Real-Time Assessment of the Burden on the Community of Informal Caregivers. A Pilot Study

AbstractGood mental health is a critical part of individual well-being, and one of the cornerstones of community well-being. This paper focuses on the community of parents of young psychiatric patients, whose well-being loss is significant because of the enormous burden of suffering that results from their children’s illness. This burden is seldom considered by the ordinary calculations of the costs of mental illness. We suggest that digital daily diaries (DDDs) with instant reporting can become a powerful tool to estimate the intangible costs of mental illness, namely the loss of well-being suffered by the community of informal caregivers. A pilot study was carried out to test the validity of the digital tool. The results of instant reports provide accurate information and are consistent with those obtained through other traditional survey methods. The digital data-gathering tool can be extended to design an affordable, prompt, and cost-effective possible solution for policy-oriented interventions. Besides, this digital tool can easily be extended to collect real-time big data and to use them in conjunction with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to give professionals a powerful tool to face a relevant community issue.

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Pre-post, mixed-methods feasibility study of the WorkingWell mobile support tool for individuals with serious mental illness in the USA: a pilot study protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019936 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. e019936 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Joanne Nicholson ◽

Spenser M Wright ◽

Alyssa M Carlisle

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Supported Employment ◽

Well Being ◽

Support Tool ◽

Work Related ◽

Randomised Controlled

IntroductionSuccessful competitive employment has been found to be related to enhanced self-esteem, higher quality of life and reduced mental health service use for individuals living with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. The effectiveness of the individual placement and support model has been demonstrated in multiple randomised controlled trials in many countries. The management of stress, depression and anxiety in the workplace may be effectively enhanced through digital mental health interventions. The WorkingWell mobile support tool (‘app’) is specifically designed to meet the need for illness management support for individuals with SMI in the workplace, as an adjunct to professional treatment.Methods and analysisThe WorkingWell app, grounded in evidence-based supported employment, is informed by user experience design. It will be tested in a pre-post design, mixed-methods pilot study to explore issues of feasibility, acceptability and usefulness, and to provide preliminary data on the impact of use. Putative mediators of improved job tenure and psychological well-being, including postintervention changes in social support, self-efficacy and work-related motivation, will be investigated. Forty individuals at least 18 years of age, meeting the eligibility requirements for supported employment services (ie, diagnosed with a mental illness meeting the criteria for severity, duration and treatment), working a minimum of 10 hours per week at study enrolment, and speaking, reading and writing in English will be recruited for the pilot study. Research staff will recruit individuals at community-based mental health agencies; provide orientation to the study, the study smartphones and the WorkingWell app; conduct research interviews including standardised measures as well as semistructured items; and provide technical assistance in telephone calls and inperson meetings. A sample of 10 agency staff will be recruited to obtain further information on the feasibility, acceptability and usefulness of WorkingWell.Ethics and disseminationThe study design and procedures are approved by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects, the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Central Office Research Review Committee and the Vermont Agency of Human Services Institutional Review Board. Study findings will be disseminated to agency partners, state agencies and funders, and to the research and technology development communities. Findings from the study will inform the design, data collection procedures and protocol for future full-scale randomised controlled trial testing of the effectiveness of the WorkingWell app, as well as investigations of work-related variables as mediators of psychological well-being and quality of life for individuals with SMI.

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Acceptability of Assisted Suicide in Patients With Severe and Persistent Mental Illness

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000248 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Sophie Gloeckler ◽

Manuel Trachsel

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Psychiatric Diagnosis ◽

Assisted Suicide ◽

Shared Values ◽

Psychiatric Nurses ◽

Attitudes And Beliefs ◽

Future Studies ◽

Persistent Mental Illness ◽

Moral Attitudes

Abstract. In Switzerland, assisted suicide (AS) may be granted on the basis of a psychiatric diagnosis. This pilot study explored the moral attitudes and beliefs of nurses regarding these practices through a quantitative survey of 38 psychiatric nurses. The pilot study, which serves to inform hypothesis development and future studies, showed that participating nurses supported AS and valued the reduction of suffering in patients with severe persistent mental illness. Findings were compared with those from a previously published study presenting the same questions to psychiatrists. The key differences between nurses’ responses and psychiatrists’ may reflect differences in the burden of responsibility, while similarities might capture shared values worth considering when determining treatment efforts. More information is needed to determine whether these initial findings represent nurses’ views more broadly.

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Social Networks and Mental Illness: Network Stability and Well-Being Correlates

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e628622012-477 ◽

2005 ◽

Author(s):

E. Vasconcelles

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Well Being ◽

Network Stability

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Mental illness related discrimination: The role of self-devaluation and anticipated discrimination for decreased well-being.

