Jeppe Oute Hansen

Living with a depressed person in Denmark: A qualitative study:

Background: Strategies for coping with the burdens of living with a depressed person affect a family’s psychosocial environment. Aim: The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how relatives make personal sense of living with a depressed family member. Methods: Thirteen cohabitant relatives were interviewed either individually or in a focus group. The transcribed interviews were interpreted thematically. Results: Relatives went through a psychosocial transformation process driven by the twin challenges of their attitudes towards the depressed family member and of stigma. Conclusions: More could be done to resolve families’ need for information and for emotional and practical support promoting recovery.

What role does employment play in dual recovery? A qualitative meta-synthesis of cross-cutting studies treating substance use treatment, psychiatry and unemployment services

Purpose The role of employment in dual recovery from mental illness and substance use is scarcely addressed in previous studies and a deeper understanding of this issue is needed. The purpose of this paper is to cast further light on the conditions that either facilitate or block the road to employment for dually diagnosed people (DDP) and how these conditions could either promote or hinder recovery. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the principles laid out by health researchers Sandelowski and Barroso (2007), the study is designed as a qualitative meta-synthesis comprising a systematic literature search, a critical assessment of the identified studies and an integrative synthesis of the articles’ findings. Findings The synthesis outlines that the findings from the seven identified studies show a recovery process in which unemployed, DDP are becoming employed people – or where there is an attempt to restore their status as working persons – and how this process is driven or hindered by personal, interpersonal and systemic facilitators or barriers. Research limitations/implications The synthesis adds nuances to the understanding of employment in dual recovery processes and suggests that unconnected means of, and goals for, intervention among these individuals and systems might reduce the chances of DDP obtaining and maintaining a job. Originality/value The paper calls for more advanced research and policy on the multiple – and often contradictory – aspects of gaining and maintaining employment as part of dually diagnosed persons’ recovery.