scholarly journals Defining well-being in community development from the ground up: a case study of participant and practitioner perspectives

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Coburn ◽  
Sinéad Gormally
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Advisory Group ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Briefing Paper ◽  
Safety Consideration ◽  
Development Practice

Abstract The concept of well-being is part of an inter-disciplinary agenda for health improvement and human flourishing, critiqued as a superficial ‘solution’ to structural inequality (Friedli, L. (2003) Mental Health Improvement ‘concepts and definitions’: briefing Paper for the National Advisory Group, Scottish Executive, Edinburgh; White, S. C. (2010) Analysing wellbeing: a framework for development practice, Development in Practice, 20 (2), 158–172). This article discusses an evaluation of three health promoting community projects, over a two-year period. The study identifies important features for understanding well-being at grassroots, community and practice levels. Local people had viable and holistic perceptions of well-being that helped them reflect on their current contexts. Practitioners tended to have a more limited conceptualization by associating wellbeing with mental health or community safety. Consideration of findings identified five conditions of wellbeing for community development practice: creating a sense of community; strong volunteering ethos; networking and partnership working; positive language; enhanced relationships. Applying these findings in practice helped to create a new reflective grid, incorporating seven elements of well-being. Participants found this grid easy to use and affirming in facilitating reflection on their personal well-being. This was also beneficial for community practitioners, who were not clinically qualified, to facilitate reflective learning at grassroots level. Analysis of this research enables a conclusion to be drawn to suggest that well-being is a valuable construct in unifying community development.

scholarly journals Is empowerment a route to improving mental health and wellbeing in an urban regeneration (UR) context?

Urban Studies ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1619-1637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Baba ◽  
Ade Kearns ◽  
Emma McIntosh ◽  
Carol Tannahill ◽  
James Lewsey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Urban Regeneration ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Empowerment ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Health Gains

Urban regeneration (UR) programmes are recognised as a type of Population Health Intervention (PHI), addressing social and health inequalities. Policy recommends programmes involve communities through engagement and empowerment. Whilst the literature has started to link empowerment with health improvement, this has not been within an UR context. As part of broader research on the economic evaluation of community empowerment activities, this paper examines how health gains can be generated through promoting empowerment as well as identifying whether feelings of empowerment are associated with residents personal characteristics or perceptions of their neighbourhood. Using 2011 Community Health and Wellbeing Survey (GoWell) cross-sectional data, ordinal logistic regression and simple linear regression analysis of 15 Glasgow neighbourhoods undergoing regeneration with 4302 adult householders (≥16 years old) was completed. Analyses identified strong associations ( P≥ 0.05) between empowerment and the mental health subscale of the SF12v2 and with several items of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) scale. Furthermore, residents’ who felt more empowered reported more positive attitudes towards their surroundings and housing providers. This concurs with recent evidence of the importance of residents’ psychological investments in their neighbourhood influencing their sense of place attachment. Such analyses present initial evidence of the value of investing resources within UR programmes to activities geared towards increasing residents’ empowerment as a means of producing those health gains often sought by more costly aspects of the programmes.

Mental Health Improvement Through Physical Therapy: Polish Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S487-S488
Author(s):  
A.R. Szczegielniak ◽  
J. Szczegielniak
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Physical Therapists ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Physical Medicine ◽  
Anxiety Management ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Competing Interest

Among people suffering from mental conditions increased prevalence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and respiratory disease is observed, with considerably higher levels of morbidity and mortality. Still, mental conditions are neglected and not treated equally to other medical states in Poland. It is commonly believed that psychiatric patients are violent and unpredictable, even though they are more likely to be a victim of violence themselves. This attitude, reinforced by media coverage and observed also among health care workers, results in unwillingness to have any relations with mental patients due to fear of them being aggressive. Connection between physical well-being and mental health is well known. Physical therapists have necessary knowledge and skills to support development of individual independence, anxiety management and lifestyle control in order to keep patients healthier. It can be done by specially designed treatment programmes consisting of exercises, manual techniques and physical medicine procedures. Lack of understanding of this valuable connection results in insufficient emphasis on the presence of physiotherapist in the multidisciplinary therapeutic team on psychiatric wards nationwide. The study focuses on summary of the current situation in Poland and starts discussion on possible areas of improvements.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Occupational Stress and Mental Health Among Healthcare Workers Serving Socially Vulnerable Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder ◽  
Alice P. Villatoro ◽  
Marisol D. McDaniel ◽  
Ana Sofia Ocegueda ◽  
Deliana Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Work Place

