Mental Health Staff Perceptions and Practice Regarding Self-Harm, Suicidality and Help-Seeking in LGBTQ Youth: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey in the UK

BackgroundSafety at work is a core issue for mental health staff working on in-patient units. At present, there is a limited theoretical base regarding which factors may affect staff perceptions of safety.AimsThis study attempted to identify which factors affect perceived staff safety working on in-patient mental health wards.MethodA cross-sectional design was employed across 101 forensic and non-forensic mental health wards, over seven National Health Service trusts nationally. Measures included an online staff survey, Ward Features Checklist and recorded incident data. Data were analysed using categorical principal components analysis and ordinal regression.ResultsPerceptions of staff safety were increased by ward brightness, higher number of patient beds, lower staff to patient ratios, less dayroom space and more urban views.ConclusionsThe findings from this study do not represent common-sense assumptions. Results are discussed in the context of the literature and may have implications for current initiatives aimed at managing in-patient violence and aggression.

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Identifying barriers to mental health help-seeking among young adults in the UK: a cross-sectional survey

British Journal of General Practice ◽

10.3399/bjgp16x687313 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 66 (651) ◽

pp. e686-e692 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Keziban Salaheddin ◽

Barbara Mason

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young Adults ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Uk

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Staff attitudes to completely smoke-free policies and smoking cessation practices in a mental health setting

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdaa033 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 403-411

Author(s):

A Ratier-Cruz ◽

J G Smith ◽

M Firn ◽

M Rinaldi

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Smoking Cessation ◽

Policy Support ◽

Health Staff ◽

Staff Attitudes ◽

Mental Health Staff ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Allied Health Professionals ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mental Health Settings

ABSTRACT Background Mental health trusts in England were expected to become completely smoke-free and embed smoking cessation practices by 2018. Such policies are fraught with concerns and have received mixed support from mental health staff. Understanding staff attitudes to these practices prior to enforcement of the policy could help design an effective implementation strategy. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted with clinical and non-clinical staff in a Mental Health Trust to understand smoking cessation practices and attitudes to the implementation of a completely smoke-free policy. Results There were 631 responses. Most participants disagreed with the policy on wards (59.6%) and throughout all mental health settings (57.4%). Clinicians expressed significantly lower organizational policy support (P = 0.001) than non-clinicians (P = 0.001). Psychiatrists were more supportive of the organizational items than nurses and allied health professionals. Clinicians’ attitudes towards smoking cessation practices were less positive for those who were current smokers (P < 0.001), but more positive for clinicians who had received or were interested in attending smoking cessation training (P < 0.001). Conclusions Partial and completely smoke-free policies remain unsupported by staff in mental health settings. Smoking cessation training appears to reinforce rather than alter attitudes towards smoking cessation.

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The cost of mental and physical health disability in childhood and adolescence to families in the UK: findings from a repeated cross-sectional survey using propensity score matching

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018729 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. e018729 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Francesca Solmi ◽

Mariya Melnychuk ◽

Stephen Morris

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Health ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Family ◽

Additional Costs ◽

The Uk ◽

The Cost ◽

Mental And Physical Health

ObjectiveIn the UK, families of disabled children are entitled to receive disability benefits to help meet costs associated with caring for their child. Evidence of actual costs incurred is scant, especially for mental health disability. In this study, we aimed to quantify the cost of mental and physical health disability in childhood and adolescence to families in the UK using the concept of compensating variation (CV).DesignRepeated cross-sectional survey.SettingThe UK general populationParticipants85 212 children drawn from 8 waves of the Family Resources Survey.OutcomesUsing propensity score matching we matched families with a disabled child to similar families without a disabled child and calculated the extra income the former require to achieve the same living standards as the latter, that is, their CV. We calculated the additional costs specifically associated with several definitions of mental health and physical health disability.ResultsFamilies of a child with any mental health disability, regardless of the presence of physical health comorbidity, needed an additional £49.31 (95% CI: 21.95 to 76.67) and, for more severe disabilities, an additional £57.56 (95% CI: 17.69 to 97.44) per week to achieve the same living standards of families without a disabled child. This difference was greater for more deprived families, who needed between £59.28 (95% CI: 41.38 to 77.18) and £81.26 (95% CI: 53.35 to 109.38) more per week depending on the extent of mental health disability. Families of children with physical health disabilities, with or without mental health disabilities, required an additional £35.86 (95% CI: 13.77 to 57.96) per week, with economically deprived families requiring an extra £42.18 (95% CI: 26.38 to 57.97) per week.ConclusionsMental and physical health disabilities among children and adolescents were associated with high additional costs for the family, especially for those from deprived economic backgrounds. Means testing could help achieve a more equitable redistribution of disability benefit.

