Privacy, meetings and rejections - a qualitative study of everyday life among young persons with psychiatric disabilities

This study explores how young persons with psychiatric disabilities experience everyday life according to places, social relationships and activities, using semi-structured, in-depth interviews and site-maps. Qualitative content analysis was chosen for analyzing the interviews in comparison with information from the sitemaps. Respondents spent most of their time in the private arena, in their own homes, and the homes of their parents. Many also spent time in the semi-private arena, in places such as day centres and care settings. Some also spent time in the public arena, especially the neighbourhood. They experienced all three arenas both positively and negatively and associated each one with self-determination and community, as well as with demands and solitude. Young people’s activities and experiences were formed by the various arenas and by their social relationships, as well as by specific strategies for handling different situations.