Types and severity of interpersonal problems in Australian mental health carers

Authors

Elly L. Quinlan, University of WollongongFollow
Frank P. Deane, University of WollongongFollow
Trevor P. Crowe, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

141570

Publication Details

Quinlan, E., Deane, F. & Crowe, T. (2020). Types and severity of interpersonal problems in Australian mental health carers. Counselling Psychology Quarterly,

Abstract

2020, 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Mental health carers frequently report interpersonal difficulties in their caring relationship. This exploratory study aims to examine the interpersonal problems of mental health carers from the perspective of the interpersonal circumplex. A cross-sectional survey design was utilised with 147 participants. Mental health carers displayed higher mean interpersonal problems than a community sample, and descriptive proportions indicated 17.7% experienced interpersonal problems of significant difficulty. Shorter-term carers obtained higher scores on the Overly Accommodating domain, longer-term carers scored higher on the Vindictive/Self-centred domain. The care-receivers' mental health diagnosis was not associated with domains of interpersonal problems. Severity of mental health was associated with lower scores on the Overly Accommodating domain. There were no differences between being a parent or spouse carer. Results highlight the importance of understanding mental health carers' interpersonal profiles in order to guide treatment planning.