The purpose of this study was to analyze occupational and personal stressors, mental health indicators, perceived discrimination and help-seeking behaviors among healthcare workers and providers (HCWPs) serving socially vulnerable groups such as immigrants, refugees, farmworkers, homeless individuals, people living in poverty, and other disadvantaged populations in the United States (U.S.) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a cross-sectional descriptive approach, we gathered information between July and September 2020, from a sample of 407 affiliates of two national organizations of clinic-based HCWPs who worked at federally funded and community safety-net clinics. Informed consent was obtained from all participants who completed a self-administered online survey available in English and Spanish. Our results indicated that the HCWPs serving vulnerable groups in the midst of the pandemic experienced high levels of occupational and personal stressors as well as anxiety and depressive symptomology. Major occupational stressors were excessive workload, long working-hours, and institutional barriers to refer and follow-up on their clients' access to needed social services. High-rated personal stressors included sleep disorders, lack of and child-care, partner's loosing job, and other family related situations. Our findings suggest that HCWPs working with vulnerable populations need specialized interventions that bolster their mental health and well-being as the pandemic continues to unfold. We recommend implementing initiatives that encourage HCWPs' to be actively involved in clinic decisions regarding employee safety and protection as well as in management decisions to improve work place infrastructure and capacity to respond to the social needs of their clients. Lessons learned from the pandemic are useful tools in designing protocols for addressing the mental-health needs of HCWPs in health-care organizations that attend to socially underprivileged populations.

scholarly journals Quality improvement in forensic mental health: the East London forensic violence reduction collaborative

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e000803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen P O'Sullivan ◽  
Nynn Hui Chang ◽  
Day Njovana ◽  
Philip Baker ◽  
Amar Shah
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Violence Reduction ◽  
Inpatient Settings

Ward-based violence is the most significant cause of reported safety incidents at East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT). It impacts on patient and staff safety, well-being, clinical care and the broader hospital community in various direct and indirect ways. The contributing factors are varied and complex. Several factors differentiate the forensic setting, which has been identified as a particularly stressful work environment. Staff must constantly balance addressing therapeutic needs with robust risk management in a complex patient cohort. ELFT identified reducing inpatient physical violence on mental health wards as a major quality improvement (QI) priority. The aim was to use a QI methodology to reduce incidents of inpatient violence and aggression across two secure hospital sites by at least 30% between July 2016 and March 2018. Collaborative learning was central to this project. It sought to foster a culture of openness within the organisation around violence and to support service users and staff to work together to understand and address it. A QI methodology was applied in medium and low secure inpatient settings. A change bundle was tested for effectiveness, which included: safety huddles, safety crosses and weekly community safety discussions. Operational definitions for non-physical violence, physical violence and sexual harassment were developed and used. Reductions of 8% and 16.6% in rates of physical and non-physical violent incidents, respectively, were achieved and sustained. Compared with baseline, this equated to one less incident of physical and 17 less of non-physical violence per week averaged across seven wards. Three wards achieved at least a 30% reduction in incidents of physical violence per week. Five wards achieved at least a 30% reduction in incidents of non-physical violence per week. This collaborative brought significant improvements and a cultural shift towards openness around inpatient violence.

scholarly journals The Predictive Dynamics of Happiness and Well-Being

2021 ◽  
pp. 175407392110638
Author(s):  
Mark Miller ◽  
Erik Rietveld ◽  
Julian Kiverstein
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Predictive Processing ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Momentary Happiness ◽  
Error Dynamics

We offer an account of mental health and well-being using the predictive processing framework (PPF). According to this framework, the difference between mental health and psychopathology can be located in the goodness of the predictive model as a regulator of action. What is crucial for avoiding the rigid patterns of thinking, feeling and acting associated with psychopathology is the regulation of action based on the valence of affective states. In PPF, valence is modelled as error dynamics—the change in prediction errors over time . Our aim in this paper is to show how error dynamics can account for both momentary happiness and longer term well-being. What will emerge is a new neurocomputational framework for making sense of human flourishing.

scholarly journals Emotional Labor, Burnout, Medical Error, and Turnover Intention among South Korean Nursing Staff in a University Hospital Setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 10111
Author(s):  
Chan-Young Kwon ◽  
Boram Lee ◽  
O-Jin Kwon ◽  
Myo-Sung Kim ◽  
Kyo-Lin Sim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Nursing Staff ◽  
Medical Errors ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Medical Error ◽  
Turnover Intention ◽  
Well Being ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
South Korean

