The Experience and Meaning of Relationships for People with Psychosis in a Rehabilitation Service: An Interpretative Phenomenological Approach

Introduction: There has been a wealth of literature that has looked at social functioning in individuals with experiences of psychosis. Most of this has been quantitative research and has tended to suggest that social difficulties may be due to a social cognition deficit such as an impaired Theory of Mind. The present study aimed to give voice to people with experiences of psychosis and explore their own understanding of their relationships with others, including how they make sense of any difficulties they might experience.

Method: A qualitative approach was used to explore the experience and meaning of relationships for people with psychosis. Five participants recruited from a local Rehabilitation service were interviewed using a semi-structured format. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Participants also completed The Hinting Task, a test to measure Theory of Mind ability. Analysis was done on an individual and group level.

Results: Three superordinate themes emerged from the group analysis: 1) Feeling connected to important others 2) Having psychosis can get in the way of relationships
3) Being cautious around others.

Discussion: The participants seemed to make sense of their relationships in terms of what the relationships provided; this included support and recovery but also a sense of belonging. Negative experiences with important others, for example, experiencing stigma, were blamed on important others’ difficulties in understanding experiences of psychosis. In relation to the existing literature, the present study suggests that it may be too simplistic to suggest that difficulties interacting with others are due to a social cognition deficit. Clinical implications for improving service user’s experiences and further research are discussed.