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Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Health Sci & Soc Wrk, Griffith Health, A major challenge for service providers is maintaining the attendance and engagement of young people in mental health services as without engagement recovery from mental illness is unlikely (Casey et al., 2016). This makes a focus on service engagement and recovery essential on many levels as the social and personal impacts of early psychosis can be considerable and far reaching (McGorry, 2015). Gaining a better understanding of youth early psychosis, the experiences of young people attending early psychosis community services, and the influences that work to keep them engaged is important for clinical and personal recovery, and a global challenge for social work practice. This study used a mixed methods methodology to identify the factors that contributed to consumers’ decision-making processes of whether or not to attend and engage with a community public early psychosis service. In doing so the role of social work in promoting autonomy and self-determination, while addressing the social and demographic factors that often impact on service engagement and recovery was also considered. The two phases in the study were underpinned by self-determination and ecological theory. The first phase involved an analysis of five years of data extracted from the Queensland Health Consumer Integrated Mental Health Application (CIMHA) pertaining to young people referred to the Early Psychosis Service on the Gold Coast. The second phase consisted of two consumer focus groups which aimed to explore themes that had been identified in the first phase as well as to investigate the key findings in more depth. Results suggested that social support, substance use, the therapeutic relationship and the transition period from hospital to community service were all influential in impacting on service engagement decisions. The findings inform future social work practice in the area of early psychosis, allowing interventions to be developed and established to encourage future service attendanc

This study documents the types and extent of social support messages exchanged by children and adolescents who participated in a computer-based support group. Using qualitative content analysis, the electronic mail posted in a 3-month period on a support listserv for young siblings of children with chronic health needs were observed and described. The content of the postings sent to Sibkids was analyzed to identify themes in how the young people used the listserv for support. Examples of social support types identified on the site are described. The largest percentage of these messages offered social companionship and emotional or informational support. Tangible assistance was not offered. The implications of this study for social support researchers and human service professionals are discussed.

Mutual support is an interactional communication process. Taking an interactional approach to support requires group participants be viewed not only as targets and recipients but also as sources and providers of various types of support. An analysis was performed on the interactions of a group listserv and model of online interactional support. The aim was to explore the communication process children follow. The analysis revealed self-disclosure was used in the support group in three distinct ways. Its function for the support recipient is to initiate a transactional relationship with another member for the purpose of attracting social support through the open expression of concerns and frustrations. It is then used by the support provider to demonstrate that coping is possible for the recipient through the reciprocal self-disclosure of similar concerns and situations with which the member has successfully dealt. The third use of self-disclosure was to share reciprocal social companionship relationships.