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Consumer-survivors (C/Ss) identify peer support as a resource that facilitates their recovery. However, little is known about the factors that influence or how the peer support relationship (PSR) develops/deteriorates. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the PSR within the subculture of mental health. Using an ethnonursing method, the study focused on informants from two C/S organizations who received peer support (n = 14). Findings revealed that the PSRs may develop or deteriorate through three, overlapping phases. Contextual factors that influenced the development/deterioration of the PSR are discussed. Understanding the processes and factors that contribute to the development/deterioration of PSRs will enable clinicians and C/Ss to assess and promote the development of healthy, supportive PSRs in mental health.

An ethnonursing method was selected to explore and describe nursing support relationships, from the perspectives of recipients, within the mental health subculture. Data sources consisted of three semi-structured client interviews (n = 14) and field notes. When nurses were described as nice and friendly, and validated the client as a person by listening, three overlapping phases of development emerged from the data. These included: a glimmer of help, exploring and problem solving, and saying goodbye. When clients had negative experiences with nurses, they felt a lack of trust towards nurses and felt that their feelings were left unexplored. As a result, the relationships deteriorated. Deterioration began immediately in the first phase called withholding, and continued through the phases of avoiding and ignoring, and struggling with and making sense of. These findings raise healthcare providers' awareness about developing and deteriorating nurse-client relationships, and support the value of the therapeutic relationship as an instrument to restore and promote clients' health.

Appropriate pre- and post-migration strategies could buffer the possible negative impact of migration and assist in settlement. This cross-sectional study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to establish the impact of migration on women from Britain (n = 154) now living in Perth, Western Australia; from these participants 40 were selected for in-depth interview. Bowlby's grieving process was used as a theoretical framework to explore grief reactions to leaving the homeland (homesickness) resulting from exposure to a new culture. Crucial to successful settlement was the nature of strategies the women used to negotiate the grieving process. Participants who successfully settled and re-invented themselves engaged in more social, cultural and country activities--those participants who were less successful in this endeavour tended toward more solitary strategies. The study has social implications for future migrants to utilize appropriate strategies that could reduce the psychological impact of relocation.