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Use of online cultural content for mental health and well-being during COVID-19 restrictions: cross-sectional survey

BJPsych Bulletin ◽

10.1192/bjb.2021.103 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Rebecca J. Syed Sheriff ◽

Helen Adams ◽

Evgenia Riga ◽

Andrew K. Przybylski ◽

Laura Bonsaver ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Online Culture ◽

Reported Data ◽

June July ◽

The Uk ◽

Health And Well Being

Aims and method To gain a deeper understanding of the use of online culture and its potential benefits to mental health and well-being, sociodemographic characteristics and self-reported data on usage, perceived mental health benefits and health status were collected in an online cross-sectional survey during COVID-19 restrictions in the UK in June–July 2020. Results In total, 1056 people completed the survey. A high proportion of participants reported finding online culture helpful for mental health; all but one of the benefits were associated with regular use and some with age. Reported benefits were wide-ranging and interconnected. Those aged under 25 years were less likely to be regular users of online culture or to have increased their use during lockdown. Clinical implications There may be benefits in targeting cultural resources for mental health to vulnerable groups such as young adults.

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Factors Associated with Suicidal Thought and Help-Seeking Behaviour in Transition-Aged Youth versus Adults

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0706743716667417 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 (12) ◽

pp. 789-796 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Nathalie MacKinnon ◽

Ian Colman

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Transition To Adulthood ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Canadian Community Health Survey ◽

Suicidal Thought ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour

Objective: Suicide is a leading cause of death for transition-aged youth (TAY), and yet few studies examine correlates of suicidal ideation specifically in this age demographic (age 18-24 years). The transition to adulthood is a unique context, marked by novel stressors (e.g., joining the workforce) and increased independence, which may influence risk factors for suicidal ideation. This study examined correlates of suicidal ideation in TAY and adults and contrasted profiles across age. Methods: We used 4 biannual cycles (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011) of the Canadian Community Health Survey, a population-based cross-sectional survey on health. We used logistic regression to assess the association between suicidal ideation and depression, distress, alcohol use, smoking, exercise, sedentary behaviour, chronic illness, restrictions to daily living, perceived physical and mental health, and perceived social support independently in both TAY ( n = 4427) and adults ( n = 14,452). We subsequently assessed possible interactions with age (18-24 v. 25-44 years) and sex and differences in help-seeking behaviour in a combined model. Result: TAY exhibited higher rates of suicidal ideation than adults did ( P < 0.001). Numerous factors were associated with suicidal ideation in TAY. Notably, alcohol abstinence was associated with decreased suicidal ideation in TAY but not for adults. Moreover, when depressed, TAY were significantly less likely to have received professional mental health help than adults (odds ratio = 0.64, 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.94). Conclusions: Suicidal ideation is more prevalent in TAY than adults, and its consequences may be aggravated by poor treatment-seeking behaviour in at-risk (i.e. depressed) individuals. These different risk profiles substantiate the recent shift toward clinical interventions focusing on transition-aged youth, rather than traditional child (<18 years) and adult (>18 years) services.

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Mental health care in London

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(05)80173-7 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 20 (S2) ◽

pp. s274-s278 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

P. De Ponte ◽

G. Hughes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Services ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

National Policy ◽

Health Staff ◽

Mental Health Staff ◽

The Uk ◽

Occupancy Rates

AbstractAimTo describe principles and characteristics of mental health care in London.MethodBased on existing data, service provision, number of professionals working in services, funding arrangements, pathways intocare, user/carer involvement and specific issues are reported.ResultsLondon experiences high levels of need and use of mental health services compared to England as a whole. Inpatient andcompulsory admissions are considerably higher than the national average. Despite having more psychiatric beds and mental health staff, London has higher bed occupancy rates and staffing shortages. At the same time there is a trend away from institutionalised care to care in the community.ConclusionMental health services in the UK are undergoing considerable reform. These changes will not remove the greater need formental health services in the capital, but national policy and funding lends support to cross-agency and pan-London work to tackle some of the problems characteristic of mental health in London. Whilst various issues of mental health care in London overlap with those in other European capitals, there also are some specific problems and features.

