THAI PSYCHIATRIC NURSES' ATTITUDES AND LEVELS OF CONFIDENCE TOWARD WORKING WITH FAMILIES OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS.
Contributors: University Of Illinois At Chicago, Health Sciences Center.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 176
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to examine Thai psychiatric nurses' attitudes and perceived clinical confidence in relation to working with families of schizophrenic patients. Relationships between the demographic characteristics of these nurses and their attitudes and perceived clinical confidence were also explored.

A sample of 481 Thai psychiatric nurses holding active licensure and working with adult mentally ill patients completed two mailed questionnaires: the Family Involvement in Psychiatric Treatment Questionnaire (FIPTQ) and the Family Nursing Skills Confidence Scale. Factor analyses were performed to discover the structural dimensions of nurses' attitudes and clinical competence.

Six dimensions underlying FIPTQ are described as (a) involving families in treatment, (b) family's ability to participate in treatment, (c) barriers to working with families, (d) responsibilities of nurses, (e) problematic family participation in care, and (f) family's role in causing schizophrenia. The findings indicate that Thai psychiatric nurses hold inconsistent attitudes toward working with families of schizophrenic patients. Nurses agree that families should be involved in treatment, and that families are capable of participating in treatment. Nurses also agree that they and their colleagues are responsible for performing activities intended to involve families in treatment. Simultaneously, nurses still believe that families "cause" schizophrenia and that they are ineffective collaborators when addressing the goals of mental health care. Further, barriers to working with families are not attribute to perceived lack of knowledge, skills, or lack of institutional support.

Two structural dimensions underlying the Family Nursing Skills Confidence Scale are identified as family assessment and psychoeducation skills. The findings indicate that Thai psychiatric nurses report relatively high levels of confidence in both family assessment and psychoeducation skills.

The older, higher clinically positioned, and experienced nurses perceive fewer barriers to working with families. Nurses with higher academic degrees perceive more confidence in both family assessment and psychoeducation skills, and those in higher clinical positions report more confidence in family assessment skills. Nurses who attend hospital inservice programs perceive fewer barriers to working with families, and report higher levels of confidence in family assessment skills.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-01, Section: B, page: 0176.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER, 1994.

School code: 0806.