scholarly journals A qualitative longitudinal study of the first UK Dual Diagnosis Anonymous (DDA), an integrated peer-support programme for concurrent disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 151-167
Author(s):  
Raffaella Margherita Milani ◽  
Keisha Nahar ◽  
Daniel Ware ◽  
Alan Butler ◽  
Sean Roush ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Dual Diagnosis ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Concurrent Disorders ◽  
Addictive Disorders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Dual Diagnosis Anonymous (DDA) is a peer-led programme developed in the USA, which aims to address mental and addictive disorders in an integrated manner. This study is part of a mixed-methods evaluation of the first DDA pilot in the UK, and the purpose of this study is to explore the impact and mechanism of change of the programme through the perspective of DDA attendees, facilitators and the funding commissioners. Design/methodology/approach Six DDA members were interviewed three times over a period of 12 months, the facilitators were interviewed twice and the commissioner was interviewed once. The qualitative longitudinal data were analysed using a trajectory thematic analysis. Findings DDA attendance was perceived to have had a positive impact on five main areas: acceptance of self, of others and from others; social functioning; self-development; recovery progression; and feeling of hope. The possibility of addressing both mental health and addiction at the same time was a key factor in the recovery process. The facilitators observed that DDA had contributed to integrate members into employment and education, while the commissioner stressed the importance of joint commissioning and sustainability. Originality/value The longitudinal approach provided a unique insight into the recovery process of DDA members. Being able to address the mental health as well as the substance use problems was considered to be a fundamental strength of DDA in comparison to the single purpose peer-support fellowships.

Can CrossFit aid in addiction recovery? An exploratory media analysis of popular press

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby C. Lautner ◽  
Megan S. Patterson ◽  
Melitza Ramirez ◽  
Katie Heinrich
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Adjunctive Treatment ◽  
Addiction Recovery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose CrossFit has been popularized for the high intensity workouts it provides and the sense of community it facilitates; however, its potential as an adjunctive treatment for addiction is unknown, as is has not been published in traditional peer-reviewed literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the potential for CrossFit to benefit individuals in addiction recovery. Design/methodology/approach A search was conducted using the search terms “CrossFit,” “addiction” and “addiction recovery.” A tool was created to categorize key information within articles such as type(s) of addiction described, mention of support/community, main narrative type (personal story, information about a treatment centers, etc.), mental health described as a comorbidity, and if the exercise program(s) was(were) used to prevent, sustain or support recovery. Findings Nearly half of the articles reviewed (48 per cent) described personal stories related to using CrossFit as a means to overcome addiction, and 26 per cent were about CrossFit gyms targeting addiction recovery. A key finding was that 62 per cent of all articles mentioned the community and social component of CrossFit as an important mechanism of the recovery process. Finally, 33 per cent of articles recognized mental health as a comorbidity to addiction and therefore also proposed CrossFit as a suitable way to improve mental health. Research limitations/implications Although this was a review of gray literature, the findings reveal how CrossFit may be an innovative approach for supporting addiction recovery. Practical implications The potential benefits identified in the articles demonstrate the positive impact that CrossFit may have on recovering addicts. Empirical research is needed to objectively study the impact of key aspects that CrossFit can provide to individuals overcoming addiction. Originality/value This study provides an example of how anecdotal evidence of addiction recovery can be used for analysis, thus providing a strategy to be implemented in addiction treatment facilities. CrossFit has been widely popularized by the fitness community, but the social support and exercise it provides may be a leverage point for supporting individuals in recovery.

The speed of change and performance risk: examining the impacts of IT spending in the US hotel industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Hua ◽  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
Melissa F. Jahromi ◽  
Agnes DeFranco
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Performance Risk ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Revenue Volatility ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Speed Accuracy

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of the speed of change (trend) in information technology (IT) expenditures on performance risk indicated by revenue volatility in the US hotel industry. Design/methodology/approach To systematically investigate the impacts of IT expenditures on hotel performance risks, this study collects the same store proprietary data of 1,471 hotel properties from CBRE, a leading hotel consulting firm in the USA, from 2011 to 2017, with a total of 10,297 observations. Findings Econometric analyses are performed and results indicate a significant and positive impact of the speed of change of IT systems expenditures on the performance risk after comprehensively controlling for confounding factors following prior research. Originality/value With the increased importance of IT in day-to-day activities, hospitality business owners have started to quickly adjust their investment in IT infrastructure and superstructure to enhance their business performance. However, their fast-changing expenditures may introduce more risks to their businesses based on the speed–accuracy tradeoff, systems theory and the Schumpeterian Growth Model. This study is one of the pioneer projects that ever assessed the impact of IT expenditure and speed of change on performance risks of hotels.

