A study on the social support network for the students with mental illness in the universities of central Taiwan--- case management approach

• Main Authors: Yu Chun-Min, 游純敏
• Other Authors: 宋麗玉
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2000
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/36687696932481874203

碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 社會政策與社會工作學系 === 88 === Abstract The prevalence of mental illness shows a tendency of increase base on research findings. Among the persons with mental illness, 60% of them are chronic mentally ills and need continuous care. If a person onset while he/she is still in school, they might be back to school as their mental illness is under control. So far most schools view the student guidance center as the main source to support the students with mental illness; however, there are usually insufficient personnel and resources in the center. Under such circumstance, the investigator maintains that we need a social support network within the school to provide more support for the mental ill students. Since very few studies focused on this subject in Taiwan, the investigator conducted a qualitative study by interviewing the counselors in the universities of central Taiwan and constructed social support network models for university students with mental illness. This study interviewed eleven school personnel and concludes three type social networks: “The Abundance Model”, “ The Important Persons Model” and “The System Integration Model”. “The Abundance Model” includes all of the network persons and functions. “The Important Person Model” is base on the “The Abundant Model”. The difference is in that only the key persons constitute the primary network and other persons will be added in case of need. “The System Integration Model” is also derived from the “The Abundant Model”. But the network persons are classified into teaching subsystem, family subsystem, student guidance subsystem …etc.. There is one person who takes charge of each subsystem, while the case manager is responsible to integrate the persons and functions in each subsystem. In accord to the present situation in the universities, “The Important Persons Model” is the most effective one, however, “The System Integration Model” would be an ideal model. Some problems within the universities are also emerged: 1. Only the students with severe mental illness were identified, leaving others unfound. 2. The families couldn’t accept the fact of their children with the mental illness. 3. The mental ill students lack of the sense of illness and refuse any treatment. 4. Lack of medical personnel and standardized treatments. 5. Persons in the network lack of knowledge about mental illness and could not accept the patients or don’t know how to help them. 6. Lack of function of the class advisor. 7. Insufficient social support. 8. Low status of student guidance center in the university hierarchy, and lack of personnel. The implications of this study to social work are the following: To increase social workers’ understanding about the situation of the social network for mental ill students and to reveal the importance of including school social workers. It would be more effective for university social support network for mentally ill students if social workers are included in the team and work as the case manager to integrate social resources and advocate for the students.