1. COVID-19 and Psychosocial Support Services: Experiences of People Living with Enduring Mental Health Conditions.
- Author
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Honey, Anne, Waks, Shifra, Hines, Monique, Glover, Helen, Hancock, Nicola, Hamilton, Debra, and Smith-Merry, Jennifer
- Subjects
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MENTAL illness , *WELL-being , *LIFESTYLES , *COVID-19 , *SOCIAL support , *RESEARCH methodology , *INTERVIEWING , *MEDICAL care , *EXPERIENCE , *COMPARATIVE studies , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *COMMUNICATION , *TECHNOLOGY , *MENTAL health services , *SECONDARY analysis , *MEDICAL coding , *TELEMEDICINE - Abstract
This paper uses secondary analysis to understand how COVID-19 shaped people's experiences with psychosocial support services in Australia. Data are drawn from questionnaires (n = 66) and semi-structured interviews (n = 62), conducted for a national service evaluation, with 121 people living with enduring mental health conditions and using psychosocial support services. Data relating to COVID-19 were inductively coded and analysed using constant comparative analysis. Most people's experiences included tele-support. While some people described minimal disruption to their support, many reported reduced engagement. People's wellbeing and engagement were influenced by: their location, living situation and pre-COVID lifestyles; physical health conditions; access to, comfort with, and support worker facilitation of technology; pre-COVID relationships with support workers; and communication from the organisation. The findings can help services prepare for future pandemics, adjust their services for a 'COVID-normal' world, and consider how learnings from COVID-19 could be incorporated into a flexible suite of service delivery options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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