Med hjälp av folk och fä : Att återhämta sig från psykisk ohälsa i lantlig miljö

Sammanfattning: Abstract Authors: Mikael Gustafsson & Kristofer von Wachenfeldt Title: With help from people and cattle; to recover from mental illness in a rural environment [translated title] Supervisor: Kent-Inge Perseius Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine feelings of recovery from mental illness in the perspective of individuals participating in Nymålen; a rural- situated facility focusing on recreation- and work- related interventions. The study took place outside of Oskarshamn, Sweden. The study focused on if, and in that case how, Nymålen contributes to recovery from mental illness. We were also interested in which factors affecting the recovery-process, as expressed by the participants themselves. Method: Eight individuals from Nymålen participated in individually performed semi- structured interviews. The collected data was then coded and categorized to enable further analysis by using Qualitative content analysis inspired by Graneheim & Lundman (2003). Latent themes that described the underlying meaning of the material were then extracted, using an analysis inspired by Robert K. Merton’s (1967) thesis on manifest and latent functions. Results: The findings of this study suggest that Nymålen in some ways contributes to feelings of recovery from mental illness. Nymålens environment including animals, a feeling of non- demanding chores, perceptive personnel and a positive interaction between the participants were the expressed main factors contributing to recovery from mental illness. Factors interrupting the recovery process were also detected, mainly an unhealthy feeling of competition between the participants, the lack of personnel and feelings of neglect from other psychiatric institutions. Keywords: Recovery, Mental illness, Animals, Rural, Rehabilitation, Qualitative content analysis