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Background: Families of the mental health care users (MHCUs) face different challenges in dealing with, supporting and caring for MHCUs on a daily basis. The divergent coping mechanisms that the family members use aim to lower the negative, psychological and emotional impact of the stress. These include: escape, avoidance and denial. Aim: To explore, describe and contextualise coping mechanisms used by the families of MHCUs and to suggest recommendations for improving their coping mechanisms in Mahikeng sub-district, North West province (NWP), South Africa. Setting: The study was conducted in three community health centres in Mahikeng sub-district, NWP, South Africa. Methods: A qualitative-exploratory-descriptive and contextual research design was used. Non-probability convenience and purposive sampling techniques were used to select participants. WhatsApp video calls were used to collect data which were analysed following Creswell’s six steps of qualitative data analysis. Results: The study established three themes namely; challenges experienced by the family members, coping mechanism used by the family members, and suggestions for improvement in the coping mechanisms for the family members. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that the family members of MHCUs are faced with different challenges. Some of the coping mechanisms used by the family members are insufficient and require improvement to enable them to cope effectively. When the coping mechanisms of the family members of MHCUs are improved, their well-being and that of the MHCUs might improve significantly. Contribution: The findings of this study provides information that may be used to improve the coping mechanisms of the families of MHCUs in the NWP, South Africa.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a mental health disorder that affects not only the person living with this chronic disease, but also the family and caregiver. Caregivers, often family members, do not realise how caregiving will impact on them and the rest of the family, until they experience it first-hand. This qualitative study used a collective case study and one-to-one interviews. Non-probability purposive sampling was used with selection criteria. One of the themes generated from the study was the needs of caregivers of patients with BD. Sub-themes included: acknowledgement, sacrificing their own needs, support (emotional and financial), information/knowledge, skills, tools and coping mechanisms, space/freedom/day off, order and stability, need for a programme and future plans. It was found that it is essential to address the needs of caregivers

This research focuses on the experience of late adolescents of assertiveness in the work environment. The development of people's social skills stems from and is maintained by means of interaction with other people. This is a crucial stage of development during late adolescence when proficiency in work ethics, relationships and especially assertiveness should be shaped, as these have direct bearing on the situation when someone does not act in an assertive manner in the work environment. People who are able to act in an assertive manner are capable of expressing their feelings, thoughts and convictions without any aggression, in a non-destructive way, and to act in neither an extremely controlling nor an inappropriately reticent manner . The researchers became aware of the fact that the behaviour , social skills and especially the assertiveness of a number of late adolescents at a specific private technical training college, given their age, appeared inappropriate in the workplace. They communicate ineffectively and are not able to verbalise expectations regarding their needs in the work environment. The researchers wondered whether these adolescents would be able to communicate in an adult manner with employees, as well as to what extent they would be able to take a stand solely on their own behalf, when having to contend with possible challenges in the work environment. The emancipation of late adolescents often gives rise to mixed emotions experienced by them. They simultaneously look forward to and fear the process of becoming adults, often resulting in their withdrawing themselves. Other persons often tend to view them as being incompetent. They strive after independence and criticise any boundaries, which in turn often involves them in conflict. They reveal low quality problem-solving skills that relate to superficial intra- and interpersonal skills in relationships with other persons. A postmodern constructivist paradigm (Creswell 2007:20-21) was followed in this research. This qualitative, explorative and descriptive research investigated the experience of assertiveness of late adolescents in the work environment. The aims were to explore and describe the manner in which late adolescents experience their own assertiveness in relation to superiors, peers and subordinates in the work environment. The students were invited to participate in the research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants and applicable scenarios were used. The data was analysed by applying Tesch' s open coding approach (Babbie & Mouton 2006:276,277). After the data had been analysed, it was established that late adolescents ind it difficult, feel exposed and experience distress in communicating their needs. They also experience being unjustly blamed and need tangible substantiation in order to prove their perceived innocence. They are easily intimidated by superiors, which causes them to settle for the preferences of other people. When they experience that they are backed into a corner , they tend to use aggressive language and behaviour . They employ coping mechanisms to gain control of the situation, resulting in physical and psychological dissociation from the problem. Alternatively they will consider resigning and start looking for other employment. Guidelines for the facilitation of assertive behaviour among late adolescents are given in order to enable them to act assertively in the work environment. These guidelines further focus on self-acceptance and self-awareness, developing an internal locus of control, and eliciting manners in which stress and anxiety can be managed. Finally, the development of constructive communication skills is addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]