New horizons in supporting older people's health and wellbeing: is social prescribing a way forward?

Abstract Older people’s health and care needs are changing. Increasing numbers live with the combined effects of age-related chronic illness or disability, social isolation and/or poor mental health. Social prescribing has potential to benefit older people by helping those with social, emotional or practical needs to access relevant services and resources within the local community. However, researchers have highlighted limitations with the existing evidence-base, while clinicians express concerns about the quality of onward referral services, liability and upfront investment required. The current article provides a critical review of evidence on social prescribing, drawing on the RE-AIM Framework (Glasgow et al., 1999) to identify questions that will need to be addressed in order to inform both the design and delivery of services and the evolving research agenda around social prescribing. We emphasise the need for researchers and planners to work together to develop a more robust evidence-base, advancing understanding of the impacts of social prescribing (on individuals, services and communities), factors associated with variation in outcomes and strategies needed to implement effective and sustainable programmes. We also call on policymakers to recognise the need for investment in allied initiatives to address barriers to engagement in social prescribing programmes, provide targeted support for carers and improve access to older adult mental health services. We conclude that social prescribing has potential to support older people’s health and wellbeing, but this potential will only be realised through strategic alignment of research, local level implementation and national policy and investment.

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Social prescribing for people with mental health needs living in disadvantaged communities: the Life Rooms model

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-019-4882-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shaima M. Hassan ◽

Clarissa Giebel ◽

Esmaeil Khedmati Morasae ◽

Clare Rotheram ◽

Virginia Mathieson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Social Inclusion ◽

Local Community ◽

Community Setting ◽

Care Needs ◽

North West ◽

Social Prescribing ◽

The North

Abstract Background People live socially complex lives and have different health care needs influenced by socio-economic factors such as deprivation, unemployment, and poor housing. Lack of access to community based social care results in people seeking social support from health care services. This study explores the Life Rooms as a social prescribing model addressing the social determinants of mental health by providing support and access to resources in a local community setting. With an aim to identify key elements that contribute toward enhancing the effectiveness of the Life Rooms social prescribing approach. Methods Data were obtained through six semi-structured focus groups with mental health service users from two locations in the North West of the UK. Postcode data was collected to generate an Index for Multiple Deprivation (IMD) score, to understand their socio-economic background. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results A total of 18 participants took part in the study. The majority of participants came from disadvantaged backgrounds; 14 participants measuring 3 and below in terms of overall IMD scores and 9 participants belonged to the poorest decile (IMD score = 1). Participants reported on different elements of the Life Rooms which they found as an effective approach to care. Four main themes emerged from the data: 1) social belonging: being able to just ‘be’ 2) resourceful and accessible; 3) social inclusion and connectedness; and 4) moving forward: self-development and independence. Conclusion Findings support the need and benefit social prescribing to improve mental health wellbeing and reduce the burden of mental illness.

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Developing a whole-school mental health and wellbeing intervention through pragmatic formative process evaluation: a case-study of innovative local practice within The School Health Research network

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-020-10124-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nina Gobat ◽

Hannah Littlecott ◽

Andy Williams ◽

Kirsten McEwan ◽

Helen Stanton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Process Evaluation ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Outcome Evaluation ◽

Research Network ◽

Programme Theory ◽

Student Mental Health ◽

Local Practice ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Whole School

Abstract Background The evidence-base for whole school approaches aimed at improving student mental health and wellbeing remains limited. This may be due to a focus on developing and evaluating de-novo, research-led interventions, while neglecting the potential of local, contextually-relevant innovation that has demonstrated acceptability and feasibility. This study reports a novel approach to modelling and refining the programme theory of a whole-school restorative approach, alongside plans to scale up through a national educational infrastructure in order to support robust scientific evaluation. Methods A pragmatic formative process evaluation was conducted of a routinized whole-school restorative approach aimed at improving student mental health and wellbeing in Wales. Results The study reports the six phases of the pragmatic formative process evaluation. These are: 1) identification of innovative local practice; 2) scoping review of evidence-base to identify potential programme theory; outcomes; and contextual characteristics that influence implementation; 3) establishment of a Transdisciplinary Action Research (TDAR) group; 4) co-production and confirmation of an initial programme theory with stakeholders; 5) planning to optimise intervention delivery in local contexts; and 6) planning for feasibility and outcome evaluation. The phases of this model may be iterative and not necessarily sequential. Conclusions Formative, pragmatic process evaluations can support researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in developing robust scientific evidence-bases for acceptable and feasible local innovations that do not already have a clear evidence base. The case of a whole-school restorative approach provides a case example of how such an evaluation may be undertaken.

