Kulintja Nganampa Maa-kunpuntjaku (Strengthening Our Thinking): Place-Based Approaches to Mental Health and Wellbeing in Anangu Schools

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Osborne
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
School Context ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Community Members ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Development Approach

MindMatters, implemented by Principals Australia Institute, is a resource and professional development initiative supporting Australian secondary schools in promoting and protecting the mental health and social and emotional wellbeing of members of school communities, preferring a proactive paradigm (Covey, 1989) to the position of ‘disaster response’. While the MindMatters national focus has continued, grown and become embedded in schools since its beginning in 2000, MindMatters staff have also specifically sought to establish localised mental health and wellbeing (MHWB) promotion in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that empowers local school and community groups to build on community values and intergenerational capacities for supporting the MHWB of young people. This article outlines the processes for successful practice that have been developed in a very remote Aboriginal school context, and highlights the strengths and benefits of this approach from the perspectives of Anangu (Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara people of Central Australia) educators. Using a community development approach, Anangu educators, skilled linguists, community members and MindMatters trained staff formed learning communities that recontextualised MHWB curriculum to be taught in Anangu schools. While critically reflecting on the process MindMatters has adopted, this article draws on the voices of Anangu to privilege the cultural philosophical positions in the discourse. In so doing, important principles for translating what is fundamentally a western knowledge system's construct into corresponding Anangu knowledge systems is highlighted. Through building on the knowledge base that exists in the community context, Anangu educators, school staff and community members develop confidence, shared language and capacity to become the expert educators, taking their knowledge and resources to other Anangu school communities to begin their MindMatters journey ‘Anangu way’. This process supports students as they engage in the school-based activities and build a language for reflecting on MHWB concerns, leading them to learn and practice ‘better ways of thinking and acting’ (Kulintja Palyantja Palya —the Pitjantjatjara language title for the MindMatters, ‘Anangu Way’ program).

scholarly journals “Language Breathes Life”—Barngarla Community Perspectives on the Wellbeing Impacts of Reclaiming a Dormant Australian Aboriginal Language

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (20) ◽  
pp. 3918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leda Sivak ◽  
Seth Westhead ◽  
Emmalene Richards ◽  
Stephen Atkinson ◽  
Jenna Richards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Social And Emotional Wellbeing

Traditional languages are a key element of Indigenous peoples’ identity, cultural expression, autonomy, spiritual and intellectual sovereignty, and wellbeing. While the links between Indigenous language loss and poor mental health have been demonstrated in several settings, little research has sought to identify the potential psychological benefits that may derive from language reclamation. The revival of the Barngarla language on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, offers a unique opportunity to examine whether improvements in mental health and social and emotional wellbeing can occur during and following the language reclamation process. This paper presents findings from 16 semi-structured interviews conducted with Barngarla community members describing their own experienced or observed mental health and wellbeing impacts of language reclamation activities. Aligning with a social and emotional wellbeing framework from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective, key themes included connection to spirituality and ancestors; connection to Country; connection to culture; connection to community; connection to family and kinship; connection to mind and emotions; and impacts upon identity and cultural pride at an individual level. These themes will form the foundation of assessment of the impacts of language reclamation in future stages of the project.

Co-developing a multi-behavioural mobile phone app to enhance Social and Emotional Wellbeing and reduce health risks among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women during pre-conception and pregnancy: development and usability study. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Bovill ◽  
Ratika Kumar ◽  
Nicole Ryan ◽  
Jessica Bennett ◽  
Gina La Hera Fuentes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Phase 3 ◽  
Aboriginal Community ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Aboriginal Women ◽  
Social And Emotional Wellbeing

