Social inclusion in individuals with mental health problems

Introduction

This study aims to explore social inclusion in individuals with severe mental health problems, using a measure of Social Inclusion (SInQUE) developed and piloted by the applicants two years ago. The measure will undergo further validation and reliability testing on a population of 200 individuals with a range of mental health conditions, who are currently under the care of secondary mental health services. In order to establish the relative contribution of mental disorder to a lack of social inclusion, siblings of service user participants will also be asked to complete the SInQUE.

The research team will conduct in depth interviews with 10-12 individual service users and conduct 4 focus groups with mental health professionals and siblings to explore their understanding of the nature of and reasons for lack of social inclusion and to begin to model an intervention to improve social inclusion. The aim of the research is to be able to identify which individuals and groups may be most at risk of social exclusion and to develop more targeted interventions to improve social inclusion, in order to improve health and social outcomes in this group.