McKern, Denise B. (2022) “Being a Little Lighthouse…Shining the Light for Her”: The Role of Caregivers in Supporting Personal Recovery in Youth with Mental Health Concerns. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
There is serious global concern pertaining to the growth of mental health conditions in youth. This is worrying because mental disorders that emerge during adolescence frequently extend into adulthood, predicting poor academic and employment outcomes and heavy societal burdens. However, a recent paradigm shift has transitioned from clinical recovery, typically focused on a cure, to a strength-based approach to wellbeing in supporting youth within mental health services. Additionally, mental health scholars have appealed for interventions to adopt an ecological system of care approach that integrates the principal stakeholders in a young person's life. Despite preliminary literature indicating the importance of caregivers, little research has focussed on the caregiver’s role in supporting personal recovery in youth. The current study sought to understand the role of caregivers in youth recovery by employing a qualitative design, incorporating a critical realist ontology and symbolic interactionalism to inductively analyse the narratives from nine semi-structured interviews with caregivers and generate themes. Subsequently, deductive analysis explored the core underpinnings of personal recovery under the acronym 'CHIME' (connectedness, hope, identity, meaning and empowerment). Thematic analysis identified five themes (providing unconditional love and positive regard, encouraging connection with peers, co-creating a sense of purpose, meaning and hope, supporting assertiveness and advocacy, promoting strength and opportunity for mastery) which found to align with the CHIME framework. The findings will allow health services to better understand the role of caregivers, thus providing information to guide recovery-oriented and family-centred care.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Wellbeing (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Govind Krishnamoorthy |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Jun 2025 03:21 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Jun 2025 03:21 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | caregiver; CHIME framework; mental health; recovery-oriented care; youth recovery |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52563 |
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