BACKGROUND Improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal women and their babies is a primary focus to address health inequity in Australia. Interventions must be contextualised by the impacts on health that are a direct result of historical oppression, dispossession and ongoing racism since colonisation. Aboriginal women experience compromised social and emotional wellbeing including mental, cultural, spiritual wellbeing. Addressing social and emotional wellbeing coupled with behavioural risk factors would have a high potential to improve the health and wellbeing of mother and child. mHealth has been trialled in Aboriginal communities and appears to be a favourable method of intervention. Building on the requests from Aboriginal women we designed a multi-behavioural mobile phone app. OBJECTIVE This paper describes the development and pre-test of a prototype multi-behavioural change app MAMA-EMPOWER with Aboriginal women and communities in New South Wales, Australia. METHODS Mixed methods study design using the Center for eHealth Research and Disease Management Roadmap for designing eHealth technology’s three phases; phase one-contextual enquiry included stakeholder engagement and qualitative interviews with Aboriginal women, phase two- value specification included user-workshop with an Aboriginal researcher, community members and experts phase 3 co-design with Aboriginal researchers and community members, followed by a pre-test of the app with Aboriginal women, and feedback from qualitative interviews and the user-MARS survey tool. RESULTS Phase 1 conducted informal market interviews to establish community need. Engagement with stakeholders refined digital considerations and behaviour change wheel factors to embed in the app. Interviews with 8 Aboriginal women revealed 3 themes; current app use, desired app characteristics and implementation. Phase 2 workshop with 6 Aboriginal women raised 3 themes; engagement, caution with wording and visual content. Phase 3 engaged 16 Aboriginal women to trial the app on their phones, all content areas were accessed, u-MARS was completed by 5 women, the highest ratings were for information (mean score of 3.80 out of 5, SD=0.77) and aesthetics (mean score of 3.87 with SD of 0.74), while functionality, engagement and subjective quality had lower scores. Qualitative interviews revealed the acceptability of the app, however functionality was problematic. CONCLUSIONS Developing a mobile phone app, particularly in an Aboriginal community setting, requires extensive consultation, negotiation and design work. Using a strong theoretical foundation of behaviour change technique’s coupled with the consultative approach has added rigour to this process. The use of mobile phone apps to implement behavioural interventions in Aboriginal community settings is still a new area for investigation. In the next iteration of the app we aim to find better ways to personalise the content to women’s needs, then ensure full functionality before conducting a larger trial. We predict the process of development will be of interest to other health researchers and practitioners.

scholarly journals A scoping review about social and emotional wellbeing programs and services targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in Australia: understanding the principles guiding promising practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu Gupta ◽  
Noemi Tari-Keresztes ◽  
Donna Stephens ◽  
James A. Smith ◽  
Emrhan Sultan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Program Planning ◽  
Promising Practices ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Social And Emotional Wellbeing

Abstract Background Multiple culturally-oriented programs, services, and frameworks have emerged in recent decades to support the social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) people in Australia. Although there are some common elements, principles, and methods, few attempts have been made to integrate them into a set of guidelines for policy and practice settings. This review aims to identify key practices adopted by programs and services that align with the principles of the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2017–2023. Methods A comprehensive review of electronic databases and organisational websites was conducted to retrieve studies of relevance. Twenty-seven publications were included in the review. Next, we identified promising practices through a collaborative review process. We then used the principles articulated in the above-mentioned framework as the basis to complete a framework analysis. This enabled us to explore the alignment between current scholarship about SEWB programs and services with respect to the principles of the framework. Results We found there was a strong alignment, with selected principles being effectively incorporated into most SEWB program and service delivery contexts. However, only one study incorporated all nine principles, using them as conceptual framework. Additionally, ‘capacity building’, ‘individual skill development’, and ‘development of maladaptive coping mechanisms’ were identified as common factors in SEWB program planning and delivery for Aboriginal people. Conclusion We argue the selective application of nationally agreed principles in SEWB programs and services, alongside a paucity of scholarship relating to promising practices in young people-oriented SEWB programs and services, are two areas that need the urgent attention of commissioners and service providers tasked with funding, planning, and implementing SEWB programs and services for Aboriginal people. Embedding robust participatory action research and evaluation approaches into the design of such services and programs will help to build the necessary evidence-base to achieve improved SEWB health outcomes among Aboriginal people, particularly young people with severe and complex mental health needs.

Meanings of Reconciliation in the School Context

2006 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 68-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Burridge
Keyword(s):  
Aboriginal People ◽  
School Context ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Great Level ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Community Attitudes ◽  
Education Community ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Survey Responses

AbstractThis paper draws on findings from a major research project conducted between 1998 and 2000 on meanings of reconciliation in the school education sector. Using data collected from surveys and drawing from the community context in which schools exist, it explores and analyses meanings of reconciliation within school communities when the discourse of what constitutes reconciliation was at its peak. Survey responses were used to map the level of support for reconciliation and to identify what barriers existed to the teaching of reconciliation in schools. Responses were categorised into various themes which defined the type of meaning respondents had accrued to reconciliation. The overwhelming impression from this research is that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people aspire to a level of harmonious co-existence; what is less clear is the direction on how this can be achieved. There is a great level of support for reconciliation within the education community with almost no responses being overtly negative. Many of the comments can be seen as reflecting “soft” reconciliation perspectives. A prevailing theme of this research is that the harder issues of reconciliation are being ignored in favour of symbolic representations. What perhaps best distinguished the survey comments from the responses from the general community was the greater desire amongst the education sector for equitybased solutions and the need to redress past injustices through social justice action. There was a greater understanding of the link between past dispossession and current disadvantage and this required action through specific programmes, and education was seen as a major part of this. Given the current sociopolitical context, anecdotal indications suggest that reconciliation may reflect wider community attitudes and may be “off the agenda” in schools, except within the narrow parameters of Department of Education requirements for activities or celebrations during NAIDOC or Reconciliation weeks.

