The Impact of Participating in a Poetry Workshop

2007 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
pp. 431-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Hilse ◽  
Sue Griffiths ◽  
Susan Corr

Poetry writing is a creative activity and, as such, may contribute to intervention. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of poetry writing on individuals who had experienced mental health problems in the past. A qualitative approach, that of grounded theory, was used, including observations of a poetry writing group and in-depth semi-structured interviews with two group participants who had a previous history of mental health problems. The main categories that emerged during data analysis were creation, communication, connection and awareness; these categories were unified by a central concept of personal meaning. The findings suggest that poetry writing creates and communicates meaning. In addition, internal connection (with self) and external connection (with others) may be facilitated through the communication of poetry. Communication and experiences of connection can lead to a greater awareness of self and others. Personal meaning is central to human life in symbolisation processes, which contribute to identity building. The positive and negative impacts on mental health through the writing of poetry and participating in a group were identified. This is a small study and the findings are valid only in the immediate context of the study, but it provides a basis for further research.

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-408
Author(s):  
Royan Dwi Saputra ◽  
Jihan Hanifah ◽  
Mella Aulia Agusty ◽  
Muhammad Rezkyandar ◽  
Septa Inda ◽  
...  

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted all aspects of human life, regardless of the impact on mental health. Mental health is an essential issue because many people experience mental health problems, but they are appropriately not resolved. There are many methods in solving mental health problems, but not all of them can reach people due to distance, time, and costs. This study aims to explain the findings regarding an application made to minimize problems, maintain, and improve the mental health of an application called Soodo. The method used in this research is descriptive quantitative. From the findings of this study, this application can help to maintain and improve people's mental health. The results from system user testing (SUS) showed a satisfactory assessment of the Soodo application. From the results of calculations using the (SUS) method, the statistical results of the evaluation of the Soodo application prototype are Excellent or at grade A. 


2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Lakeman ◽  
P. McGowan ◽  
L. MacGabhann ◽  
M. Parkinson ◽  
M. Redmond ◽  
...  

Aims.Stigma and discrimination related to mental-health problems impacts negatively on people's quality of life, help seeking behaviour and recovery trajectories. To date, the experience of discrimination by people with mental-health problems has not been systematically explored in the Republic of Ireland. This study aimed to explore the experience impact of discrimination as a consequence of being identified with a mental-health problem.Methods.Transcripts of semi-structured interviews with 30 people about their experience of discrimination were subject to thematic analysis and presented in summary form.Results.People volunteered accounts of discrimination which clustered around employment, personal relationships, business and finance, and health care. Common experiences included being discounted or discredited, being mocked or shunned and being inhibited or constrained by oneself and others.Conclusions.Qualitative research of this type may serve to illustrate the complexity of discrimination and the processes whereby stigma is internalised and may shape behaviour. Such an understanding may assist health practitioners reduce stigma, and identify and remediate the impact of discrimination.


Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Annika Lexén ◽  
Maria Emmelin ◽  
Lars Hansson ◽  
Bengt Svensson ◽  
Susann Porter ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Lack of mental health literacy among rehabilitation professionals and employers in the return-to-work of persons with mental health problems resulted in the development of a three-day group training program, the Support to Employers from rehabilitation Actors about Mental health (SEAM) intervention. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of SEAM on rehabilitation professionals’ knowledge and beliefs, attitudes, and supporting behaviors towards people with mental health problems and employers as part of the return-to-work process. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, 94 rehabilitation professionals were included. Data were collected prior to (T1), immediately after (T2) and 6 months after SEAM training (T3) using knowledge and attitude scales and a questionnaire on supporting behaviors. SEAM includes training in Mental Health First Aid, presentations and discussions on current research on work and mental health, and strategies and communication guidelines to use when meeting service users and employers as part of the return-to-work of persons with mental health problems. SEAM also includes a homepage with targeted employer information. Data were analyzed using non-parametric statistics. RESULTS: SEAM significantly increased rehabilitation professionals’ knowledge of mental health (T1-T2: z = –2.037, p = 0.042; T2-T3: z = –5.093, p = 0.001), and improved their attitudes towards persons with mental health problems (T1-T2: z = 4.984, p = 0.001). Professionals (50–60%) also estimated that they had increased their use of supporting strategies towards service users and employers. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that SEAM can increase mental health literacy among rehabilitation professionals and lead to a greater focus on service users’ resources and work ability, as well as on employers’ support needs.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Farinaz Havaei

Workplace violence is a prevalent phenomenon in healthcare, particularly among nursing professionals. Exposure to workplace violence may be direct through firsthand involvement, indirect through secondhand witnessing, or both. Even though implications for victims of workplace violence have been well-studied, less is known about the various types of exposure and their effects on nurse mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of workplace-violence exposure types on the mental health of nurses, while accounting for the intensity of the incident/s. This study employs an exploratory correlational design with survey methods. Nurses from British Columbia (BC), Canada, were invited by the provincial nurses’ union to complete an electronic survey in Fall 2019. A total of 2958 responses from direct-care nurses in acute-care settings were analyzed using logistic regression. The results showed that mental-health problems increased with cumulative exposure; even though nurses with solely indirect exposure to workplace violence did not report greater mental-health problems, those experiencing solely direct exposure, or both direct and indirect exposure, were two to four times more likely to report high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and burnout compared to their counterparts with no exposure. There is an urgent need for better mental-health support, prevention policies and practices that take into account the type of workplace-violence exposure.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Collins-McGroarty J ◽  
Faulkes-Sharrock E ◽  
Wilkes R