Peer support in community settings: getting back to our roots

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Crepaz-Keay
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Benefit ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mental Health Foundation ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to look at peer support in the context of broader communities. Design/methodology/approach It builds on the author’s experience working with the Mental Health Foundation of developing delivering and evaluating several self-management and peer support initiatives in a variety of settings with a range of different peer groups. It will consider what constitutes a peer and a community, and explore the notion of community solutions for community problems. Findings Peer support in community settings has the capacity to address social isolation, build skills and self-esteem and give individuals a better quality of life – it can also add value to whole communities and reframe the way entire groups are considered within them. It has the ability to be both more accessible and less stigmatising and thus reach more people. This also offers community based peer support as a contributor to preventing the deterioration of mental health and potentially reducing the impact of mental ill-health. Social implications The author needs to think more in terms of whole community and get better at improving how the author measures and articulates this community benefit. This will allow us to make better decisions about how best to apply resources for long term whole community gain. Peer support and peer leadership needs to be at the heart of this process. Originality/value This paper places a familiar approach in a different setting placing peer support firmly outside services and within comunities.

An investigation of government employees’ support for public-private partnerships

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Razilya Shakirova
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Public Private Partnerships ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Government Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that may influence support of public-private partnerships (PPPs) by government employees potentially involved in designing and implementing cross-sectoral collaborations. Design/methodology/approach Based on an original survey of government employees in the USA, this study explores the impact of individual, organizational and environmental factors on their support for PPPs by employing ordinary least squares regression. Findings Among the individual factors, involvement in PPPs and concerns for efficiency have been identified as factors having positive impact on government employees’ support for PPPs. Male government employees seem to be less supportive of PPPs than female government employees. Environmental factors such as public opinion and appointed agency heads positively influence government employees’ views of PPPs. No evidence for the significant impact of organizational factors on government employee perceptions of PPPs was found. Research limitations/implications Factors influencing government employees’ attitudes may also have an effect on employees’ behaviors when involved in PPPs. Further studies may clarify how attitudes are translated into behaviors and how they influence the performance of PPPs. Investigations into government employees’ views of PPPs before and after their actual involvement in partnerships may allow for identifying changes in employees’ support for PPPs and their possible causes. Originality/value This study investigates the impacts of individual, organizational and environmental factors on government employees’ support for partnerships with the private sector that remain under-researched in the literature.

The impact of economic downturn on mental health in Canada

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Latif
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Unemployment Rate ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Canadian Data ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use longitudinal Canadian data from the National Population Health Survey (1994-2006) to examine the impact of provincial unemployment rate on mental health as measured by the short form depression scale. Design/methodology/approach – To control for the unobserved individual specific factors, the study utilized individual-specific fixed-effects model. Findings – The study found that, for the overall model, provincial unemployment rate has a significant positive impact on depression. The study further examined the impact of unemployment rate on depression for a number of sub-groups based on gender, age, marital status, and education. The results suggest that the impacts of unemployment rate on depression are heterogeneous across different sub-groups. Practical implications – The results of this study have important policy implications. Previous studies suggest that mental stress may lead to risky health behaviours such excessive drinking, substance use, and smoking. These risky health behaviours may have long term health consequences in terms of chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, etc. Thus policy makers may consider taking appropriate steps to provide mental health support during the period of recession. Such support may also be helpful for the unemployed individuals who are too depressed to search for job. Originality/value – Previous studies on this issue may suffer from potential bias since they omitted unobserved individual specific factors from the estimating equations. This paper has taken the opportunity of utilizing longitudinal Canadian Population Health Survey and adopts an individual specific fixed effects method to estimate the effects of macroeconomic conditions on mental health. All of the studies reviewed here used data from the USA. So far no study has examined the impact of unemployment rate on mental health using Canadian data. It is interesting to conduct a study using Canadian data since there are important differences between Canada and the USA with respect to labour market policies and health care systems.

Reversing the tide of sport globalization from west to east? Examining consumer demand for table tennis clubs in the U.S.