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Perceived mental health, wellbeing and associated factors among Nepali migrant and non-migrant workers: A qualitative study

10.1101/2020.11.23.20236794 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hridaya Raj Devkota ◽

Bishnu Bhandari ◽

Pratik Adhikary

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Physical Health ◽

Working Conditions ◽

Migrant Workers ◽

Health Condition ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Physical Work ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Mental And Physical Health

AbstractBackgroundPoor mental health and illness among the working population have serious socio-economic and public health consequences for both the individual and society/country. With a dramatic increase in work migration over the past decades, there is recent concern about the health and wellbeing of migrant workers and their accessibility to healthcare services in destination countries. This study aimed to explore the mental health and wellbeing experiences of Nepali returnee-migrants and non-migrant workers, and identify their perception on the risk factors for poor health and health service accessibility for them.MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted among Nepali migrant and non-migrant workers in February 2020. Four focus group discussions (n=25) and 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with male non-migrant and returnee migrant workers from Gulf countries and Malaysia. The discussions and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English and analysed thematically.ResultMigrant workers reported a higher risk of developing adverse mental health conditions than non-migrant workers. In addition, fever, upper respiratory infection, abdominal pain, ulcer, and occupational injuries were common health problems among both migrant and non-migrant workers. Other major illnesses reported by the migrant workers were heat burns and rashes, snake-bites, dengue, malaria, gallstone, kidney failure, and sexually transmitted diseases, while non-migrants reported hypertension, diabetes, and heart diseases. Adverse living and working conditions including exploitation and abuse by employers, lack of privacy and congested accommodation, language barriers, long hours’ hard physical work without breaks, and unhealthy lifestyles were the contributing factors to migrant workers’ poor mental and physical health. Both migrant and non-migrants reported poor compliance of job conditions and labor protection by their employers such as application of safety measures at work, provision of insurance and healthcare facilities that affected for their wellbeing negatively. Family problems compounded by constant financial burdens and unmet expectations were the most important factors linked with migrant workers’ poor mental health condition.ConclusionBoth migrant and non-migrant workers experienced poor mental and physical health condition largely affected by their adverse living and working conditions, unmet familial and financial needs and adherence to unhealthy life styles. It is needed to ensure the compliance of work agreement by employers and promotion of labor rights in relation to worker’s health and safety. In addition, policy interventions on raising awareness on occupational health risk and effective safety training to all migrant and non-migrant workers are recommended.

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Disaster management strategies and relation of good governance for the coastal Bangladesh

Resources and Environmental Economics ◽

10.25082/ree.2021.02.002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 269-279

Author(s):

Prabal Barua ◽

◽

Abhijit Mitra ◽

Saeid Eslamian ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disaster Management ◽

Local Governments ◽

Local Community ◽

Good Governance ◽

Local Level ◽

Management Strategies ◽

National Policy ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Community Members ◽

Management Policies

Although Bangladesh’s immense steps in preparing the disaster management policies following the values of good governance issue, the quantity to which these policies have productively been executing at the local level remnants mostly unknown. The objectives of this investigation were dual: firstly, to inspect the roles and efficiency of the local-level governance and disaster management organization, and lastly, to recognize the obstacles to the execution of national the policies and Disaster-Risk-Reduction guidelines at the local community level. The authors applied qualitative research and case Study approach, using techniques from the Participatory Rural Appraisal toolbox to collect data from local community members as well as government and NGO officials. From the finding of the study, it was revealed that interactive disaster governance, decentralization of disaster management, and compliance by local-level institutions with good governance principles and national policy guidelines can be extremely effective in reducing disaster-loss and damages. According to coastal community members, the local governments have generally failed to uphold good governance principles, and triangulated data confirm that the region at large suffers from rampant corruption, political favoritism, lack of transparency and accountability and minimal inclusion of local inhabitants in decision-making – all of which have severely impeded the successful implementation of national disaster-management policies. This study contributes to these research gaps, with identification of further research agenda in these areas. The paper deals with International Sendai Framework that called for enhancement of local level community resilience to disasters. Thus, it contributes to numerous policy and practice areas relating to good disaster governance. The study identified the specific manifestations of these failures in coastal communities in Bangladesh. These results underscore the vital need to address the wide gap between national DRR goals and the on-the-ground realities of policy implementation to successfully enhance the country’s resilience to climate change-induced disasters.

