Att vara ett stöd för sitt barn - En kvalitativ studie om yrkesverksammas perspektiv på vårdnadshavares roll inom BUP

Sammanfattning

Mental health problems in Sweden are a growing concern, especially among children and young adults. Child and adolescent psychiatry services (BUP) in Sweden currently have more active cases than in previous years. Consequences of this include an increase in diagnoses of ADHD, a higher risk of suicide among children and young adults, and a growing number of involuntary hospitalisations. The purpose of this study was to examine professionals’ perspectives on the role and involvement of parents/guardians in BUP, as well as their working practices regarding parent/guardian–child relationships. To investigate this, qualitative interviews were conducted in Skåne with four counsellors, one nurse, and one psychologist. General Systems Theory, Alliance Theory, Systemic Alliance, and Therapeutic Alliance guided the interpretation of the data. The professionals described how they map the child’s situation from either a micro or meso perspective to understand the child’s circumstances. The study shows that professionals have specific areas of responsibility and therefore need to establish systemic alliances with multiple institutions to ensure that families’ needs are met. Viewed through the selected theoretical framework, the results show that the child’s opportunities for development depend on the professionals’ ability to build relationships. In addition, the analysis shows that the family’s difficulties originate in different environments rather than in a single system. The professionals’ holistic perspective makes the child’s challenges in different environments visible, which can be addressed through therapeutic conversations. From a systemic perspective, the professionals emphasize that guardians’ participation is necessary for treatment both within and outside psychiatric care in order to achieve positive outcomes.