2020 Volume 31 Pages 125-131
[Objective] The present study aimed to promote students’ understanding of community living support for individuals with mental disorders based on an analysis of students’ practical training records from psychiatric nursing practical training in the community. [Methods] Analysis was performed according to B. Berelson’s content analysis methodology. [Results] Practical training record analysis generated 450 recording units. These were grouped into two core categories, ‘Users active at community living support centers’ and ‘User support and connection with the local community’, containing the following six categories:“ Community living support centers as places”,“ Actual user activities”,“ Characteristics of users who shared activities”,“ Support for users”,“ The connection between community living support centers and local communities”, and“ How to support users in the future”. [Discussion] Students recognized the importance of a place for‘ Users active at community living support centers’ to engage in daytime activities and the sociality fostered through the activities. Changes in students’ perspectives towards users were also identified. Recognizing the importance of‘ User support and connection with the local community’, students gave deeper thought on how to support users in the future. [Conclusion] Regarding user support and connection with the local community, students believed that support should help users to live with their desired self-agency and that users’ quality of life can be increased by helping them to live in society connected to the community so that mutual understanding with community members can deepen. While students hoped for creation of a social environment in which healthy and disabled individuals help each other, they were also able to recognize the realities that impede social rehabilitation.
