Catherine Ferguson

Family systems and mental health issues: A resilience approach

In many cases the consumers of mental health information and support are the families of mental health sufferers. The aim of the project was to understand resilience in people who live with or support a family member with a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness. Participants were 15 carers (one male, 14 female). Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed using content analysis. Eight recurring themes emerged which indicated the challenges the carers faced and provided indications of the positive and negative personal, family and social factors that impacted on their lives. These themes were ‘Getting to CLAN WA’, ‘Accessing help including CLAN WA’, ‘Impact of living with a person who has a mental illness or problematic behaviour’, ‘Family and cultural issues’, ‘Communication within the family’,‘Coping strategies and evidence of resilience’, ‘Social support’ and ‘Notion of sacrifice’. There is still considerable work to do in supporting people who live with or support a family member in these circumstances. The findings demonstrate that individuals living with adversity can do more than just survive the process.

Crime Prevention: The Role of Individual Resilience within the Family.

Resilience is context dependent but for resilience to be present, two elements must co-occur: adversity (i.e., high-risk situation/threat) and successful adaptation/competence. An understanding of resilience is important for professionals dealing with at-risk families. This exploratory research investigated how individuals caring for a family member with a mental illness adapted to the role of carer or supporter. Fifteen participants mostly aged 50 years or more were interviewed. Content analysis was used to develop themes from the interview transcripts. Seven themes were elicited from the data. Three of these fit with existing knowledge about challenges faced by offenders’ families. The article concludes that strengthening families and improving family communication is not only important for good individual mental health and family functioning but may also play a role in crime prevention/reduction. Implications for those working in mental health settings are provided.

Prediction Tool for Parole Breach: Testing the U.S. Salient Factor Score in a Population of Western Australian Parolees

Parole cancellations inflate prison numbers and increase costs within the criminal justice system as well as the costs to society as a whole. There are a number of tools that predict reoffending, but only a few that are designed specifically for parole cancellation. This research investigated the use of the American tool Salient Factor Score (SFS 81) in a parole sample from Western Australia. Three hundred and sixty completed parole files were examined and scored using the SFS 81 with a criterion of successful completion of parole or a cancellation. The predictor was the SFS 81 score. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis and logistic regression were used to determine the usefulness of the SFS 81 for the prediction of parole success, and sensitivity and specificity of the SFS 81 were determined. The SFS 81 could be a useful tool for the prediction of parole success in a Western Australian population.