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-235
Author(s):  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Minkil Kim ◽  
Jerred Junqi Wang ◽  
Brenda Pitts
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Consumer Demand ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Table Tennis ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The North ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

Purpose By using table tennis as an example and conducting an in-depth investigation into the impact of market demand factors on membership consumption of table tennis club members in the USA, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the opportunities and marketing efforts needed for Asian sports to survive and thrive in North America, in which consumer demand factors assessing core program features of table tennis clubs were found to be very influential of cognitive, affective, and behavioral consumptions of table tennis club members. Design/methodology/approach Through conducting a review of literature, observations of club operations, and interviews of club administrators and club members representing various table tennis clubs, a preliminary questionnaire was formulated for this study. The initial questionnaire was submitted to a panel of five experts, for a test of content validity. By incorporating their suggestions, editing was made to improve a number of the items in the questionnaire. Data collection took place in two national table tennis tournaments, two local tournaments, and six table tennis clubs. Procedures in SPSS 19.0 (SPSS, 2009) and Mplus 5.21 were carried out for data analyses. Findings The findings of this study are that market demand factors would be significantly related to consumer perceived benefits and perceived value, and in turn related to consumer satisfaction of table tennis club membership. The market demand factors had a positive impact on perceived value and benefits confirmed the theoretical framework and previous research findings, which also made a practical sense that a table tennis club needs to offer product features and meet expectations of its current and potential members in order to enhance program value and benefits perceived by its members. Originality/value The past two decades have marked the speediest rise of a globalized sport production and consumption trend. In an era of globalized sport marketplace, sports have become a business commodity to meet the needs of commerce. For an Asian sport to penetrate into the North American marketplace as table tennis has done, it would be wise to develop regional network, strategies, product, and promotions. It is expected that table tennis as a popular Asian sport will continue being spread to other parts of the world; thus, the findings of this study have potential relevance to promoting table tennis globally.

“The dual diagnosis attitudes survey”: understanding the attitudinal impact of training across mental health and alcohol and drug service systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 137-149
Author(s):  
Gavin Foster
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Dual Diagnosis ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regional Partnership ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Anecdotal feedback obtained from alcohol and drug and mental health staff across the eastern metropolitan region of Melbourne, Australia suggests that attitudes towards working with people experiencing a dual diagnosis are becoming more positive. The purpose of this paper is to understand if dual diagnosis-specific training delivered to staff within mental health and alcohol and other drug services was a factor positively influencing attitudes. Design/methodology/approach No formal evaluation assessing the impact of dual diagnosis-specific training on staff attitudes had previously occurred within this region of Australia. Access to staff on two occasions from three distinct sectors provided an opportunity to examine if and, to what degree, attitudes can be influenced by dual diagnosis-specific training. Using a co-designed attitudes survey, information was gathered from mental health and alcohol and drug staff on their attitudes to working with people with co-occurring mental health and substance use problems. Findings Two surveys were conducted involving 186 staff in 2012 and 110 staff in 2016. The dual diagnosis attitudes survey showed that positive attitudes to working with people experiencing a dual diagnosis were associated with recency of training. While attitudes may be improved by dual diagnosis training, these findings cannot exclude the impact of other dual diagnosis capacity building activities. Originality/value This study highlights the benefits of a regional partnership between mental health and alcohol and drug services and people with lived experience of dual diagnosis and the benefit of recent co-designed dual diagnosis training on longitudinally assessed worker attitudes.

Peer support services: state of the workforce-state of the field in the USA

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Sally Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peer Support Services ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Peer Specialists ◽  
Core Conditions

Purpose Peer support and other consumer-provided services have burgeoned within the USA during the past 30 years and are now a central component of mental health services nationally. However, their growth has been uneven and somewhat dependent on state initiatives, policies, and funding. Recent programs have matured along myriad paths, resulting in a variety of program typologies, service structures, and funding streams, but with common values, missions, and principles. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The landscape of peer specialist services in the USA, as well as innovations afoot, is reviewed. The empirical information that speaks to the efficacy of peer support and the need to better understand the mechanisms by which it is effective is described. Findings Although peer support has grown exponentially across the USA, its growth has been uneven. Evidence suggests that peer specialists experience role ambiguity within many existing programs and systems. Though the empirical evidence for peer services has grown, research has been most favorable for manualized, group interventions. There is still a need to better understand how individual peer support is beneficial and effective, and how individual peer support can best be utilized to promote the best outcomes for those served. Research limitations/implications In order for the workforce of peer support specialists to continue to grow and for services to be responsive and innovative, we need to better understand the mechanisms by which peer support is beneficial and how it can be structured and delivered to promote the best outcomes for those served. The “core conditions” of helping relationships promulgated decades ago by Rogers along with research on self-disclosure may be useful frameworks for understanding and researching the effectiveness of peer support. Practical implications More research is needed to better understand the effectiveness of peer support services and how best to insure that they are well-integrated into the mental health programs and systems in which they serve. Originality/value There is a need to understand why peer support is effective and how best to sustain peer specialists in their roles within the mental health system.

