Survivalkid(s): Online support for adolescents and young adults with a mentally ill family member

This thesis reports the development of an online supportive intervention for young people with a mentally ill family member— individuals who themselves are at increased risk of developing a mental illness. In order to take into account the experiential expertise of these young people, we reviewed the literature on the strengths they are reported to have acquired while living with their mentally ill family member and the resources they indicated were most helpful to them in coping.
The principles described in the literature were utilized in the development of Survivalkid.nl, an interactive, Internet-delivered, preventive intervention for this target group. The intervention was evaluated by comparing the number of individuals whom it reached with the number reached in face-to-face interventions. The number of visitors of the website was far greater than the number of individuals who participated in face-to-face interventions. Additionally, we studied how visitors of the website utilized the intervention. Participants in the online chat sessions were found to exchange a considerable amount of social support with one another. However, when a moderator was present, the amount of support exchanged among participants was limited.
Finally, in order to determine the information that is needed to improve services for families affected by mental illness, we reviewed earlier reports on priority research areas. Services described as most in need of development were family-focused interventions, evidence-based interventions, and strategies for reducing the stigma associated with mental illness.
Implications for future research and for clinical practice are discussed.