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Codeine use, dependence and help-seeking behaviour in the UK and Ireland: an online cross-sectional survey

QJM ◽

10.1093/qjmed/hcx076 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 110 (9) ◽

pp. 559-564 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

A. Kimergård ◽

M. Foley ◽

Z. Davey ◽

J. Dunne ◽

C. Drummond ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Help Seeking ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour ◽

The Uk

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What challenges do UK adults face when adhering to COVID-19-related instructions? Cross-sectional survey in a representative sample

10.31219/osf.io/3k4nz ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Chris Keyworth ◽

Tracy Epton ◽

Lucie Byrne-Davis ◽

Jessica Leather ◽

Chris Armitage

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Health ◽

Representative Sample ◽

Final Analysis ◽

Analysis Data ◽

Daily Routine ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The People ◽

The Uk

AimsAdherence to government COVID-19-related instructions is reported to be high, but the psychosocial impacts of measures such as self-isolation and physical distancing could undermine adherence in the longer term. The first step in designing interventions to mitigate the impacts of adhering to COVID-19 related instructions is to identify what are the most prevalent challenges and what characterises the people facing them.MethodA cross-sectional survey was administered to a representative sample of the UK population (N=2,252), of whom n=2,139 (94.9%) reported adhering to the UK government's COVID-19-related instructions, and were included in the final analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression.ResultsOf the people who reported adhering to UK government's COVID-19-related instructions, 80.3% reported experiencing challenges. Adults aged 55 years or over (OR=1.939, 95%CI 1.331-2.825) and men (OR=0.489, 95%CI 0.393-0.608) were least likely to report challenges. Adjusting to changes in daily routine (reported by 48.7% of the sample), mental health (reported by 41.4% of the sample) and physical health (reported by 31.5% of the sample) were the most prevalent challenges. ConclusionsFor the first time, the present study quantifies the extent to which people experienced challenges in relation to adhering to government COVID-19-related instructions. Few people reported experiencing no challenges when adhering to COVID-19-related instructions. Interventions to address the effects of changes in daily routine, mental health challenges, and physical health challenges should be prioritised, with a focus on women and adults aged younger than 55 years.

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Factors explaining variation in recommended care pathways following hospital-presenting self-harm: a multilevel national registry study

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2020.116 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Eve Griffin ◽

David Gunnell ◽

Paul Corcoran

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Male Gender ◽

Individual Factors ◽

Health Staff ◽

Care Pathways ◽

Mental Health Staff ◽

Psychiatric Admission ◽

Recommended Care ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Self Harm

Background People who present to hospital following self-harm are at high risk of suicide. Despite this, there are considerable variations in the management of this group across hospitals and the factors influencing such variations are not well understood. Aims The aim of this study was to identify the specific hospital and individual factors associated with care pathways following hospital-presenting self-harm. Method Data on presentations to hospitals by those aged 18 years and over were obtained from the National Self-Harm Registry Ireland for 2017 and 2018. Factors associated with four common outcomes following self-harm (self-discharge, medical and psychiatric admission and psychosocial assessment before discharge) were examined using multilevel Poisson regression models. Results Care pathways following self-harm varied across hospitals and were influenced by both hospital and individual factors. Individual factors were primarily associated with self-discharge (including male gender, younger age and alcohol involvement), medical admission (older age, drug overdose as a sole method and ambulance presentations) and psychiatric admission (male gender, methods associated with greater lethality and older age). The hospital admission rate for self-harm was the only factor associated with all outcomes examined. The availability of psychiatric in-patient facilities and specialist mental health staff contributed to variation in psychiatric admissions and psychosocial assessments prior to discharge. Hospital factors explained the majority of observed variation in the provision of psychosocial assessments. Conclusions Characteristics of the presenting hospital and hospital admission rates influence the recommended care pathways following self-harm. Provision of onsite mental health facilities and specialist mental health staff has a strong impact on psychiatric care of these patients.

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