The recontextualisation of youth wellbeing in Australian schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 321-340
Author(s):  
Susan Whatman ◽  
Roberta Thompson ◽  
Katherine Main
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
National Policy ◽  
State Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
School Based

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to suggest how well-being messages are recontextualized into school-based contexts from an analysis of national policy and state curricular approaches to health education as reported in the findings of two selected case studies as well as community concerns about young people’s well-being. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional review of Australian federal and state-level student well-being policy documents was undertaken. Using two case examples of school-based in-curricular well-being programs, the paper explores how discourses from these well-being policy documents are recontextualized through progressive fields of translation and pedagogic decision making into local forms of curriculum. Findings Pedagogic messages about well-being in Australia are often extra-curricular, in that they are rarely integrated into one or across existing subject areas. Such messages are increasingly focused on mental health, around phenomena such as bullying. Both case examples clearly demonstrate how understandings of well-being respond to various power relations and pressures emanating from stakeholders within and across official pedagogic fields and other contexts such as local communities. Originality/value The paper focusses on presenting an adaptation of Bernstein’s (1990) model of social reproduction of pedagogic discourse. The adapted model demonstrates how “top-down” knowledge production from the international disciplines shaping curriculum development and pedagogic approaches can be replaced by community context-driven political pressure and perceived community crises. It offers contemporary insight into youth-at-risk discourses, well-being approaches and student mental health.

Health literacy and mental health of school principals. Results from a German cross-sectional survey

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Dadaczynski ◽  
Claudia Kotarski ◽  
Katharina Rathmann ◽  
Orkan Okan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Characteristics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type

PurposeSchool principals are generally seen as key facilitators for the delivery and long-term implementation of activities on school health promotion, including health literacy. However, there is little evidence on the health literacy and health status of this occupational group. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the health literacy of school principals and its association with mental health indicators.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional online survey with German school principals and members of the management board (vice principals) was conducted (n = 680, 68.3% female). Demographic (gender, age) and work characteristics (type of school, professional role) as well as health literacy served as independent variables. Mental health as a dependent variable included well-being, emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic complaints. Next to uni- and bivariate analysis, a series of binary logistic regression models was performed.FindingsOf the respondents, 29.2% showed a limited health literacy with significant differences to the disadvantage of male principals. With regard to mental health, respondents aged over 60 years and those from schools for children with special educational needs were less often affected by low well-being as well as frequent emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic complaints. Taking into account demographic and work characteristics, regression models revealed significant associations between a low level of health literacy and poor mental health across all indicators.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross-sectional nature of this study does not allow to draw conclusions about the causal pathways between health literacy and mental health. Although the sample has been weighted, the results cannot be generalized to the whole population of school principals. There is a need for evidence-based interventions aiming at promoting health literacy and mental health tailored to the needs of school principals.Originality/valueThis is the first study to investigate health literacy and its association with health indicators among school principals.

scholarly journals Resilience, well-being, depression symptoms and concussion levels in equestrian athletes

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika McGivern ◽  
Stephen Shannon ◽  
Gavin Breslin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
History Of

Purpose This paper aims to conduct the first cross-sectional survey on depression, Resilience, well-being, depression symptoms and concussion levels in equestrian athletes and to assess whether past concussion rates were associated with depression, resilience and well-being. Design/methodology/approach In total, 511 participants from Canada, Republic of Ireland, UK, Australia and USA took part in an international cross-sectional, online survey evaluating concussion history, depression symptoms, resilience and well-being. Findings In total, 27.1% of athletes met clinically relevant symptoms of major depressive disorder. Significant differences were shown in the well-being and resilience scores between countries. Significant relationships were observed between reported history of concussion and both high depression scores and low well-being scores. Practical implications Findings highlight the need for mental health promotion and support in equestrian sport. Social implications Results support previous research suggesting a need for enhanced mental health support for equestrians. There is reason to believe that mental illness could still be present in riders with normal levels of resilience and well-being. Originality/value This study examined an understudied athlete group: equestrian athletes and presents important findings with implications for the physical and mental health of this population.

