Chapter 3 54 from large samples of patients sharing experiences with family planning in relation to various mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, traumatic experiences, or personality disorders. Additionally, the view of those with close relationships to the patient, i.e., spouses or broader partners, family members, or close friends (from now on named ‘close ones’) on family planning is generally not included in studies. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the perspective on family planning from patients with mental health problems and their close ones. We hypothesize that patients and close ones experience various difficulties regarding family planning and subsequently have the desire to discuss family planning with mental health professionals. Understanding the patient’s perspective will help to tailor family planning counseling to the needs of patients with mental health problems and their close ones. Materials and methods The current study reports the results from a survey that was electronically dispersed in June 2022 among a panel of (former) patients and close ones (the MIND mental health care panel) and was available for four weeks. MIND is a Dutch association for former or current patients with mental health problems and close ones of (former) patients with mental health problems. MIND represents the whole spectrum of mental health (www.wijzijnmind.nl (accessed on 1-12-2022)). Members of the MIND panel are recruited among the public with a request for participation ‘’Do you have experience with mental health problems yourself or as a close one?’’. There are no other selection criteria. The panel consists of 4200 (former) patients and close ones. The members of the panel are invited to complete surveys through an email invitation approximately 10 times a year. The current survey was developed in close collaboration with the association of patient and relative organizations MIND and a patient–investigator, who is part of the research team (ME). In addition, an expert panel consisting of members of MIND, in addition to a pediatrician, an infant mental health specialist, a gynecologist, a child psychiatrist, an epidemiologist, and two psychiatrists with experience in the field of mental health and family planning, were consulted. The 34 questions, provided in the Dutch language, were a combination of open questions with free-form text fields, multiple choice questions, and 5-point Likert scales. The estimated time to populate the questionnaire was 10–15 min. The first question category regarded patient histories of mental health problems (both diagnosed and self-reported problems), psychoactive medication use, pregnancies including elective abortion and unintended pregnancies, and childlessness. The second question category regarded the perceived relation
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