What is it like to be friends with a young person with psychosis? A qualitative study

Abstract

Psychosis has a concerning social impact and can lead to significant reductions in social networks early in its course. There are serious developmental and illness-related implications of reduced social networks which make it important to understand why this occurs. This study aimed to explore the often neglected perspective of friends in order to advance our understanding of the reasons for breakdowns in relationships following the onset of psychosis. Seven friends were interviewed about their experience of being friends with a young person with psychosis. Constructivist Grounded Theory was used to analyse the transcripts and develop a theoretical model. The central category that emerged was “persisting with the friendship”, a chronological process that unfolded over time, from the point at which friends began to notice initial psychotic symptoms, through to thinking about what the future might hold for the young person with psychosis. A number of factors impacted on friends’ ability to persist with the friendship, five that hindered and six that helped. Future research might usefully examine the feasibility and desirability of working with friends within the context of peer interventions.

Keywords:

• early intervention
• friendships
• social networks
• psychosis
• qualitative research