Journey to diagnosis for women with autism

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dori Zener
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Clinical Approach ◽  
Autism Diagnosis ◽  
Mental Strain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Autism Phenotype

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the barriers that girls and women face in receiving an accurate and timely autism diagnosis. The journey to late-in-life diagnosis will be explored with a focus on mental health and well-being. The aim is to improve the awareness of the female autism phenotype to provide access to early identification and appropriate supports and services.Design/methodology/approachThe author’s clinical experience as an individual, couple and family therapist specializing in girls and women with autism informs the paper. Research on co-occurring mental health experience and diagnoses are reviewed and combined with case examples to outline the themes leading to and obscuring autism diagnosis.FindingsFemales with autism are less likely to be diagnosed or are identified much later than their male counterparts. Living with unidentified autism places significant mental strain on adults, particularly females. Achieving a late-in-life diagnosis is very valuable for adults and can improve self-awareness and access to limited support.Practical implicationsMental health professionals will develop a better understanding of the overlap between autism and psychiatric conditions and should consider autism in females who are seeking intervention.Originality/valueThis paper provides a clinical approach to working with autistic girls and women. This knowledge can complement the existing research literature and help build the foundation for a greater understanding of the female autism phenotype.

Prevalence and association of discrimination and bullying and the impact on mental health in an occupational setting

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Stratton ◽  
Michael J. Player ◽  
Ariane Dahlheimer ◽  
Isabella Choi ◽  
Nicholas Glozier
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Occupational Setting ◽  
Male Dominated ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact

PurposeDiscrimination and bullying contribute to mental ill-health in the workplace. At face value, they would seem linked but are often dealt with by different legislations. Workplace studies generally focus on bullying and population studies on discrimination. The authors aimed to evaluate the prevalence and relationship of discrimination and bullying in a male-dominated workforce, associated factors and relative impact on mental ill-health.Design/methodology/approachAn online cohort survey was conducted amongst employees of an Australian mining company, measuring discrimination, bullying, demographics and workplace and health factors over two months. Cross-sectional and prospective analyses assessed the prevalence of each, their association and their effects on depression and anxiety.FindingsA total of 580 employees (82% male) participated. There was no association between workplace bullying (n = 56, 9.7%) and discrimination (n = 160, 27.6%). Discrimination, but not bullying, was associated with higher depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation and lower well-being and resilience. After controlling for demographic, workplace and health and well-being factors, depression had the main effect on discrimination ß = 0.39, p = 0.003. Discrimination predicted an increase in depression scores at follow-up F (1, 129) = 4.88, p = 0.029.Originality/valueIn this male-dominated industry, discrimination was more prevalent than bullying. Discrimination, but not bullying, was associated with poorer mental health both cross sectionally and prospectively. Supporting the need to assess and manage discrimination and bullying in the workplace independently and the need for interventions to reduce a broader range of adverse interpersonal behaviours.

scholarly journals Postsecondary Mental Health Policy in Canada: A Scoping Review of the Grey Literature: Politique de santé mentale post-secondaire au Canada: un examen de la portée de la littérature grise

2020 ◽  
pp. 070674372096173
Author(s):  
Caitlin Monaghan ◽  
Brooke Linden ◽  
Heather Stuart
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Mental Health Policy ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Postsecondary Institutions ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Health And Well Being