Nurses are vulnerable to mental health challenges, including burnout, as they are exposed to adverse job conditions such as high workload. The mental health of this population can relate not only to individual well-being but also to patient safety outcomes. Therefore, there is a need for a mental health improvement strategy that targets this population. This cross-sectional survey study investigates emotional labor, burnout, turnover intention, and medical error levels among 117 nursing staff members in a South Korean university hospital; it also analyzes correlations among outcomes and conduct correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis to determine relationships among these factors. The participants had moderate to high levels of emotional labor and burnout, and 23% had experienced medical errors within the last six months. Save for medical errors, all outcomes significantly and positively correlated with each other. These results can be used to improve the mental health outcomes of nurses working in the hospital and their consequences. Specifically, the job positions of nursing personnel may be a major consideration in such a strategy, and job-focused emotional labor and employee-focused emotional labor may be promising targets in ameliorating turnover intention and client-related burnout, respectively.

scholarly journals Analyzing the Impact of Green Roof Functions on the Citizens' Mental Health in Metropolitan Cities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Rezaei ◽  
Nyirumuringa Emmanuel ◽  
Juyeon Kim ◽  
Doo Hwan Kim
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Metropolitan Cities ◽  
High Satisfaction ◽  
High Satisfaction Rate ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Environmental Functions

Background: The fast-growing trend of urbanizations and the dwellers' stressful lifestyle in megacities has led to several drawbacks from the mental health perspective. Provided that there is a significant association between the green environment and mental health, we investigated different functions of a green roof from two perspectives of well-being and environment. Methods: After investigating on different functions of the green roof and classifying them into two sections, a self questionnaire survey was conducted in May 2020 on 100 citizens of the Seoul metropolitan area after, South Korea visiting the green roof. They were asked to clarify their perception of the different functions of green roof gardens. The statistical analysis was performed to show the differences in perception and how each variable can contribute to such differences. Results: The results illustrated a high satisfaction rate among the visitors of green roofs. The perception of the well-being functions was higher than those of environmental functions. However, age group can alter the perception significantly, as the senior citizens significantly perceived the well-being functions. In contrast, the awareness of the environmental functions was higher among the younger participants. Conclusion: Providing practical information about the ideal functions of green roofs, this study offered helpful insight for the planners who focus on society’s general health and work in two different sections: developing the city landscape and mental health improvement.

Mental Health

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Delle Fave ◽  
Luca Negri
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Indian Medical ◽  
Structural Differences ◽  
Western View ◽  
Health Features

This chapter offers an overview of the scientific approaches to the study of mental health, starting from the historical breakthrough represented by Maria Jahoda’s emphasis on the structural differences between mental health and mental illness, and concluding with the latest theoretical models and interventions formulated within positive psychology. Attention is paid to conceptualizations of human flourishing and psychological well-being, their operationalization and assessment tools, and their use and effectiveness in interventions. Empirical findings on positive mental health features across the life span are summarized. The approach to mental health developed within Asian traditions, and specifically in the Indian medical system of Ayurveda, is discussed in relation to the Western view. New questions and challenges arising from the expansion of knowledge about positive mental health are outlined.

Grandchild Care and Well-Being: Gender Differences in Mental Health Effects of Caregiving Grandparents

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Rocío Notter
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Grandchild Care ◽  
Mental Health Effects

Abstract Objective The literature on the gendered differences of mental health as a result of grandchild care has shown mixed results. Research on grandchild care further suggests that nonresidential grandchild care improves mental health outcomes, while residential grandchild care arrangements decrease mental health outcomes in grandparents. The moderating or buffering role of social engagement remains understudied in the grandchild care-mental health relationship. The present study examines mental health effect differences between caregiving grandmothers and grandfathers, and the moderating effects of social engagement. Method Using 2002-2012 data from the HRS (Health and Retirement Study), a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults aged 50 and over, I examine the mental health effects of grandchild care and the moderating effect of social engagement in fixed effects models. Results Grandfathers experience particularly worsened mental health outcomes when providing grandchild care in a skipped-generation household. Both grandmothers and grandfathers experience mental health improvements from increased social engagement. Social engagement, particularly for grandmothers, serves as a buffer or produces role enhancement for grandmothers in skipped-generation care arrangements. Discussion Nonresidential and residential grandchild care affect mental health outcomes differently for grandmothers and grandfathers. However, social engagement consistently serves as a buffer or mental health improvement for all grandparents. Findings further encourage the continued study of social engagement and gender differences in older adults more broadly.

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