Aggression in first episode psychosis: exploring the experience of families who are victims
Poster C94, Saturday, October 22, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Le Baron
Juliana Onwumere1, Grace Parkyn1; 1King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), Department of Psychology, London, UK
Background: Informal carers are more likely to find themselves the target of acts of aggression and violence from service users with psychosis, particularly when they are co resident. The literature on violence in psychosis has mainly focused on identifying risk factors such as hostility and negative communication, and the development of tools and algorithms to support the accurate and sensitive predictions of future violent episodes. Few studies, however, have focused on the lived experience of carers who are the targets of service user violence and remain in regular contact. This literature is particularly scarce during the first episode. Methods: The current study used semi-structured interviews to explore the first-hand experience of patient violence with eight first episode psychosis (FEP) carers. Results: Thematic analyses of interview data identified a number of key areas that captured carer experiences including fear about disclosure of their experiences with FEP services, external agencies and peers, and the negative impact of violence and living with threat of violence on their own physical and psychological health. Conclusions: There is an important need for further quantitative studies that include an evaluation of approaches to identify vulnerable carers in FEP services and offer targeted interventions to support safety.
Topic Area: Translational Research