Objective: Concerns surrounding the mental health and well-being of Canadian postsecondary students have increased in recent years, with data suggesting increases in the prevalence of self-reported stress and psychological distress. Strategies to address postsecondary mental health have emerged at the national, provincial, and institutional levels. While reviews of the academic literature on the subject have been conducted, a detailed review of the grey literature has not. The objective of this study was to map the current state of grey literature related to current or recommended action supporting postsecondary mental health and well-being in Canada, with a focus on policy documents and guiding frameworks. Methods: We conducted a review following Arksey and O’Malley’s 5-step framework for scoping reviews, as well as the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Our search was restricted to documents with a primary focus on postsecondary mental health, a national or provincial scope, and publication date between 2000 and 2019. Results: While a national policy or guiding framework applicable to all postsecondary institutions across Canada does not yet exist, recommendations for policy at both the national and provincial levels were well aligned, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing mental health services through the use of a whole-campus approach that encompasses both upstream and downstream services. Conclusion: Postsecondary sector stakeholders should consider how existing policy documents and guiding frameworks can be used to inform evidence-based, institutionally specific action on postsecondary mental health. More work is required to align the fragmented action occurring across Canada and incentivize postsecondary institutions to create a sustainable, effective strategy to address the increasingly complex and unique mental health needs of their students, staff, and faculty.

Characteristics of school-based health services associated with students’ mental health

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Denny ◽  
Hamish Howie ◽  
Sue Grant ◽  
Ross Galbreath ◽  
Jennifer Utter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Health Services ◽  
School Health ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
School Based

Objective School-based health services (SBHS) have been shown to improve access to mental health services but the evidence of their effectiveness on students’ mental health is lacking. Our objective was to examine associations between variation in the provision of SBHS and students’ mental health. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative health and well-being survey of 8500 New Zealand high school students conducted in March–November 2012. Students’ mental health is related to data on school health services obtained from clinic leaders and clinicians from 90 participating high schools. Results After adjustment for socio-demographic differences in students between schools, increasing levels of services were associated with progressively lower levels of student-reported depressive symptoms (p = 0.002), emotional and behavioural difficulties (p = 0.004) and suicidality (p = 0.008). Services with greater levels of nursing hours (p = 0.02) and those that performed routine, comprehensive psychosocial assessments (p = 0.01) were both associated with lower levels of student-reported depressive symptoms. Greater levels of nursing hours and doctor hours were associated with lower self-reported suicidality among students. Conclusions Although a causal association between school-based health services and students’ mental health cannot be demonstrated, these findings support the benefit of such services and the need for a cluster randomized trial.

Cultivating compassion through compassion circles: learning from experience in mental health care in the NHS

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Clark ◽  
Andy Bradley ◽  
Laura Simms ◽  
Benna Waites ◽  
Alister Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Current Concerns ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the importance of compassion in health care and experiences of Compassion Circles (CCs) in supporting it, placing this into the national policy context of the National Health Service (NHS), whilst focusing on lessons from using the practice in mental health care. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper is a discussion of the context of compassion in health care and a description of model and related concepts of CCs. This paper also discusses lessons from implementation of CCs in mental health care. Findings CCs were developed from an initial broad concern with the place of compassion and well-being in communities and organisations, particularly in health and social care after a number of scandals about failures of care. Through experience CCs have been refined into a flexible model of supporting staff in mental health care settings. Experience to date suggests they are a valuable method of increasing compassion for self and others, improving relationships between team members and raising issues of organisational support to enable compassionate practice. Research limitations/implications This paper is a discussion of CCs and their conceptual underpinnings and of insights and lessons from their adoption to date, and more robust evaluation is required. Practical implications As an emergent area of practice CCs have been seen to present a powerful and practical approach to supporting individual members of staff and teams. Organisations and individuals might wish to join the community of practice that exists around CCs to consider the potential of this intervention in their workplaces and add to the growing body of learning about it. It is worth further investigation to examine the impact of CCs on current concerns with maintaining staff well-being and engagement, and, hence, on stress, absence and the sustainability of work environments over time. Social implications CCs present a promising means of developing a culture and practice of more compassion in mental health care and other care contexts. Originality/value CCs have become supported in national NHS guidance and more support to adopt, evaluate and learn from this model is warranted. This paper is a contribution to developing a better understanding of the CCs model, implementation lessons and early insights into impact.