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The economics of mental health in the workplace: what do we know and where do we go?

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences ◽

10.1017/s1121189x00002463 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 294-298 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

David McDaid

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Economic Evaluations ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Productivity Losses ◽

Mental Health Interventions

AbstractTo provide an overview of the economic impact of poor mental health in the workplace and assess the extent to which economic evaluation has been used to further the case for investment in workplace based mental health programmes. Rapid scoping review of published and grey literature. The socio-economic costs of poor mental health in the workplace are substantial but conservative, as few studies have included productivity losses from work cutback, as well as absenteeism. While few economic evaluations of workplace based mental health interventions were identified, the available evidence base suggests that they have the potential to be highly cost effective. Much of this evidence may be from the US and be less applicable elsewhere; it may also have been solely published in company documents making assessment of methodological quality difficult. The potential economic case for workplace based mental health interventions appears good. More collaboration between policy makers and the private sector would help facilitate rigorous and transparent economic evaluations. A number of evaluations are planned. The challenge is to build on these initiatives, in order to address what remains a major gap in our knowledge on the economics of mental health.

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Characterizing psychiatric hypersomnia on campus: contributions of chronotype, insomnia, and tiredness

10.31234/osf.io/64etq ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Louise Beattie ◽

Georgios Rigas ◽

Stephany Biello

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young Adults ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Preliminary Report ◽

Severity Index ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Sleep Health ◽

Future Studies ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Sleep Propensity

Study Objectives: The sleep of students contains several features rendering it worthy of independent investigation. Sleep duration is an important aspect of sleep health and wellbeing, however the assessment of psychiatric hypersomnia has been hampered by the absence of a single unitary scale of this construct. With the recent publication of the Hypersomnia Severity Index, research can now examine this condition in greater detail.Methods: Here we consider how the candidate variables of sleep propensity, fatigue, chronotype and insomnia may be associated with hypersomnia scores in a sample of 140 students. Results suggest that hypersomnia was significantly predicted by these measures, but not age or gender. We then model a pathway from chronotype to hypersomnia, including these factors as potential mediators.Results: Results suggest that hypersomnia was significantly predicted by these measures, but not age or gender. The proposed pathway from chronotype to hypersomnia warrants further study.Conclusions: Future studies should expand upon this preliminary report and consider longitudinally and prospectively how hypersomnia is linked to poor mental health in well-characterized samples of students and other young adults.

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Exploring the relationship between housing concerns, mental health and wellbeing: a qualitative study of social housing tenants

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdz076 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. e231-e238 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eleanor Holding ◽

Lindsay Blank ◽

Mary Crowder ◽

Edward Ferrari ◽

Elizabeth Goyder

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Low Income ◽

Social Housing ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Housing Quality ◽

Community Safety ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background The rising prevalence of mental health problems is a growing public health issue. Poor mental health is not equally distributed across social groups and is associated with poverty and insecure housing. An evaluation of a social housing intervention provided an opportunity to explore the connections between housing and wider determinants of health and wellbeing. Methods We undertook 44 interviews with social housing tenants over a two-year period to explore their views on housing, health and wellbeing. Results Poor mental health was common. The results suggest that perceptions of housing quality, service responsiveness, community safety, benefit changes and low income all have a detrimental effect on tenants’ mental health. Conclusions Social housing providers who wish to have a positive impact on the mental health of their tenants need to consider how to best support or mitigate the impact of these stresses. Addressing traditional housing officer functions such as reporting or monitoring home repairs alongside holistic support remains an important area where social housing departments can have substantial health impact. Tackling the complex nature of mental health requires a joined up approach between housing and a number of services.

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Employment Precariousness and Poor Mental Health: Evidence from Spain on a New Social Determinant of Health

Journal of Environmental and Public Health ◽

10.1155/2013/978656 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Alejandra Vives ◽

Marcelo Amable ◽

Montserrat Ferrer ◽

Salvador Moncada ◽

Clara Llorens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Population Based ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Social Determinant ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Precarious Employment ◽

