ENDA Abstracts book Enda Abstract book 16_07_2017_1 | Page 33

Erla Kolbrun Svavarsdottir, Professor University of Iceland, Faculty of Nursing Eirberg, Eiriksgata 34, 101 Reykjavik IS [email protected] HOW DOES THE FAMILY STRENGTH ORIENTED THERAPEUTIC CONVERSATION ADVANCE PSYCHIATRIC NURSING PRACTICE? Background and Purpose: The healing power of therapeutic conversations between nurses and families dealing with chronic illnesses has recently received increased attention. Caregivers of adolescents with eating disorders (ED) have been found to experience stress, because they often experience guilt, shame or anger as well as being emotionally vulnerable and blamed for the illness. Therefore, these caregivers are in need of support from health care professionals. The purpose of this study was to develop and test The Family Strength Oriented Therapeutic Conversation intervention (FAM-SOTC) within psychiatric nursing practice. Method: The intervention consists of 5 key elements (1) drawing forward illness stories, (2) asking therapeutic questions, (3) identifying strength, resiliency and resources, (4) offering evidence based information and recommendations and (5) strengthening helpful beliefs and challenging hindering beliefs as well as establishing the therapeutic relationship and identification of the family relations. The effectiveness of the intervention was tested within a quasi-experimental study, among 18 partner caregivers (N=50 caregivers; 32 primary/18 partners). Results: Findings indicated significantly higher family support and significantly higher illness beliefs over three time periods, after the 5 session FAM-SOTC intervention, with large effect size. These partner caregivers indicated they were receiving useful information regarding cause, effect and control of the ED and were more aware of how their emotions related to the symptoms of the ED. Conclusion: The FAM-SOTC intervention is promising in that it has positive benefits for families of young individuals with ED and can easily been applied into psychiatric nursing practice. Keywords: Family Strength Oriented Therapeutic Conversation, Advanced Nursing Practice Congress Topics: Connecting, Sharing and Learning in Nursing 31 |