussion regarding confidentiality within the Church, and to address structural barriers within mental health care.
Despite extensive needs, interventions for parents with psychosis are rarely offered, poorly described, and vary between offering instrumental and emotional support. To improve the design of interventions offered to families with parental psychosis, more knowledge is needed. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about mental health professionals' perceptions of parenting by patients with psychosis. Eleven mental health professionals educated in family interventions were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide and the material underwent inductive thematic analysis. Results showed that the professionals described the patients parenting as characterized by difficulties in providing security and predictability, taking part in and organizing family life, and to focus on the child's needs. The difficulties were described as related to specific symptoms such as voice hearing, cognitive impairments, anxiety, and paranoia. As a vast amount of research stresses the psychosocial basis of psychosis and the interpersonal causes of its symptoms, parenting difficulties in people with psychosis could benefit from being addressed from a relational perspective. Accordingly, parents with psychosis should be offered interventions that enable them to create positive parental role models, develop reflective functioning, and identify situations in which their symptoms might hinder positive parenting. Many of these needs are unmet by interventions offered in adult psychosis services today.
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