scholarly journals The Impact of Linked Administrative Data on Community Development of Integrated Mental Health Hubs: a Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Parker ◽  
Valerie Salt ◽  
Allison N Scott ◽  
Cathie Scott ◽  
Jason Lau
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Environmental Scan ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Integrated Service Delivery ◽  
Linked Administrative Data

IntroductionIncreasingly, communities are designing and implementing contextualized approaches to integrated service delivery. Having communities in the lead is critical to successful design and implementation. However, how do researchers work with communities to ensure accurate contextual interpretations of linked administrative data? Objectives and ApproachPolicyWise for Children & Families has been working with communities to create a framework and assist in the implementation of integrated Community-based Mental Health Service Hubs for youth ages 11-24. The approach used to support these communities included multiple sources of data to highlight the need for youth specific mental health care, integrated service delivery and the opportunity for system transformation. This included, but wasn’t limited to, a qualitative environmental scan and individual-level linked administrative data from PolicyWise’s Child and Youth Data Lab. ResultsThe goal of presenting the qualitative and quantitative data summaries was to inform community-led design and implementation of the Mental Health Service Hubs. This presentation describes the constructive interplay of community context, qualitative literature and linked administrative data. Community context and the qualitative environmental scan assisted community members in interpreting the administrative data. Conclusion/ImplicationsThis applied project provides an example of how community members contextualize information from linked administrative data and environmental scan findings to influence program development. The implications of this is that data can reinforce or reshape what communities know about service use and impact how they proceed with planning.

Acceptability, Engagement and Exploratory Outcomes of an Emotional Wellbeing App: Mixed Methods Preliminary Evaluation and Descriptive Analysis (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia Eisenstadt ◽  
Shaun Liverpool ◽  
Athina- Marina Metaxa ◽  
Courtney Carlsson ◽  
Roberta Maria Ciuvat
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Health And Wellbeing

BACKGROUND There is growing evidence highlighting a significant gap between mental health and wellbeing needs and available support. Digital interventions, such as mental health apps, have been identified as an appropriate medium for addressing the problem. However, a number of apps are being developed and made available without the relevant evidence base. Thus, there is a need to conduct user testing and early evaluations of new apps to provide sufficient information for users and prescribers. OBJECTIVE The primary aim of this feasibility study is to describe the acceptability, engagement, and preliminary outcomes of using an app (Paradym) designed to promote emotional wellbeing and positive mental health. METHODS This is a mixed methods single-arm study with a pre- and post- design, aggregate with digital analytics data. We anonymously collected real world data on demographics, mental health and wellbeing, and usability and acceptance using validated questionnaires and open ended-questions. Participants were asked to download the app and use the intervention for a minimum of 2 weeks before completing follow up measures. Google Analytics was used to record levels of engagement with the app. Chi Square and t-tests were conducted to analyze quantitative data, and a thematic analysis approach was adopted for qualitative data. RESULTS A total of 116 participants accessed the study, of which 91 users downloaded the app. The sample was diverse in terms of ethnicity (43.5% belonging to minority ethnic groups) and included majority females (67.24%) between the ages 18-25 from the USA. Participants who completed the study (n=34) provided favorable feedback in terms of the app’s content, functionality and underlying principles. Although usability feedback varied across items, a high percentage of participants found that the app was easy to use. Based on descriptive data, the mean mental health and wellbeing scores improved. Post hoc analyses indicated that the reduction in PHQ-9 depression scores (t33 = -2.16) and the change in scores on one of the wellbeing measures (WHO-5) (t33 = 2.87) were statistically significant. No adverse events were reported and anxiety levels of the participants were found to be mild during the intervention period. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study are encouraging and potentially show preliminary evidence of effectiveness. The findings also suggest scope for further research with underrepresented groups, such as ethnic minority populations. Furthermore, the research provides valuable information for future app upgrades and further evaluations of the intervention. CLINICALTRIAL Eisenstadt A, Liverpool S. User Testing Service Evaluation. doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/TVJBA.