GoodYarn: building mental health literacy in New Zealand’s rural workforce

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 180-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Morgaine ◽  
Louise Thompson ◽  
Katie Jahnke ◽  
Rebecca Llewellyn
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
National Level ◽  
Mental Health Promotion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Workforce ◽  
The Impact

Purpose “GoodYarn” is a skills-based workshop that focusses on building mental health literacy in rural communities, members of which are known to experience geographic, attitudinal and service configuration barriers to accessing mental health services. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of the GoodYarn project on raising mental health literacy in the rural community. Design/methodology/approach GoodYarn is primarily for farmers, their families and farm workers, as well as the “farmer facing” workforce. The focus on mental health literacy aligns with the mental health promotion approach of using methods that foster supportive environments. By raising the mental health literacy of those not directly needing help, but in positions to help those that do – such as employers, rural professionals and rural support industries who are well placed to perceive stressors in farmers – GoodYarn builds a community with the knowledge and skills to identify and approach those experiencing mental distress or illness, and direct them to appropriate support and services. All participants in the GoodYarn workshops (n=430) were invited to complete a questionnaire at the end of the workshop. All participants answered the questionnaire, with over 80 per cent answering all questions. Findings Participant feedback affirmed the utility of GoodYarn as an effective vehicle to facilitate the discussion of mental illness in rural farming communities of New Zealand. GoodYarn had a significant positive impact on the three immediate workshop indicators of awareness, confidence and knowledge (p<0.001 for all three indicators). Further, the high level of concordance in workshop outcomes across various organisations’ delivery indicates programme consistency and quality has been maintained throughout the upscaling of the programme. Originality/value The uptake of the GoodYarn programme by rural organisations and communities at a national level, and the positive evaluation results, provide encouragement that building mental health literacy in the rural workforce is a promising mental health promotion strategy.

A new model for investigating the role of knowledge management system on the mental health of employees

Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Mazaherinezhad ◽  
Aram Mahmood Ahmed ◽  
Marwan Yassin Ghafour ◽  
Omed Hassan Ahmed ◽  
Saqib Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Psychological Empowerment ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Sharing Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sharing Behavior

Purpose Knowledge management (KM) implementation is the ideal solution for enhancing employee’s abilities like mental health and performance. This study aims at testing the impact of KM mechanism on personnel’s mental health at the Iran University of Medical Sciences. Design/methodology/approach The study is a descriptive, correlational and applied one. The library and field studies have been used to collect data through the questionnaire. The proposed model and the data have been analyzed using Smart PLS software. A questionnaire has been conducted by an arbitrary sampling method. Findings The results have shown that the main factors of KM have a direct, meaningful positive impact on innovation. Besides, the critical parameters of KM success, strategy and process have a significant and direct positive effect on the tendency for knowledge-sharing behavior. Further, the direct relationship of the trend for knowledge-sharing behavior with the mental health of employees has positively been confirmed. The results have also indicated that psychological empowerment has a positive and significant effect on the mental health of employees. Research limitations/implications This study has investigated the four parameters (i.e. key factors for KM success, KM strategy, KM processes and psychological empowerment) impacting the knowledge-sharing intention, conduct of the people and the mental health of the employees. Scholars can investigate other personal and organizational parameters such as probable backgrounds of the knowledge-sharing intention, conduct and the mental health of the employees. Practical implications These findings will be essential in the understanding of the interplay among various signals in theory and the understanding of patients’ choices in the electronic health (e-health) community in practice. The results have implications for existing health management and e-health literature. The present paper will help policymakers, healthcare executives and project managers to effectively set their operations and make them maintainable, prevent unpredicted obstacles and better allocate their resources. Overall, the result of this paper will guide researchers who are working in the field of e-health. Originality/value The findings can develop robust knowledge-sharing platforms and offer insightful suggestions for management practitioners in emerging markets.

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