The Meaning of Social Support for Persons With Serious Mental Illness: A Family Member Perspective

Objective: Social support is essential to the health and well-being of persons with serious mental illness (SMI), and family members are a primary source of this support. Despite the primary role of family in the lives of persons with SMI, family is an understudied source of support. This study investigated the types of social support beneficial for persons with SMI from the perspective of family members. Method: Participants were 14 adult family members recruited from a Bay Area National Alliance on Mental Illness who provided regular support for a family member with SMI. Focus group data was analyzed using NVivo10 and consensual qualitative research. Results: Results revealed five support categories: (a) person-centered support, (b) autonomy support, (c) community participation support, (d) health management support. and (e) day-to-day living support. Discussion: Participants described family supports that are conceptually distinct from traditional models of social support and uniquely tied to SMI-related stressors. Findings are also aligned with the mental health recovery model and self-determination theory. Conclusion: Results advance our understanding of SMI-specific types of social support by describing five support categories grounded in the voices of family members supporting a loved one with SMI.