Et kvalitativt casestudie om ensomhed blandt voksne på socialpsykiatriske botilbud

Abstract

Resume Baggrund: Ensomhed er et socialt problem. Forskning viser at ca. 210.000 danskere oplever ensomhed. Der er dog manglende viden om voksne med længerevarende psykiske lidelser, som bor på socialpsykiatriske botilbud. Denne specifikke målgruppe er på baggrund af deres psykiske lidelser og stigmatisering fra samfundet i højere risiko for at opleve ensomhed. Specialet belyser to perspektiver på botilbuddet - Beboernes oplevelser af ensomhed, og hvordan medarbejdere støtter dem til en meningsfuld hverdag. Metode: Undersøgelsen er et casestudie design, hvor der er foretaget semistrukturerede interviews med fire beboere og tre medarbejdere. Undersøgelsen omhandler Elvirashøj, som er et socialpsykiatrisk botilbud i Aarhus kommune. Beboerne er mellem 30 og 65 år. Resultater: Beboernes oplevelser af ensomhed er forbundet med relationer og stigmatisering. Beboerne har afsavn af sociale relationer, en tendens til at isolere sig i deres lejligheder samt stigmatisere sig selv og hinanden grundet deres psykiske lidelser. Når de beskriver deres hverdag på Elvirashøj, oplever beboerne desuden afsavn i forhold til kategorierne - at have, elske og være. Medarbejderne beskriver deres arbejdsforhold og manglende ressourcer som faktorer, der har indflydelse på måden, de støtter beboerne til at opnå en meningsfuld hverdag. Endvidere beskriver de flere dilemmaer, når de forsøger at imødekomme beboernes behov for social kontakt, men oplever at beboerne har manglende motivation i forhold til at deltage i aktiviteterne. Konklusion: Baseret på analysens fund, kan det konkluderes, at beboerne oplever ensomhed. Dette ud fra deres fortællinger om selvstigmatisering og mangel på sociale relationer, hvilket har betydning for deres oplevelser. Når medarbejderne skal støtte beboerne til en meningsfuld hverdag, fortæller de alle om forskellige forståelser i forhold til, hvordan de bedst muligt kan yde støtte. Dog er de alle enige om, at de har til opgave at undgå social isolation, hvorfor de har fokus på at tilbyde fælles aktiviteter. Her forsøger de at skabe grundlag for indbyrdes relationer mellem beboerne og forbedre deres sociale færdigheder. Medarbejderne finder det dog vanskeligt at støtte beboerne til en meningsfuld hverdag, grundet deres arbejdsforhold, manglende ressourcer og manglende deltagelse fra beboerne.

Abstract Background: Loneliness is a social problem. Studies show, that parts of the Danish population are experiencing loneliness. However, there is a lack of research on adults with a long-term mental illness who lives in psychiatric housing facilities. This particular group of people are highly prone to loneliness due to their mental disorders and stigmatization from society. The aim of the study was to investigate two different perspectives - the subjective experiences of loneliness among the residents and how the professionals support the residents to achieve a meaningful everyday life. Methods: This was a qualitative case study, based on semi-structured interviews with four residents and three professionals at the psychiatric housing facility Elvirashøj in Aarhus municipality. The age of the residents ranges between 30 and 65 years. Results: The experiences with loneliness among the residents are associated with relations and stigma. In general the residents have a lack of close social relations, a tendency to isolate themselves in their apartments and self-stigmatize as a consequence of their mental illness. When describing their everyday life at Elvirashøj the residents experience deprivation in the three dimensions of well-being - having, loving and being. The professionals describe the working conditions and allocated resources as important factors that influence the way they support the residents to achieve quality of life. Furthermore they describe dilemmas in supporting the residents because of their need for social contact but lack of motivation to participate in activities. Conclusion: Based on the residents’ subjective experiences with loneliness, we determine the residents as being chronically lonely. The combination of self-stigmatization and absence of social relations are of significant importance to how they experience loneliness. The professionals each have their own understanding of how they can support the residents to achieve a meaningful everyday life. They do, however, agree to prevent the social isolation through focusing on joint activities, aiming to build friendships among the residents and improve their social skills. The professionals find it difficult to support the residents in achieving a more meaningful everyday life due to the current circumstances of their working conditions and the fact that they are not able to prioritize individual activities outside of the housing facility.

A master thesis from Aalborg University

Et kvalitativt casestudie om ensomhed blandt voksne på socialpsykiatriske botilbud

["Sitting in silence without anyone to talk to": A thesis about loneliness among residents in a psychiatric housing facility and how the professionals support them achieving a meaningful everyday life]