Prevalence Proportion ◽

Permanent Workers

Background.Evidence on the health-damaging effects of precarious employment is limited by the use of one-dimensional approaches focused on employment instability. This study assesses the association between precarious employment and poor mental health using the multidimensional Employment Precariousness Scale.Methods.Cross-sectional study of 5679 temporary and permanent workers from the population-based Psychosocial Factors Survey was carried out in 2004-2005 in Spain. Poor mental health was defined as SF-36 mental health scores below the 25th percentile of the Spanish reference for each respondent’s sex and age. Prevalence proportion ratios (PPRs) of poor mental health across quintiles of employment precariousness (reference: 1st quintile) were calculated with log-binomial regressions, separately for women and men.Results.Crude PPRs showed a gradient association with poor mental health and remained generally unchanged after adjustments for age, immigrant status, socioeconomic position, and previous unemployment. Fully adjusted PPRs for the 5th quintile were 2.54 (95% CI: 1.95–3.31) for women and 2.23 (95% CI: 1.86–2.68) for men.Conclusion.The study finds a gradient association between employment precariousness and poor mental health, which was somewhat stronger among women, suggesting an interaction with gender-related power asymmetries. Further research is needed to strengthen the epidemiological evidence base and to inform labour market policy-making.

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Technological and Digital Interventions for Mental Health and Wellbeing: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Frontiers in Digital Health ◽

10.3389/fdgth.2021.754337 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Nele A. J. De Witte ◽

Steven Joris ◽

Eva Van Assche ◽

Tom Van Daele

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

User Involvement ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Overview Of Reviews ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Use Of Technology ◽

Active User ◽

Wide Range ◽

Technological Interventions ◽

Overview Of Systematic Reviews

Background: Research increasingly shows how selective and targeted use of technology within care and welfare can have several advantages including improved quality of care and active user involvement.Purpose: The current overview of reviews aims to summarize the research on the effectiveness of technology for mental health and wellbeing. The goal is to highlight and structure the diverse combinations of technologies and interventions used so far, rather than to summarize the effectiveness of singular approaches.Methods: The current overview includes reviews published in the past five years with a focus on effectiveness of digital and technological interventions targeting mental health and wellbeing.Results: A total of 246 reviews could be included. All reviews examined the effectiveness of digital and technological interventions in the context of care and welfare. A combination of two taxonomies was created through qualitative analysis, based on the retrieved interventions and technologies in the reviews. Review classification shows a predominance of reviews on psychotherapeutic interventions using computers and smartphones. It is furthermore shown that when smartphone applications as stand-alone technology are researched, the primary focus is on self-help, and that extended reality is the most researched emerging technology to date.Conclusion: This overview of reviews shows that a wide range of interventions and technologies, with varying focus and target populations, have been studied in the field of care and wellbeing. The current overview of reviews is a first step to add structure to this rapidly changing field and may guide both researchers and clinicians in further exploring the evidence-base of particular approaches.

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Mental Health Issues in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island: Findings From the Healthy Aging Data Reports

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.312 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 95-95

Author(s):

Taylor Jansen ◽

Richard Chunga ◽

Chae Man Lee ◽

Shuangshuang Wang ◽

Haowei Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Rhode Island ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Local Community ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Health Issues ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Issues

Abstract Mental health issues in older adults are prevalent, yet often undetected or untreated and can contribute to poor physical health, increased disability, and higher mortality rates. The current study describes state and local community rates of mental health indicators of older adults 65+ in MA, NH, and RI. Data sources used to calculate rates were: the American Community Survey (2009-2013 RI, 2012-2016 MA and NH), the Medicare Current Beneficiary Summary File (2012-2013 RI, 2015 MA and NH), and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2012-2014 RI, 2013-2015 MA, and 2014-2016 NH). Small area estimation techniques were used to calculate age-sex adjusted community rates for more than 150 health indicators. This research examines disparities in rates for 3 mental health indicators depression, self-reported poor mental health, and self-reported poor/fair health status. Depression rates: MA 31.5% (19.91-48.82%), RI 30% (19.7-38.5%), and NH 28.8% (18.26-40.56%). Self-reported poor mental health: RI 7.5% (4.8-12.5%), MA 7.0% (2.10-16.59%), and NH 6.9% (3.42-10.13%). Self-reported fair/poor health: RI 20.4% (8.6-38.8%), MA 18.0%, (7.2-34.38%), and NH 16.5% (13.31-21.60%). Results showed variability in rates across states. MA had the highest rates of depression, the greatest differences in rates, and access to the most mental health providers. RI had the highest community rates for poor physical and mental health, and the highest percentage of residents age 85+. Understanding the distribution of community rates makes disparities evident, and may help practitioners and policymakers to allocate resources to areas of highest need. Research funded by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

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