Stigma and Health ◽

10.1037/sah0000117 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 11-18

Author(s):

Oliver Schauman ◽

Andrew K. MacLeod ◽

Graham Thornicroft ◽

Sarah Clement

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Well Being

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Understanding and promoting students’ well-being and performance in university studies – effects of a 7-week Acceptance and Commitment Therapy based course (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.13405 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Henna Asikainen ◽

Nina Katajavuori ◽

Kirsikka Kaipainen

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

University Students ◽

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽

Well Being ◽

Pharmacy Students ◽

Reflective Journal ◽

Reflective Journals ◽

Commitment Therapy ◽

Acceptance And Commitment ◽

And Performance

BACKGROUND Internationally there have been many studies showing that the number of university students suffering from mental illness is growing and this problem should be addressed OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine 41 pharmacy students’ experiences of a small Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) -based intervention that was implemented as a 7-week course with weekly online modules. METHODS Students’ well-being, experiences of stress, organised studying and psychological flexibility were measured with questionnaires at the beginning and end of the course. Students’ experiences of the effectiveness of the course and were analysed from open-ended responses and a reflective journal. RESULTS The results show that students’ well-being and ability to manage time and effort increased during the course(p≤0.003). In their reflective journals, students described how their ability to manage stress in their studies, cope with their thoughts and feelings, focus on the things that are more important to them, and manage their time in studying and their well-being had improved. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that it is possible to foster students’ well-being in their studies. More research is needed to identify the long-lasting effects of these kind of interventions.

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Feasibility study of technology-enabled prevention intervention for children and families (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.14029 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Nikki Theofanopoulou ◽

Katherine Isbister ◽

Julian Edbrooke-Childs ◽

Petr Slovák

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Low Cost ◽

Digital Camera ◽

Well Being ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Object A ◽

Intervention Delivery ◽

Parents And Children

BACKGROUND A common challenge within psychiatry and prevention science more broadly is the lack of effective, engaging, and scale-able mechanisms to deliver psycho-social interventions for children, especially beyond in-person therapeutic or school-based contexts. Although digital technology has the potential to address these issues, existing research on technology-enabled interventions for families remains limited. OBJECTIVE The aim of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility of in-situ deployments of a low-cost, bespoke prototype, which has been designed to support children’s in-the-moment emotion regulation efforts. This prototype instantiates a novel intervention model that aims to address the existing limitations by delivering the intervention through an interactive object (a ‘smart toy’) sent home with the child, without any prior training necessary for either the child or their carer. This pilot study examined (i) engagement and acceptability of the device in the homes during 1 week deployments; and (ii) qualitative indicators of emotion regulation effects, as reported by parents and children. METHODS In this qualitative study, ten families (altogether 11 children aged 6-10 years) were recruited from three under-privileged communities in the UK. The RA visited participants in their homes to give children the ‘smart toy’ and conduct a semi-structured interview with at least one parent from each family. Children were given the prototype, a discovery book, and a simple digital camera to keep at home for 7-8 days, after which we interviewed each child and their parent about their experience. Thematic analysis guided the identification and organisation of common themes and patterns across the dataset. In addition, the prototypes automatically logged every interaction with the toy throughout the week-long deployments. RESULTS Across all 10 families, parents and children reported that the ‘smart toy’ was incorporated into children’s emotion regulation practices and engaged with naturally in moments children wanted to relax or calm down. Data suggests that children interacted with the toy throughout the duration of the deployment, found the experience enjoyable, and all requested to keep the toy longer. Child emotional connection to the toy—caring for its ‘well-being’—appears to have driven this strong engagement. Parents reported satisfaction with and acceptability of the toy. CONCLUSIONS This is the first known study investigation of the use of object-enabled intervention delivery to support emotion regulation in-situ. The strong engagement and qualitative indications of effects are promising – children were able to use the prototype without any training and incorporated it into their emotion regulation practices during daily challenges. Future work is needed to extend this indicative data with efficacy studies examining the psychological efficacy of the proposed intervention. More broadly, our findings suggest the potential of a technology-enabled shift in how prevention interventions are designed and delivered: empowering children and parents through ‘child-led, situated interventions’, where participants learn through actionable support directly within family life, as opposed to didactic in-person workshops and a subsequent skills application.

