News

Project « Learning to get closer without agressiveness»
Principal investigators and stakeholders: J.P. Bonin, C. Larue, J.-F. Pelletier, H. Racine, H. Fradet, O. Beaudoin

Summary: “Learning to get closer without aggressiveness” is an innovative aggression management training was created by and for family members of persons with mental disorders and showing aggressive behavior. The project was developed by mental health nurses in Quebec who are RRISIQ’s members.
Mental disorders are currently in 2nd place after cardiovascular disease and before cancer when taking into account mortality, degree and duration of disability they cause. In addition, by 2020, the global burden of mental diseases worldwide will represent 15% of all diseases, and depression will be the leading cause of disability. This creates a new social and economic burden, and the consequences are felt especially with families and relatives of the person with a mental health problem. Indeed, the written report that between 10% and 40% of affected relatives showed aggressive behavior since the diagnosis, and between 50% and 65% of these behaviors are perpetrated against family members. However, these results are probably underestimated because families tend to under-report the violence.

As part of a research project funded by CIHR, and in order to address this lack of support offered to close caregivers, training tailored by and for family members, "Learning to get closer without aggressiveness" (ASRSA) was created. This training has as main objective to help caregivers to better cope with aggressive behavior of their loved ones and ensure their safety. Thus, in summer 2012, 14 family caregivers of a person with mental disorders were inspired by the Omega training and their experience to adapt and create ASRSA training. Now, 23 parents are offering training in various community organizations working with parents of a loved one with mental illness. About 30 courses were offered and 500 family members participated to these courses.

Preliminary results of our evaluation show a significant improvement in the mental health of their loved one (p = .012) as well as their own (p = .0001), a better quality of life (p = .036), a decrease in the sense of being overtaken by events (p = .014) and less psychological distress (p = .012), anxiety (p = .003) frustration (p = .042) and decreased verbal aggression of their loved one (p = .017). The qualitative results also demonstrate the benefits of this training and among both the caregivers and the loved one with mental disorders (Chicoine 2014). In addition, a grant from RRISIQ has enabled us to make four videos describing the perception of the families of their training experience or participant in this project.

Although these results are promising, the sustainability of the project remains to be done because with the end of the project funding, it will be difficult to continue providing this training throughout Quebec. However, the research team trainers and members of families of the project are actively working about solutions to continue this training in all associations that are helping families of people with mental disorders in Quebec. Developments are also expected in the forthcoming months following a RRISIQ grant for a pilot project obtained by our team to verify the feasibility of including person with mental disorder in training, which would be a significant innovation in supporting families of people with mental disorders with a perspective of recovery.