Objective: Clients with moderate intellectual disabilities are reported to struggle with ongoing mental health problems, especially around emotional and behavioral issues around sensitive topics like their sexuality, which is not always easy to communicate through traditional talking therapies for this client group, therefore a group of individuals were selected to determine the impact of a newer energy psychotherapy technique called Kinetic Shift Therapy (KS) alongside Mindfulness based therapy (MBT) which is utilized more, however with limited published research to determine the positive impact on the symptoms and behaviors that affect this client group.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gökmen Arslan ◽  
Murat Yıldırım ◽  
Mega M. Leung

Research Problem: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a multi-faceted crisis worldwide. Researchers and health authorities in various parts of the world echoed the dire condition of the public's mental health. This study sought to examine the mediating effect of personal meaning on the association between coronavirus (COVID-19)-related suffering, mental health problems, and life satisfaction. Participants included 231 adults (mean age = 46.65 ± 13.98; 68% female) and completed measures of suffering related to COVID-19, meaning, life satisfaction, and mental health problems online.Results: Findings from mediation analysis showed that suffering had significant associations with personal meaning, mental health, and well-being. Furthermore, personal meaning was significantly associated with adults' mental health and well-being and mediated the negative effect of suffering on mental health and well-being.Discussion: Overall, results from this study indicate that personal meaning is an important promotive factor that may help to understand the negative effect of coronavirus-related suffering on mental health and well-being amid the public health crisis.


FACETS ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1628-1648
Author(s):  
Tracy Vaillancourt ◽  
Peter Szatmari ◽  
Katholiki Georgiades ◽  
Amanda Krygsman

Children and youth flourish in environments that are predictable, safe, and structured. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted these protective factors making it difficult for children and youth to adapt and thrive. Pandemic-related school closures, family stress, and trauma have led to increases in mental health problems in some children and youth, an area of health that was already in crisis well before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. Because mental health problems early in life are associated with significant impairment across family, social, and academic domains, immediate measures are needed to mitigate the potential for long-term sequalae. Now more than ever, Canada needs a national mental health strategy that is delivered in the context in which children and youth are most easily accessible—schools. This strategy should provide coordinated care across sectors in a stepped care framework and across a full continuum of mental health supports spanning promotion, prevention, early intervention, and treatment. In parallel, we must invest in a comprehensive population-based follow-up of Statistics Canada’s Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth so that accurate information about how the pandemic is affecting all Canadian children and youth can be obtained. It is time the Canadian government prioritizes the mental health of children and youth in its management of the pandemic and beyond.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulin Nihaya

Health for human life becomes a very important thing. Health is not only in the form of physically healthy, but also spiritually healthy in  a  mental sense. Diseases caused by mental health can be handled by interpersonal communication through behavioristik counseling. Interpersonal communication is to obtain individual information needs assessment, associated symptoms of mental health problems experienced by the counselee. Furthermore, the application of behavioristic therapy in the context of healthy mental growth in individuals with counseling step.<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Kesehatan bagi kehidupan manusia menjadi hal yang sangat penting. Kesehatan tidak hanya dalam bentuk yang sehat secara fisik, tetapi juga sehat rohani dalam arti mental. Penyakit yang disebabkan oleh kesehatan mental dapat ditangani oleh komunikasi interpersonal melalui konseling behavioristik. Komunikasi interpersonal adalah untuk mendapatkan informasi pribadi penilaian kebutuhan, gejala terkait masalah kesehatan mental yang dialami oleh konseli. Selanjutnya, penerapan terapi behavioristik dalam konteks pertumbuhan mental yang sehat pada individu dengan tahap konseling.


Author(s):  
S. Barber ◽  
P. C. Gronholm ◽  
S. Ahuja ◽  
N. Rüsch ◽  
G. Thornicroft

Abstract Aims This review aims to understand the scope of the literature regarding mental health-related microaggressions towards people affected by mental health problems. Methods A scoping review was conducted to explore this question. Four electronic health-oriented databases were searched alongside Google Scholar. As per scoping review principles, the inclusion criteria were developed iteratively. The results of included studies were synthesised using a basic narrative synthesis approach, utilising principles of thematic analysis and thematic synthesis where appropriate. Results A total of 1196 records were identified, of which 17 met inclusion criteria. Of these, 12 were peer-reviewed journal articles, three were research degree theses and two were book chapters. Six included empirical studies were qualitative, four were quantitative and two employed a mixed-methods design. Within these, five qualitative studies aimed to describe the nature of mental health microaggressions experienced by people with mental health problems. Themes identified in a thematic synthesis of these five studies included stereotypes about mental illness, invalidating peoples' experience and blaming people with mental illness for their condition. The included publications informed on the perpetration of mental health microaggressions by family, friends, health professionals and social workers. In addition, two studies created scales, which were then used in cross-sectional surveys of the general public and community members to assess characteristics, such as right-wing political views, associated with endorsement of mental health microaggressions. A consensus definition of microaggressions emerged from the included studies: microaggressions are brief, everyday slights, snubs or insults, that may be subtle or ambiguous, but communicate a negative message to a target person based on their membership of a marginalised group, in this case, people affected by mental illness. Conclusions The study of mental health microaggressions is an emerging, heterogeneous field, embedded in the wider stigma and discrimination literature. It has been influenced by earlier work on racial microaggressions. Both can be ambiguous and contradictory, which creates difficulty defining the boundaries of the concept, but also underpins the key theoretical basis for the negative impact of microaggressions. Mental illness is a more concealable potential type of identity, so it follows that the reported perpetrators of microaggressions are largely friends, family and professionals. This has implications for intervening to reduce the impact of microaggressions. There are several challenges facing research in this area, and further work is needed to understand the impact of mental health microaggressions on people affected by mental health problems.


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