Mental wellbeing in crisis line volunteers: understanding emotional impact of the work, challenges and resources. A qualitative study

The COVID-19 pandemic put the Italian health system under great stress. The sudden reorganization of work practices and the emotional impact of the large number of the victims had many consequences on the well-being of the healthcare professionals (HCPs) involved in managing the crisis. In the available literature, most studies have focused on the risk aspects while only few studies also take into account protective factors. For this reason, it was decided to conduct, within psycho-sociological perspective, a qualitative study with the aim to explore in depth the protective and risk factors as experienced by HCPs who worked in the Italian healthcare system during the COVID-19 outbreak. A total of 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted with HCPs–9 nurses and 10 physicians (7M and 12F) with an average age of 43 (SD = 13.4)–selected using snowball sampling. Considering three different levels of analysis the results highlight the protective and risk factors: personal history level (intrinsic/ethical motivation and flexible role versus extrinsic motivation and static role), interpersonal level (perception of supportive relationships with colleagues, patients, and family versus bad relationships), and organizational level (good leadership and sustainable work purpose versus absence of support from management and undefined or confused tasks).

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‘It’s about willpower in the end. You’ve got to keep going’: a qualitative study exploring the experience of pain in inflammatory bowel disease

British Journal of Pain ◽

10.1177/2049463719844539 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 201-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Louise Sweeney ◽

Rona Moss-Morris ◽

Wladyslawa Czuber-Dochan ◽

Laure Belotti ◽

Zoe Kabeli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Pain Management ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Emotional Impact ◽

Management Interventions ◽

Inflammatory Bowel ◽

Behavioural Therapies ◽

Physical Impact

Background: Pain is a widely experienced symptom of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which has significant psychological and functional impacts on patients. Understanding the aetiology and management of chronic pain is a poorly understood area of IBD research. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of individuals with IBD and pain, the pain management strategies they use and any needs for future pain management interventions. Methods: In all, 14 individuals with IBD were purposively recruited and interviewed (face-to-face or telephone) using a topic guide. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Themes identified were ‘vicious cycles’, ‘findings solutions’ and ‘attitudes’. The experience and impact of pain were rarely viewed in isolation, but rather within the context of a cycle of IBD symptoms. Other ‘vicious cycles’ identified included anxiety, avoidance and inactivity, and poor understanding and communication. Pain management included short- and long-term strategies. Searching for a solution for pain had an emotional impact on individuals. There were contrasting attitudes from participants, including defeat, tolerance and acceptance. Conclusion: This study provides an understanding of the experience of pain in IBD. The interaction of pain with accompanying IBD symptoms has an emotional and physical impact on individuals, and creates a barrier to adequate assessment, understanding and treatment of pain. Patients rely on their own experiences, and a trial and error approach to apply helpful strategies. Adjuvant behavioural therapies may be beneficial for patients experiencing pain and psychological distress, and to facilitate self-management.

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The significance ascribed to contacting a diaconal suicide-prevention crisis line in Norway: a qualitative study

Mental Health Religion & Culture ◽

10.1080/13674676.2020.1763281 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 113-126

Author(s):

Ingvild E. Vattø ◽

Sigrid H. K. Haug ◽

Valerie DeMarinis ◽

Lars Lien ◽

Lars J. Danbolt

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Suicide Prevention ◽

Crisis Line

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Veterinary Interventions to Improve Neonatal Survival on British Beef and Sheep Farms: A Qualitative Study

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.619889 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Katherine E. Adam ◽

Ann Bruce ◽

Alexander Corbishley

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Population Level ◽

Realist Evaluation ◽

Evaluation Framework ◽

Emotional Impact ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Veterinary Service ◽

Social And Emotional ◽

Calf Survival

Neonatal lamb and calf deaths are a major issue in UK agriculture. Consistent mortality rates over several decades, despite scientific advances, indicate that socioeconomic factors must also be understood and addressed for effective veterinary service delivery to improve lamb and calf survival. This qualitative study utilised semi-structured interviews with vets and farmers to explore the on-farm mechanisms and social context, with a particular focus on the role of the vet, to manage and reduce neonatal losses in beef calves and lambs on British farms. Data were analysed using a realist evaluation framework to assess how the mechanisms and context for veterinary service delivery influence survival as the outcome of interest. A lack of a clear outcome definition of neonatal mortality, and the financial, social and emotional impact of losses on both vets and farmers, are barriers to recording of losses and standardisation of acceptable mortality levels at a population level. Despite this, there appears to be an individual threshold on each farm at which losses become perceived as problematic, and veterinary involvement shifts from preventive to reactive mechanisms for service delivery. The veterinarian-farmer relationship is central to efforts to maximise survival, but the social and economic capital available to farmers influences the quality of this relationship. Health inequalities are well-recognised as an issue in human healthcare and the findings indicate that similar inequalities exist in livestock health systems.

