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Margareta Östman

Other affiliations: Swedish Institute, Lund University
Bio: Margareta Östman is an academic researcher from Malmö University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Mental illness & Mental health. The author has an hindex of 24, co-authored 79 publications receiving 1976 citations. Previous affiliations of Margareta Östman include Swedish Institute & Lund University.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Investigating factors of psychological significance related to stigma of the relatives of patients in acute psychiatric wards following both voluntary and compulsory admissions found that stigma by association was greater in relatives experiencing mental health problems of their own, and was unaffected by patient background characteristics.
Abstract: Background Stigma affects not only people with mental illnesses, but their families as well. Understanding how stigma affects family members in terms of both their psychological response to the ill person and their contacts with psychiatric services will improve interactions with the family. Aims To investigate factors of psychological significance related to stigma of the relatives. Method In a Swedish multi-centre study, 162 relatives of patients in acute psychiatric wards following both voluntary and compulsory admissions were interviewed concerning psychological factors related to stigma. Results A majority of relatives experienced psychological factors of stigma by association. Eighteen per cent of the relatives had at times thought that the patient would be better off dead, and 10% had experienced suicidal thoughts. Stigma by association was greater in relatives experiencing mental health problems of their own, and was unaffected by patient background characteristics. Conclusions Interventions are needed to reduce the negative effects of psychological factors related to stigma by association in relatives of people with mental illness.

335 citations

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TL;DR: There is an urgent need for the psychiatric services to initiate parental issues in programmes for treatment and rehabilitation to ensure that the specific needs of minor children are met.
Abstract: Background The prevalence of minor children in families with a severely mentally ill member, these children's needs for support and the situation of the spouses were investigated as part of a multi-centre study of the quality of the mental health services in Sweden performed in 1986, 1991 and 1997. Methods The sample was drawn from relatives of compulsorily and voluntarily admitted inpatients to acute psychiatric wards. The instrument used was a semi-structured questionnaire, interviewing relatives about the burden of relatives, their needs for support and participation in care and items concerning the situation of the under-aged children in these families. Results The results over the years investigated showed the same proportion of patients admitted to hospital who were also parents to minor children and a decreasing proportion of patients who had the custody of their children. Female patients were more often a parent and also more often had the custody of the children. The majority of the children had needs for support caused by their parent's illness and these needs were met in half of the cases. The healthy spouses in families with minor children more often had to give up their own occupation and to a higher extent experienced own needs for care and support from psychiatric services compared to spouses without minor children. Conclusions The study supports that there is an urgent need for the psychiatric services to initiate parental issues in programmes for treatment and rehabilitation to ensure that the specific needs of minor children are met.

90 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Being a close relative, and living together with a severely mentally ill person in an acute situation, is one factor of importance for experiencing burden and participation in care, contradicting the conventional wisdom which differentiates between diagnoses.
Abstract: Family burden and relatives' participation in psychiatric care : are the patient's diagnosis and the relation to the patient of importance?

73 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relationship between caregiving and mental health problems in the relatives of involuntarily and voluntarily admitted patients to acute psychiatric wards and found that relatives' psychological distress was not related to their negative appraisal of caregiving, nor was patient characteristics, such as diagnosis and level of psychosocial functioning.

73 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: More can be done to help and sustain hope in the relatives of persons with depression, according to the experiences of families living close to a depressed individual.
Abstract: Background: Families living with mental illness experience added burden and need information and support.Aim: This aim of this study was to explore the experiences of families living close to a depressed individual.Methods: Eighteen persons were interviewed individually or in focus groups. Data was analysed using a grounded theory-inspired methodology.Results: Most participants expressed a feeling of not living their own life, struggling to balance relationships, adapting to and re-evaluating their life circumstances, and struggling to voice their ill relatives' and their own needs.Conclusions: More can be done to help and sustain hope in the relatives of persons with depression.

69 citations


Cited by
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TL;DR: Prevalence rates of different physical illnesses as well as important individual lifestyle choices, side effects of psychotropic treatment and disparities in health care access, utilization and provision that contribute to these poor physical health outcomes are reported.

1,895 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article reviews 123 empirical articles published between January 1995 and June 2003 that have sought to assess mental illness stigma and identifies commonly used and promising measures and describes those measures in more detail so that readers can decide whether the described measures might be appropriate for their studies.
Abstract: The effectiveness of efforts designed to address mental illness stigma will rest on our ability to understand stigma processes, the factors that produce and sustain such processes, and the mechanisms that lead from stigmatization to harmful consequences. Critical to such an understanding is our capacity to observe and measure the essential components of stigma processes. This article is designed to assist researchers in selecting or creating measures that can address critical research questions regarding stigma. Our conceptualization of stigma processes leads us to consider components of labeling, stereotyping, cognitive separating, emotional reactions, status loss, and discrimination. We review 123 empirical articles published between January 1995 and June 2003 that have sought to assess mental illness stigma and use these articles to provide a profile of current measurement in this area. From the articles we identify commonly used and promising measures and describe those measures in more detail so that readers can decide whether the described measures might be appropriate for their studies. We end by identifying gaps in stigma measurement in terms of concepts covered and populations assessed.

1,205 citations

Book
05 Jun 1998
TL;DR: Clinicians and students of occupational therapy, as well as other professionals working in public health, will benefit from and relate to this admired and essential text.
Abstract: A significant and core text in occupational therapy for more than 8 years, Dr Ann Wilcock's revolutionary "An Occupational Perspective of Health" has been updated and enhanced into a much-anticipated Second Edition This unique text that examines the relationship between occupation, health, and ill-health explores the occupational experience within populations and offers more information critical to the practice of occupational therapy Based on extensive studies of human history and occupation, Dr Wilcock takes a holistic approach of health in line with that of the World Health Organization, examining the necessity for occupational therapists and their role in promoting health and well-being for all people "An Occupational Perspective of Health" uncovers a different way to understand health by exploring the physical, social, mental, environmental, and spiritual dimensions that lead to or result from occupation Dr Wilcock takes a global perspective by approaching health from this angle, rather than just considering medical or social factors The text considers the growth, development, and enhancement potential of involvement This valuable resource supports and explains the historical and rational foundations of the advancing field of occupational therapy, by showing the link between occupation and existence Addressed in this edition are: a conceptualization of health in the past, present, and future; the role of occupation in human life, health, and survival; occupation as a positive or negative influence on well-being; the potential contribution of occupational therapy to current WHO public/population health objectives; and possible action for OTs to become recognized as health-promoting professionals at population levels Clinicians and students of occupational therapy, as well as other professionals working in public health, will benefit from and relate to this admired and essential text

1,193 citations