scholarly journals The impact of potentially traumatic events on the mental health of males who have served in the military: Findings from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 693-702
Author(s):  
Darryl Wade ◽  
Louise Mewton ◽  
Tracey Varker ◽  
Andrea Phelps ◽  
David Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Unexpected Events ◽  
Potentially Traumatic Events ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Australian Defence Force ◽  
The Impact

Objective: The study investigated the impact of potentially traumatic events on mental health outcomes among males who had ever served in the Australian Defence Force. Method: Data from a nationally representative household survey of Australian residents, the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, were used for this study. Results: Compared with community members, Australian Defence Force males were significantly more likely to have experienced not only deployment and other war-like events but also accidents or other unexpected events, and trauma to someone close. For non-deployed males, Australian Defence Force members were at increased risk of accidents or other unexpected events compared to community members. After controlling for the effect of potentially traumatic events that were more prevalent among all Australian Defence Force members, the increased risk of mental disorders among Australian Defence Force members was no longer evident. For non-deployed males, Australian Defence Force and community members were at comparable risk of poor mental health outcomes. A significant minority of Australian Defence Force members had onset of a mental disorder prior to their first deployment. Conclusions: Deployment and other potentially traumatic events among Australian Defence Force members can help to explain their increased vulnerability to mental disorders compared with community members. Providers should routinely enquire about a range of potentially traumatic events among serving and ex-serving military personnel.

scholarly journals From Digital Mental Health to Digital Social and Emotional Wellbeing: How Indigenous Community-Based Participatory Research Influenced the Australian Government’s Digital Mental Health Agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9757
Author(s):  
James Bennett-Levy ◽  
Judy Singer ◽  
Darlene Rotumah ◽  
Sarah Bernays ◽  
David Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Indigenous Community ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Social And Emotional Wellbeing

This paper describes the first six years of a government-initiated project to train Indigenous health professionals in digital mental health (d-MH). It illustrates how community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods were used to enable this “top-down” project to be transformed into a ‘ground-up’ community-guided process; and how, in turn, the guidance from the local Indigenous community partners went on to influence the national government’s d-MH agenda. The CBPR partnership between five community partners and a university rural health department is described, with illustrations of how CBPR harnessed the community’s voice in making the project relevant to their wellbeing needs. The local Indigenous community’s involvement led to a number of unexpected outcomes, which impacted locally and nationally. At an early stage, the conceptual framework of the project was changed from d-MH to the culturally-relevant Indigenous framework of digital social and emotional wellbeing (d-SEWB). This led to a significant expansion of the range and type of digital resources; and to other notable outcomes such as successful advocacy for an Aboriginal-specific online therapy program and for a dedicated “one-stop-shop” d-SEWB website, Wellmob, which was funded by the Australian government in 2019–2021. Some of the implications of this project for future Indigenous CBPR projects are discussed.

Evaluation of a novel approach to preventing railway suicides: the community stations project

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
Anna Ross ◽  
Nicola Reavley ◽  
Lay San Too ◽  
Jane Pirkis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Health Awareness ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Railway Stations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mental Health Awareness ◽  
Novel Approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe an evaluation of the Community Stations Project. The Community Stations Project was designed to address railway suicides in two ways: by improving the station environment in a manner that might improve community members’ feelings of wellbeing; and raising community members’ awareness of poor mental health and likelihood of reaching out to at-risk individuals. It involved four types of interventions (arts and culture, music, food and coffee, and “special events”) delivered at four stations in Victoria. Design/methodology/approach A short anonymous survey was administered to community members on iPads at the four participating railway stations during the implementation of the interventions (between October and December 2016). The survey included questions about respondents’ demographics, their awareness of the intervention(s), their views of the station, their attitudes towards people with poor mental health and their emotional wellbeing. Findings A total of 1,309 people took part in the survey. Of these, 48 per cent of community members surveyed reporting noticing an intervention at their station. Noticing the events was associated with positive views of the station, improved understanding of poor mental health, and a greater likelihood of reaching out to someone who might be at risk of poor mental health. Awareness of intervention events was not associated with respondents’ own emotional wellbeing. Practical implications Continuing to focus efforts on mental health awareness activities may further strengthen the impact of the Community Stations Project interventions and ultimately prevent suicides at railway stations. Originality/value This paper evaluates a novel approach to improving wellbeing and understanding of poor mental health in the train station environment.

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