At the moment there is very little research on how to improve the wellbeing of people who are supporting someone with a severe mental illness (SMI). Help researchers from the University of Oxford Department of Experimental Psychology fill this gap. They are exploring whether wellbeing is related to attending different kinds of social groups (e.g. support groups, clubs and group activities), or not.
Video
Here is a quick video about the research:
Who is it for?
Their online anonymous survey is for caregivers of someone with an SMI, whether or not you attend social groups – they are keen to hear from you either way. You must be adult (18years+) and based in the UK to take part.
You do not have to identify as a ‘carer/caregiver’– if you provide unpaid emotional/practical help/support to someone close (emotionally and/or geographically) to you, who is aged 16 or over, and who could not cope without your support due to SMI, then this survey is for you.
By SMI the researchers mean psychosis, bipolar disorder, eating disorders or ‘complex emotional needs’/’personality disorders’.
How to participate
The survey takes about 40 minutes – you can take breaks and return to it as long as you use the same internet browser and complete it within 1 week.
To take part and for more information click here: https://tinyurl.com/CaregiverSMIWellbeingOrgs
Further information
You can also contact the researchers Dr Eiluned Pearce (eiluned.pearce@psy.ox.ac.uk or 07775229377), Dr Lorna Hogg (lorna.hogg@hmc.ox.ac.uk) and Dr Shama El-Salahi (Shama.ElSalahi@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk) with questions and comments. The study has been approved by the Central University Research Ethics Committee (Reference: MS IDREC 2204969).
Thank you for your help and please spread the word.
Research poster
