Supports provided by people with mental illnesses in a rehabilitation program in southern Taiwan: An exploratory study using social network analysis (China)

The contributions of people with mental illnesses to their families, communities, and societies by helping others are rarely explored. This study explored social network patterns of supportive behaviors offered by people with severe mental illnesses in a day care program for psychiatric rehabilitation in a medical center in Southern Taiwan, and examined relationships between psychopathology, quality of relationship, social contexts, and frequency of supportive behaviors. Out of 138 persons using services of the program, 92 were recruited and interviewed. Supports offered, and setting and activities when behaviors occurred, were collected by the adapted Interpersonal Citizenship Behaviors Scale. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Social Functioning Scale for Psychiatric Patients were rated. Social network data were analyzed by social network software.; The results showed that participants helped other persons in the program about seven times per week. Of these supportive behaviors, most were person-focused, followed by task-focused, and material-focused supportive behaviors. Person-focused supportive behaviors often occurred in casual time and in the corridor. Task-focused supportive behaviors often occurred in classes of vocational rehabilitation and in the classroom settings. Material-focused supportive behaviors often occurred outside the classroom during casual time. Social network analysis showed four distinct subgroups with different transactional patterns of giving-receiving.; Gender, age, diagnosis, severity and chronicity of psychopathology were not associated with frequency of supportive behaviors. Social functioning, and strength of relationship significantly predicted frequency of person-focused and total supportive behaviors. For task-focused supportive behaviors, people offered more supports under stronger relationship and conflict. For material-focused supportive behaviors, participants offered material-focused support more often in less important relationships.; These findings are robust to the few previous studies that examined support provision of people with mental illnesses in different contexts. The Guan-Xi theory within Chinese culture and social exchange theory elucidate the rules of support provision in this study. Environmental structures and values seem important in reinforcing support provision. Overall, the results challenge stereotypes that people with mental illnesses are isolated and self-preoccupied, and demonstrate the significance of social functioning, quality of relationship, and structured yet less-controlled environments in enabling offering support to surrounding people in communities.