Archetypes of Black Womanhood: Implications for Mental Health, Coping, and Help-Seeking

Summary Background: Immigrants have increased risk of a poor recovery from first episode psychosis (FEP). Early treatment can improve prognosis, but having an immigrant background may influence pathways to care. Method: We present research of service use and factors influencing treatment outcome in immigrants with FEP. Service use was assessed in in-patients at an early intervention center in Berlin, Germany. Duration of untreated psychosis and beliefs about illness was assessed in a FEP study in Oslo, Norway and cognitive functioning in patients with FEP schizophrenia from the regular mental health services in The Hague, the Netherlands. The proportion of immigrants in Berlin and Oslo was at level with the local populations, while the proportion in The Hague appeared to be higher. Result: There were clear indications that mental health literacy, probably based in different cultural expectations, were lower in first generation immigrants (FGI). Findings regarding clinical insight were ambiguous. There were also indications that FGI had more cognitive problems, based in higher stress levels or in cognitive styles. Early psychosis services must take issues of immigration and ethnicity into consideration.

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Students’ Perceived Public Stigma And Mental Health Help-Seeking Attitudes In Brunei Darussalam

10.15405/epsbs.2019.04.02.113 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Abdul Halim Mohamed

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Public Stigma ◽

Help Seeking Attitudes ◽

Brunei Darussalam

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Cultural Values Influence Mental-Health Help-Seeking in Asian and Latinx College Students

10.31234/osf.io/674h9 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Elayne Zhou ◽

Yena Kyeong ◽

Cecilia Cheung ◽

Kalina Michalska;Michalska

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Cultural Values ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Online Survey ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Help Seeking Behaviors ◽

Seeking Behavior ◽

Ethnic Group Membership

The current study examined the influence of cultural values on mental health attitudes and help-seeking behaviors in college students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Asian and Latinx college students (N = 159) completed an online survey in which they reported their adherence to cultural values and general attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking behavior. Factor analysis revealed two common factors of cultural values irrespective of ethnic background: Interdependent Orientation (IO) and Cultural Obligation (CO). Regardless of ethnicity, the more students endorsed IO values, the less likely they were to perceive a need for mental health treatment. IO value adherence also predicted more negative attitudes towards mental health. CO values were not predictive of perceived need or help-seeking behaviors. Findings highlight the importance of assessing certain cultural values independently from ethnicity and considering how the multidimensionality of culture may help explain shared mental health behaviors across ethnic group membership.

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Investigation of the “alternative” effects of an online support group for mental health problems among Japanese adults: A cross-sectional study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.21348 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Osamu Kobori ◽

Naoki Yoshinaga

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Support Groups ◽

Support Group ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Problems ◽

Online Support ◽

Online Support Groups ◽

Online Support Group ◽

Usage Frequency

BACKGROUND Owing to the rapid development of social networking services, online support groups vary widely both in goal and structure. Several studies have shown the potential effectiveness of online support groups, such as reducing psychological distress (eg depression) among individuals with mental health problems. However, online support groups often do not aim at effectiveness regarding distress-relief-related outcomes. OBJECTIVE The U2plus.jp (hereinafter U2plus) is an online support group for individuals with depression; in it, people support each other in structured ways while engaging in simple cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) exercises. This study aimed to examine if usage frequency of the U2plus functions are associated with decreased stigma and increased consumer. METHODS In total, 355 U2plus users took part in an online survey. They were asked what therapy they had ever received, how often they logged into it and used each of its functions, and completed the following questionnaires: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Perceived Devaluation Discrimination Scale, and the General Help Seeking Scale. RESULTS Regarding the therapy they received, 89.3% (n=308) had been on medication for mental health problems, and 67.5% (n=233) had received psychotherapy or mental health counselling. Regarding the usage frequency, approximately 20% of the participants signed in to U2plus and used its functions more than once a week. The usage frequency of U2plus functions was not associated with perceived stigma. However, usage frequency of some functions was correlated to help seeking intentions from formal sources (eg doctors and psychologists). Moreover, 90% of the participants had a history of medication for their mental health. Additionally, the more depressed participants were, the more frequently they used U2plus. CONCLUSIONS It was suggested that online support groups may serve as an alternative treatment option for those who are already undergoing pharmacological treatment and are willing to seek help from whatever source they deem helpful.

