Sustaining Healthy Relationships

Across the life course, our experiences in pre-natal and perinatal life, infancy,
childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age are shaped by the quality and
nature of our relationships with others (Boyd and Bee, 2014; Waddell, 2019). This
idea is the basis of attachment theory (Bowlby, 1988; Ainsworth, 1972), an integral
component to many mental health interventions. Further, based on the work of
Bronfenbrenner (1995) on environmental systems, we know that the quality of
relationships in one system of life (e.g. the family) will influence and be influenced by
the quality of relationships on other systems (e.g. school, the workplace). Thus, our
experiences of relationships directly influence our quality of life, wellbeing, and also
our capacity to fulfil our potential and be more productive in education, employment
and other domains (Beckett and Taylor, 2019; Waddell, 2019). Developing and
sustaining healthy relationships is integral to the functioning of all social systems in
which we live, including but not limited to, families and communities, education,
health and social care, employment, and criminal justice. Therefore, developing and
sustaining healthy relationships in all spheres of life is critical to the prosperity of
everyone in society (Dimmock et al. 2022; Hawkins, et al., 2022).
There is a well-established body of evidence on the benefits of good quality
relationships (e.g. Cannon & Murray, 2019; Dimmock et al, 2022), however there is a
gap in the literature regarding how relationships can promote wellbeing and life
chances for everyone in society. Knowledge of this evidence base is required to
contribute to and inform government policies, and also commissioning priorities, to
ensure that policies are meeting the needs for people in Northern Ireland today.
While the role of healthy relationships is understood by many, particularly those
working directly to promote them and to prevent and intervene on relationship-based
crises, the fundamental role of relationships is not explicitly identified in public policy,
which in turn affects commissioning priorities.
This project team undertook research to demonstrate the core role of relationships in
promoting wellbeing and life chances for everyone in society, which could be used to
influence and inform public policy to specifically embed the role of relationships as
protective and risk factors for meeting public policy objectives. The COVID-19
pandemic has highlighted further the importance of relationships, and both their
positive and negative impacts on families, communities, and services (Dimmock et
al., 2022; Goldstein and Flicker, 2021). The timing of this project is particularly
pertinent given the Mental Health Strategy 2021-2031 (Department of Health, 2021),
the COVID-19 context, and the recent local elections and NI Executive Programme
for Government to be implemented, making this an opportune moment to intervene
and influence policy to define and integrate relationship-based interventions into
public policy actions.