International Journal of Mental Health Nursing最新文献

Forensic mental health nursing is a specialised area of practice. To guide practice, education and research, standards of practice for forensic mental health nursing were developed by senior nurses in Australia over two decades ago. The aim of this study was to review the existing standards of practice with forensic mental health nurses from a variety of countries to determine if these standards could be adapted and adopted as a set of international standards for the International Association of Forensic Mental Services. Eighteen nurses participated in one of four focus groups. Thematic analysis interpreted four themes: (1) Acknowledgment of the Standards; (2) Capturing the context in the standards; (3) The projected solution; and (4) The value of the Standards with three subthemes (i) Auditing of current practice (ii) Staff development and (iii) Conveying the specialty to others. There was support for a set of international forensic mental health nursing standards of practice; however, adaptations were considered necessary to ensure they captured the contemporary clinical context and were suitable for all settings where forensic mental health nurses practice. Updated standards may show promise in conveying the speciality, gauging practice and demonstrating the nursing contribution to care.

Trauma informed care has been taken up across healthcare as a way of delivering care. With evolving understandings of what it means to be trauma informed, and in response to some limitations with trauma informed care, trauma and violence informed care has been proposed as an alternative. There is currently a lack of clarity around what the concept of trauma and violence informed care means, why it is needed, what it encompasses and who it will benefit. This review uses a concept analysis method to systematically explore and refine the concept of trauma and violence informed care, with a particular focus on the implications of the concept for mental health nurses.

Quality of life (QoL) is a vital recovery outcome in schizophrenia but remains overshadowed by the clinical focus on symptom control. Mental health nurses can advance QoL through holistic, person-centred care, yet methodological inconsistencies limit its translation into practice. This systematic scoping review aimed to map the landscape of the QoL research by examining measurement approaches, influencing factors, evidence-based interventions, and emerging trends. Guided by the JBI methodology, seven databases were searched (2014–2024), with eight independent reviewers screening 180 out of 2394 studies and conducting a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer. Findings revealed substantial measurement heterogeneity—only 30% of studies used WHOQOL-BREF and 14% the QLS, undermining cross-study comparability. Five domains were consistently associated with QoL: sociodemographic, clinical, psychological, behavioural/functional, and environmental factors. Eighteen evidence-based interventions demonstrated benefits, including physical exercise, music therapy, and psychoeducation, while cognitive behavioural therapy showed no significant effect. Bibliometric analysis highlighted a shift from conceptual foundation (2018–2019) toward specialised interventions (2020–2021). Despite these advances, persistent measurement inconsistencies hinder the development of clinical guidance. Standardised assessment protocols, longitudinal studies, and effective implementation strategies are urgently needed. This synthesis provides an evidence-based framework to strengthen mental health care and nursing practice, fostering person-centred interventions that meaningfully improve QoL and long-term outcomes for people with schizophrenia.

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the developmental outcomes and caregiving burdens of the children and adolescents that have parents diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Following the Cochrane Handbook and the PRISMA guidelines, five electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PsycINFO) were systematically searched for studies published between January 2015 and December 2024. Eight quantitative studies met the inclusion criteria and were synthesised descriptively. The findings revealed that the children and adolescents of parents with schizophrenia spectrum disorders had a significantly higher risk of adverse outcomes across multiple developmental domains. They showed increased vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections, teenage pregnancies, and chronic diseases. Cognitive impairments, including poor working memory, processing speed, learning, and emotional recognition, were reported. Emotional and behavioural problems such as anxiety, depression, aggression, and low self-esteem were more frequent, while social difficulties included poorer peer relationships, lower academic achievement, and an increased likelihood of out-of-home placement. However, evidence regarding caregiving burdens, such as parentification or role reversals, was scarce, despite the potential relevance to this population. The review also determined that factors such as sex, age, family environment, and socioeconomic disadvantage amplified children and adolescents' vulnerabilities. In conclusion, the children and adolescents of parents with schizophrenia spectrum disorders face multidimensional developmental challenges; however, research on their caregiving burdens remains insufficient. Longitudinal studies across diverse populations are needed to clarify the long-term effects. The development of reliable tools to measure caregiving burdens is warranted. Interventions considering sex, age, and contextual factors, together with integrated family-centred support, are crucial for promoting resilience and reducing risks in these children and adolescents.

Trial Registration: PROSPERO database (CRD42025640649)

The increasing number of high emergency department (ED) users is a growing concern worldwide. Patients with mental disorders (MD) are among the largest contributors to high ED use. As high ED use is often seen as an indicator of a healthcare system's shortcomings, high ED users with MD may perceive unique barriers to care. Analysing the associated patient characteristics and service use along with structural and motivational barriers to outpatient care use could help explain the high ED use among patients with MD, and help recommend more patient-centered interventions. Data were extracted from a 2021–2022 survey and medical records of 182 high ED users with MD in four large ED networks from Quebec (Canada), including open-ended questions administered to 20 of these patients. A mixed methods approach (multivariable regression, thematic analysis) identified variables associated with the number of unmet care needs, and structural and motivational barriers to care explaining high ED use. The study partially confirmed its first hypothesis that patients with more health issues who were dissatisfied with services would have more barriers to care. The study confirmed its second hypothesis: structural barriers were more prevalent than motivational ones in relation to high ED use, and patients with high unmet needs had more care barriers than those with no unmet needs. Findings suggest services could be greatly improved to reduce high ED use, and that unmet needs should be investigated further to better address the care barriers of this vulnerable population.

Peer Navigation in mental health follows the success of similar roles in community health since the 1960s, with early intervention found during the HIV crisis and into cancer care. This integrative review identified existing studies outlining peer support and, in particular, navigation in mental health services. Three databases (CINAHL, Scopus, and PsycINFO) were systematically searched in July 2025, along with grey literature and hand searching. A total of 15 papers met the inclusion criteria. Studies that were not mental health-focussed, such as populations with cancer, HIV, or addictions specific, were excluded. Studies that focussed on the consumer movement or the inclusion of mental health consumers in research were also excluded, as they did not have relevance to the contribution of peer navigation roles to clinical mental health service delivery. Studies primarily reported program effects on continuum of care outcomes. Four themes were identified from the literature: (1) Benefits for families, significant others, and organisational cultural gain; (2) Being accountable to peers offers reciprocal gain; (3) Being understood as you navigate the system; and (4) A need for role clarity even when goals and values differ. Further research is required to capture the role mental health peer navigators play in promoting quality of life, mental health, self-advocacy, and management in diverse settings and populations. Peer programs are complex social interventions. This paper fills a gap in evaluating detailed information about peer navigators, their activities, the quality of peer engagement, as well as employee and community support structures to improve quality and impact. If we are to truly embrace the person with lived experience in partnerships for care delivery, then an understanding of the emergent role and contribution of the peer navigator is required.