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Development of the Shift Smartphone App to Support the Emotional Wellbeing of Junior Doctors: Design of a Prototype and Results of Usability and Acceptability Testing (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.26370 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Isabelle Counson ◽

Alexandra Bartholomew ◽

Joanna Crawford ◽

Katherine Petrie ◽

Geetanjali Basarkod ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

User Experience ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Pilot Trial ◽

User Involvement ◽

Health Behaviours ◽

Junior Doctors ◽

User Centered Design ◽

Emotional Wellbeing ◽

Prototype Development

BACKGROUND Junior doctors report higher levels of psychological distress than more senior doctors and report several barriers to seeking professional mental health support, including concerns about confidentiality and career progression. Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) may be utilised to help overcome these barriers to assist the emotional wellbeing of this population and encourage help-seeking. OBJECTIVE We describe the development and pilot trial of the Shift mHealth app to provide an unobtrusive avenue for junior doctors to seek information about, and help for, wellbeing and mental health concerns that is sensitive to workplace settings. METHODS A 4-phase iterative development process was undertaken to create the content and features of Shift involving junior doctors, using principles of user-centered design. These four phases were: I) Needs assessment, based on interviews with 12 junior doctors; II) Prototype development with user experience feedback from two junior doctors; III) Evaluation, consisting of a pilot trial with 22 junior doctors to assess usability and acceptability of the initial prototype; and IV) Redesign, including user experience workshops with 51 junior doctors. RESULTS Qualitative results informed the content and design of Shift to ensure the app was tailored to junior doctors’ needs. The Shift app prototype contained cognitive-behavioural, mindfulness, value-based actions, and psychoeducational modules, as well as a tracking function visualising patterns of daily variations in mood and health behaviours. Pilot testing revealed possible issues with the organisation of the app content, which were addressed in a thorough restructuring and redesign of Shift with the help of junior doctors across three user experience workshops. CONCLUSIONS The current research demonstrates the importance of ongoing end-user involvement in the creation of a specialised mHealth app for a unique working population experiencing profession-specific stressors and barriers to help-seeking. The development and pilot trial of this novel Shift mHealth app are first steps in addressing the mental health and support-seeking needs of junior doctors, although further research is required to validate its effectiveness and appropriateness on a larger scale.

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Supporting the Mental Health and Well-Being of First Responders from Career to Retirement: A Scoping Review

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x21000431 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Erin Smith ◽

Greg Dean ◽

Lisa Holmes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Help Seeking ◽

First Responders ◽

Well Being ◽

First Responder ◽

Help Seeking Behaviors ◽

Holistic Approaches ◽

Pubmed Database ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Introduction: First responders are at greater risk of mental ill health and compromised well-being compared to the general population. It is important to identify strategies that will be effective in supporting mental health, both during and after the first responder’s career. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using the PubMed database (1966 to October 1, 2020) and the Google Scholar database (October 1, 2020) using relevant search terms, truncation symbols, and Boolean combination functions. The reference lists of all relevant publications were also reviewed to identify further publications. Results: A total of 172 publications were retrieved by the combined search strategies. Of these, 56 met the inclusion criteria and informed the results of this overview paper. These publications identified that strategies supporting first responder mental health and well-being need to break down stigma and build resilience. Normalizing conversations around mental health is integral for increasing help-seeking behaviors, both during a first responder’s career and in retirement. Organizations should consider the implementation of both pre-retirement and post-retirement support strategies to improve mental health and well-being. Conclusion: Strategies for supporting mental health and well-being need to be implemented early in the first responder career and reinforced throughout and into retirement. They should utilize holistic approaches which encourage “reaching in” rather than placing an onus on first responders to “reach out” when they are in crisis.

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