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Economics of mental well-being: a prospective study estimating associated health care costs and sickness benefit transfers in Denmark

The European Journal of Health Economics ◽

10.1007/s10198-021-01305-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ziggi Ivan Santini ◽

Hannah Becher ◽

Maja Bæksgaard Jørgensen ◽

Michael Davidsen ◽

Line Nielsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Healthcare Costs ◽

Psychiatric Morbidity ◽

Government Expenditure ◽

Well Being ◽

Population Based ◽

Sickness Benefit ◽

A Prospective Study ◽

Mental Well Being

Abstract Background Previous literature has examined the societal costs of mental illness, but few studies have estimated the costs associated with mental well-being. In this study, a prospective analysis was conducted on Danish data to determine 1) the association between mental well-being (measured in 2016) and government expenditure in 2017, specifially healthcare costs and sickness benefit transfers. Methods Data stem from a Danish population-based survey of 3,508 adults (aged 16 + years) in 2016, which was linked to Danish registry data. A validated scale (WEMWBS) was used for the assessment of mental well-being. Costs are expressed in USD PPP. A two-part model was applied to predict costs in 2017, adjusting for sociodemographics, health status (including psychiatric morbidity and health behaviour), as well as costs in the previous year (2016). Results Each point increase in mental well-being (measured in 2016) was associated with lower healthcare costs ($− 42.5, 95% CI = $− 78.7, $− 6.3) and lower costs in terms of sickness benefit transfers ($− 23.1, 95% CI = $− 41.9, $− 4.3) per person in 2017. Conclusions Estimated reductions in costs related to mental well-being add to what is already known about potential savings related to the prevention of mental illness. It does so by illustrating the savings that could be made by moving from lower to higher levels of mental well-being both within and beyond the clinical range. Our estimates pertain to costs associated with those health-related outcomes that were included in the study, but excluding other social and economic outcomes and benefits. They cover immediate cost estimates (costs generated the year following mental well-being measurement) and not those that could follow improved mental well-being over the longer term. They may therefore be considered conservative from a societal perspective. Population approaches to mental health promotion are necessary, not only to potentiate disease prevention strategies, but also to reduce costs related to lower levels of mental well-being in the non-mental illness population. Our results suggest that useful reductions in both health care resource use and costs, as well as in costs due to sick leave from the workplace, could be achieved from investment in mental well-being promotion within a year.

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Piloting the Play Cycle Observation Method in ‘real time’: Recording children’s Play Cycles in pre-school provision

Journal of Early Childhood Research ◽

10.1177/1476718x20969851 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1476718X2096985

Author(s):

Pete King ◽

LaDonna Atkins ◽

Brandon Burr

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Real Time ◽

School Setting ◽

Early Years ◽

Good Reliability ◽

Rater Reliability ◽

Children's Play ◽

Observational Tool ◽

Observation Method ◽

And Training

The Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM) is an observational tool developed to focus on the process of play and has shown good reliability when watching videos of children playing. This study piloted use of the PCOM in ‘real time’ in a pre-school setting where 3-year-old children play. The results from two independent observers not familiar with the concept of the Play Cycle or the PCOM found good inter-rater reliability using Cohen Kappa (k) when observing play cues to form play cycles, as well as observing play cues within established play cycles. In addition, the recording of the nature of the play cues and play returns, the play frame and how the play cycle finishes (annihilation) were shown to be consistent between the two inter-rater observers. The results of this pilot study indicate the PCOM can be used as an observational tool to record the process of play by both students and practitioners working in a range of contexts including playwork, childcare, early years and statutory education. The PCOM can also be used as a teaching and training aid for trainers and lecturers.

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Older Adults’ Subjective Well-being Following an Exergame Intervention “Bandit the Dolphin”: Focus Group Findings

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.549 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 169-170

Author(s):

Brittany Drazich ◽

Breanna Crane ◽

Kyle Moored ◽

Karl Shieh ◽

Janiece Taylor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Mental Illness Stigma ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Future Health ◽

Adult Participants

Abstract Due to generational mental illness stigma and under diagnosis of mental illness, older adults do not always receive the mental health help that they need. One unique technology that has the potential to improve mood in older adults is exergames, or exercise video games. The objective of this sub-study (main study: Stimulation With Intricate Movements “SWIM” Study) was to explore older adults’ mood following an exergame intervention called “Bandit the Dolphin,” created by the Johns Hopkins KATA Studio. Researchers conducted three focus groups with 14 community-dwelling older adult participants who took part in the SWIM Study exergame intervention. The semi-structured focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using deductive and inductive techniques described by Ray Maietta’s “sort and sift, think and shift” method. Three themes related to playing “Bandit the Dolphin” and mood emerged. First, participants described their perceived association between activity and mood. Participants felt that both active and passive activities, “Bandit the Dolphin” and otherwise, improved their mood through the “fun” factor, and through feelings of achievement. Second, the participants described that the competition and frustration of playing “Bandit the Dolphin” increased eventual feelings of achievement. Third, participants described how feelings of immersion, or being absorbed in the game, helped them forget their other life concerns. These findings provide a better understanding of older adults’ perceived relationship between an exergame intervention, “Bandit the Dolphin,” and short-term improved mood. Future health and engineering researchers should explore exergames as a potential tool to improve the mental health of older adults.

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