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‘The rollercoaster’: A qualitative study of midwifery students’ experiences affecting their mental wellbeing

Midwifery ◽

10.1016/j.midw.2020.102735 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 88 ◽

pp. 102735 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jennifer Oates ◽

Alice Topping ◽

Kim Watts ◽

Penny Charles ◽

Caroline Hunter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Mental Wellbeing

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Narratives of death: a qualitative study of widowhood in later life

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x99007813 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 413-428 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

KATE MARY BENNETT ◽

STEPH VIDAL-HALL

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Later Life ◽

Narrative Form ◽

Emotional Impact ◽

Contributory Factors ◽

Difficult Time ◽

Almost All ◽

Conversational Turns

In this paper, we examine the descriptions given by women of the deaths of their husbands. Almost all the women gave elaborate narratives of the events that led up to their husband's death and of the death itself. These show that they identified earlier events as contributory factors in their husband's death and in the emotional impact upon them. They also show the detail with which these women recall their actions during this difficult time. The length of these accounts often contrasts with the remainder of the interview, where there are much shorter conversational turns. It is suggested that the events are shaped into narrative form because they are frequently mentally rehearsed. Two reasons for this are proposed. First, remembering these events is a goal in itself. Preserving the memory of these events is important both for the widows themselves and as a demonstration of respect for their husbands. Second, the narrative shape, and the attendant fluency, may be the result of relating the events on many occasions to other people. Elsewhere in the interviews, the widows speak of the need to recount these events, and talk about them, as a means of coping and surviving. This paper presents some of these ‘death narratives’ and discusses the implications of the research.

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Rising to the occasion: Exploring the changing emphasis on educational design during COVID-19

10.14742/ascilite2020.0137 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Amanda Bellaby ◽

Michael Sankey ◽

Louis Albert

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Education Sector ◽

Emotional Impact ◽

Teaching Staff ◽

Educational Design ◽

Teaching Online ◽

Teaching Activities ◽

Learning And Teaching ◽

The Face

With the advent of COVID-19, the majority of universities in Australasia have had to adjust quickly to provide the bulk of their learning and teaching activities online. To a great extent this involved learning/educational designers (and titles similar to this) needing to provide a range of tasks (some new) associated with supporting many teaching staff unfamiliar with teaching online. In some cases, this has meant a change in role, while for others it was transitioning to new and higher levels of responsibility. Regardless, the emotional impact of this should not be understated, or at least should understood. This paper explores these concepts based on the feedback from 90 educational designers, mainly from the Australasian higher education sector. It presents details of the results of a semi-structured qualitative study of those working in the field of educational design at universities. These designers were asked to consider how COVID-19 has impacted the ways in which they undertook their work, the types of issues they are dealing with, and the solutions they were proposing and contributing. Their accounts document the changing nature of their roles and their emotions in the face of potentially unalterable changes.

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Supporting the mental wellbeing of children and young people in the school environment: a qualitative study

The Lancet ◽

10.1016/s0140-6736(19)32822-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 394 ◽

pp. S25

Author(s):

Claire Beynon

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

School Environment ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Children And Young People

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Impact of Crisis Line Volunteering on Mental Wellbeing and the Associated Factors: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17051641 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 1641

Author(s):

Renate Willems ◽

Constance Drossaert ◽

Patricia Vuijk ◽

Ernst Bohlmeijer

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Research ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Psychological Pain ◽

Related Factors ◽

Work Related ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Wide Range ◽

Crisis Line ◽

The Impact

Crisis line services, operated by volunteers, have been proven to be effective in decreasing psychological pain and preventing suicidality. Although working at the crisis line may be rewarding, for some the confrontation with highly complex topics (i.e., suicidality, abuse, and loneliness) in combination with inappropriate calls (i.e., sexually abusive calls), may lead to distress or vicarious trauma. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the studies that have examined mental wellbeing of crisis line volunteers and the factors associated with it. Thirteen published empirical studies on the topic were found. These showed that crisis line volunteers are at increased risk of declined mental wellbeing. However, a wide range of operationalizations were used and most studies did not use validated instruments. On the other hand, studies showed that many volunteers experience satisfaction and gratification from their work. This review gives insight into some of the work-related, organization-related, and volunteer-related factors that may be associated with the decrease of mental wellbeing. More high quality, comprehensive, and quantitative research using validated instruments is urgently needed to assess the impact of the work on mental wellbeing and the relative impact of influencing factors.

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Integration of Traditional Birth Attendants into Mental Healthcare: A Multistakeholder Qualitative Study Exploration

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2019/8195267 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christine W. Musyimi ◽

Victoria N. Mutiso ◽

Darius N. Nyamai ◽

Ikenna D. Ebuenyi ◽

David M. Ndetei

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Psychosocial Interventions ◽

Future Generation ◽

Traditional Birth Attendants ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Birth Attendants

Background. A significant number of people with common mental disorders are undiagnosed or undetected at primary healthcare facilities. The experience of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in reassuring perinatal mothers could be utilized in maternal mental healthcare. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the feasibility of integrating TBAs into maternal mental healthcare using multiple stakeholder views. Methods. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study in September 2017 using focus group discussions (FGDs) and in depth interviews in Makueni County, Kenya. A total of 246 participants (TBAs, community health volunteers (CHVs), healthcare workers (HCWs), antenatal and postnatal mothers seeking care from TBAs and those seeking both hospital and TBA services, mothers in law and/or husbands of perinatal mothers, and opinion leaders based in the county) were purposively selected to participate in the discussions. Transcribed data was analyzed using NVivo version 10. Results. Four major themes emerged from the qualitative data and were identified as follows; (a) involving TBAs in perinatal mental healthcare by assigning them roles, (b) utilizing TBAs’ patient rapport and counseling experience, (c) recognition and appreciation of TBAs by the healthcare system, and (d) training and collaboration of TBAs with healthcare workers. Discussion. The findings of this study reveal that although TBAs informally provide psychosocial interventions to pregnant mothers, their roles in mental health are not clearly defined. The importance of TBAs sharing their experience and being recognized as important stakeholders in mental healthcare for perinatal mothers was highlighted. Inclusion of TBAs in dialogue and training them to offer evidence-based mental healthcare were identified as important steps towards improving the mental wellbeing of mothers and the future generation.

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