{
  "abstract": "Background:: Inpatient psychiatric admission remains a key intervention in severe mental illness; however, less is known about how informal carers perceive these settings. A meta-review, that is, a systematic review of systematic reviews, was conducted to synthesise factors shaping carers’ perceptions of inpatient psychiatric hospitals.\n\nMethod:: MEDLINE, PsycINFO and EMBASE were systematically searched for eligible reviews. Methodological quality was appraised using the AMSTAR-2 framework adapted for qualitative evidence, excluding reviews rated “Critically Low.” Thematic synthesis was used to detect key overarching factors that generalised across multiple reviews.\n\nResults:: Seventeen systematic reviews were included, from which five key themes were identified: exclusion and disempowerment; communication and information deficits; emotional and care burden; systemic barriers and crisis-driven pathways and a desire for partnership and collaborative care.\n\nConclusion:: Carers frequently described experiencing marginalisation, confidentiality being applied in exclusionary ways, as well as fragmented services, particularly around involuntary admission and discharge. Findings highlight modifiable targets for practice, including family-inclusive routines, transparent information-sharing and structured involvement in treatment and discharge planning, which are crucial given the elevated post-discharge suicide risk. Addressing these factors may reduce carer burden, strengthen trust and improve perceptions of quality and safety in inpatient psychiatric care. Limitations of this meta-review and directions for future research are discussed.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia",
    "Concord Centre for Mental Health, Sydney Local Health District, NSW Health, Australia"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Katarina Khitra"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Matthew Modini",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7724-3041"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Maree J Abbott"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2215f44qmwf47.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1177/00048674261478446",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13716979/",
  "id": "2215f44qmwf47",
  "issns": [
    "0004-8674",
    "1440-1614"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1177/00048674261478446",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Articles"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Review"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3203|Family Caregiving in Mental Illness"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7203694785",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13716979",
  "pmid": "42610443",
  "published": "2026-08-18",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2215f44qmwf47.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:21:23Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13716979",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1177/00048674261478446"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:3203|Family Caregiving in Mental Illness",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Carer perceptions of inpatient psychiatric hospitals and the treatment of their loved ones: A meta-review of the literature",
  "title_text": "Carer perceptions of inpatient psychiatric hospitals and the treatment of their loved ones: A meta-review of the literature",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-02T12:21:23Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2215f44qmwf47",
  "venue": "The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry",
  "versions": []
}