Mental health patterns during COVID-19 in emergency medical services (EMS)

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sílvia Monteiro Fonseca ◽  
Sara Faria ◽  
Sónia Cunha ◽  
Márcio Silva ◽  
M. Joaquina Ramos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Health Patterns

PurposeThis study aims to explore patterns of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel's mental health, regarding their levels of anxiety, depression, stress, COVID-19 anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and well-being; and to explore variables that contribute to these patterns, among sociodemographic/professional and COVID-19 experience variables.Design/methodology/approachParticipants were 214 EMS personnel, who answered the Patient-Health Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Well-Being Questionnaire and COVID-19 related questions.FindingsEMS personnel showed an adequate psychological adjustment during COVID-19. Two clusters/patterns were found: the poorly (34%) and the well (66%) psychologically-adjusted. Personnel's age, COVID-19 fear and workplace security measures' adequacy contributed to which pattern they were more likely to belong to.Research limitations/implicationsDespite being cross-sectional and not controlling for pre-COVID-19 data, this study adds to the COVID-19 literature. Findings call for the need to explore: other COVID-19 fears; how personnel perceive workplace security measures; COVID-19 valid instruments; pre-COVID-19 data; and mental health patterns with different rescuers.Practical implicationsFindings explored EMS personnel's patterns of mental health during the COVID-19, as well as its covariates. Results allow to better prepare emergency management, which can develop prevention strategies focused on older professionals, COVID-19 related fears and how personnel assess security measures.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the scarce literature focused on COVID-19 mental health patterns instead of focussing on isolated mental health variables, as well as what contributes to these patterns. Moreover, it is one of the few studies that focused on EMS personnel rather than hospital staff.

Engaging leadership in the job demands-resources model

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 446-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilmar B. Schaufeli
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to integrate leadership into the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. Based on self-determination theory, it was argued that engaging leaders who inspire, strengthen, and connect their followers would reduce employee’s levels of burnout and increase their levels of work engagement. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was conducted among a representative sample of the Dutch workforce (n=1,213) and the research model was tested using structural equation modeling. Findings – It appeared that leadership only had an indirect effect on burnout and engagement – via job demands and job resources – but not a direct effect. Moreover, leadership also had a direct relationship with organizational outcomes such as employability, performance, and commitment. Research limitations/implications – The study used a cross-sectional design and all variables were based on self-reports. Hence, results should be replicated in a longitudinal study and using more objective measures (e.g. for work performance). Practical implications – Since engaged leaders, who inspire, strengthen, and connect their followers, provide a work context in which employees thrive, organizations are well advised to promote engaging leadership. Social implications – Leadership seems to be a crucial factor which has an indirect impact – via job demands and job resources – on employee well-being. Originality/value – The study demonstrates that engaging leadership can be integrated into the JD-R framework.

scholarly journals Performers of the night: Examining the mental health of electronic music artists

2021 ◽  
pp. 030573562097698
Author(s):  
Jolan Kegelaers ◽  
Lewie Jessen ◽  
Eline Van Audenaerde ◽  
Raôul RD Oudejans
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Sleep Disturbance ◽  
Electronic Music ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Music Performance Anxiety ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Levels Of Functioning

Despite growing popular interest for the mental health of electronic music artists, scientific research addressing this topic has remained largely absent. As such, the aim of the current study was to examine the mental health of electronic music artists, as well as a number of determinants. Using a cross-sectional quantitative design, a total of 163 electronic music artists participated in this study. In line with the two-continua model of mental health, both symptoms of depression/anxiety and well-being were adopted as indicators for mental health. Furthermore, standardized measures were used to assess potential determinants of mental health, including sleep disturbance, music performance anxiety, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, occupational stress, resilience, and social support. Results highlighted that around 30% of participants experienced symptoms of depression/anxiety. Nevertheless, the majority of these participants still demonstrated at least moderate levels of functioning and well-being. Sleep disturbance formed a significant predictor for both symptoms of depression/anxiety and well-being. Furthermore, resilience and social support were significant predictors for well-being. The results provide a first glimpse into the mental health challenges experienced by electronic music artists and support the need for increased research as well as applied initiatives directed at safeguarding their mental health.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document