A qualitative study of the theoretical models used by UK mental health nurses to guide their assessments with family caregivers of people with dementia

Some researchers suggest that nurse training does not provide adequate theoretical knowledge to guide mental health nurses’ work with carers of people with dementia. In recent years theoretical guidance for working with carers has emerged in the nursing literature. However, little attention has been given to theory practice links. This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to investigate the theoretical model used by nurses to guide carer assessments. During the analysis the data evolved into a description of the model underlying the nurses’ work. In the discussion this model was compared with the stress process model (SPM). This comparison highlighted striking similarities between the themes in the nurses’ model of carer stress and the theoretical constructs of the SPM. However, the SPM describes influential links between different constructs which were absent in the nurses’ model. The research illustrates developmental training needs for mental health nursing to improve the efficacy of assessments and therefore, interventions.