Prison libraries serving the ‘whole person’: A qualitative study

2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062110089
Author(s):  
Shreya Mishra ◽  
Manosi Chaudhuri ◽  
Ajoy Kumar Dey ◽  
Rishi Tiwari ◽  
Rupali Singh

Incarceration is a traumatic life experience for both convicted and non-convicted individuals and life in prison is not easy to get through. However, prison administrations often establish different avenues for the prisoners to help them navigate through their incarceration. One such avenue is prison libraries. This study explores the influence of the prison library in the lives of eight incarcerated individuals, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The study is based on the concept of the ‘whole person librarianship’ while using a phenomenological approach. The analysis resulted in the emergence of three broad themes: ‘Coming to term with incarceration’, ‘Library, a ray of hope’ and ‘Reinventing self through books’. The study expands our understanding of how the prison library can be a place that reduces stress and increases positive mental health by serving the ‘whole person’. Furthermore, it reduces stress and anxiety related to the state of liminality created by incarceration and gives inmates a purpose beyond prison. Thus, it helps them in making meaning of their situation, being mindful of themselves and their surroundings, healing them in the process, and supports their well-being. The findings suggest that books help the inmates to navigate their lives during incarceration.

BMJ Open ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. e007938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Hinton ◽  
David J Kavanagh ◽  
Lesley Barclay ◽  
Richard Chenhall ◽  
Tricia Nagel

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1795-1795
Author(s):  
Janhavi Ajit Vaingankar ◽  
Mythily Subramaniam ◽  
Yee Wei Lim ◽  
Cathy Sherbourne ◽  
Nan Luo ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Laura Harris-Lane ◽  
Jacqueline Hesson ◽  
Ken Fowler ◽  
Nicholas Harris

Positive mental health in youth has important implications for overall well-being. This study examined the extent to which different types of social support are associated with positive mental health among individuals, ages 15–24, diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Compared to respondents without a diagnosis of ADHD, those with a diagnosis had significantly lower scores on measures of positive mental health and on four of five types of social support. Among the five types of social support, social integration and reassurance of worth were found to be significant predictors of positive mental health in respondents diagnosed with ADHD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari Eldal ◽  
Eli Natvik ◽  
Marius Veseth ◽  
Larry Davidson ◽  
Åse Skjølberg ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-231
Author(s):  
Tamara Džamonja-Ignjatović ◽  
Biljana Stanković ◽  
Tamara Klikovac

This paper is part of a broader qualitative study examining the experience of people during the first wave of the pandemic in Serbia when the state of emergency was proclaimed, and the effects of this situation on the quality of life and mental health of specific age groups. The paper presents the results of interviews conducted with people over 65, who were particularly affected by the introduced restrictive measures, due to which many senior citizens felt a significant decline in the quality of life, accompanied by the risk of developing various emotional problems. In order to understand better their specific experiences during the pandemic and the related measures introduced, we conducted a qualitative study taking into account the characteristics of previous life contexts, the changes in daily life and life quality during the pandemic, emotional reactions and coping strategies, as well as their expectations of the future. During April and early May 2020, sixteen people of both sexes (4 male) were interviewed, aged 65 to 87 (M = 71.19 years). The transcripts of the semi-structured interviews were processed in Maxqda qualitative analysis software and analysed by the principle of thematic analysis. The general conclusion is that the elderly from our sample adapted without major difficulties and managed to maintain a satisfactory level of their subjective well-being despite the pandemic and restrictive measures, with the help and support of their immediate social environment and in the context of the former general quality of life. This resulted in good adaptive strategies and outcomes, even in the situation of the restricted need satisfaction. However, the findings of the research indicate that, in the elderly, reactions to the pandemic are different from the reactions to the introduced measures - the tolerance of the elderly to the endangerment of personal needs is greater than the tolerance to the endangerment of personal rights and dignity. While the concern about one's own health was not explicitly expressed, the citizens older than 65 felt more affected by the introduction of the state of emergency and, especially, by the restrictive measures. The introduced measures of isolation resulted in increased negative feelings and a decline in the quality of life, as well as perceiving the threat to one's personal dignity.


10.2196/15664 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. e15664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Ting Wai Chu ◽  
Angela Wadham ◽  
Yannan Jiang ◽  
Robyn Whittaker ◽  
Karolina Stasiak ◽  
...  

Background Parents play an important role in the lives of adolescents, and supporting and addressing the needs of families continue to be the focus of many researchers and policy makers. Mobile health interventions have great potential for supporting parents at a population level because of their broad reach and convenience. However, limited evidence exists for such interventions for parents of adolescents. This study reports on the formative work conducted with parents and/or primary caregivers to identify their needs and preferences for the development of MyTeen—an SMS text messaging program on promoting parental competence and mental health literacy for parents of adolescents (aged 10-15 years). Objective The aim of this qualitative study was to explore parents and/or primary caregivers’ perspectives around youth well-being, parenting, and parenting support and their input on the development of MyTeen SMS text messaging parenting intervention. Methods A total of 5 focus groups (n=45) were conducted with parents or primary caregivers of adolescents aged 10 to 15 years between October and December 2017 in New Zealand. A semistructured interview guideline and prompts were used. Data were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Participants were concerned about youth mental health (ie, stigma and increasing demand on adolescents), and a number of parenting challenges (ie, social expectations, time, impact of technology, changes in family communication pattern, and recognizing and talking about mental health issues) were noted. Importantly, participants reported the lack of services and support available for families, and many were not aware of services for parents themselves. A number of recommendations were given on the style, content, and frequency of developing the text messaging program. Conclusions Findings from this qualitative work informed the development of MyTeen, an SMS text messaging program designed to increase parental competence and improve mental health literacy for parents of adolescents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
RITA P. de DEVOTTO ◽  
CLARISSA P. P. FREITAS ◽  
SOLANGE M. WECHSLER

ABSTRACT Purpose: To investigate the mediating role of flow at work on the relations of job crafting (task crafting, cognitive crafting and relational crafting) with positive mental health dimensions (emotional well-being, psychological well-being and social well-being). Originality/value: Job crafting actions have been identified as antecedents of the levels of well-being at work. The present study contributed to the literature examining the relationships between job crafting, flow at work, and positive mental health, which have not yet been investigated in previous empirical studies. Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative approach was used through an online questionnaire composed of a sociodemographic questionnaire and three scales. The sample consisted of 386 professionals from different Brazilian states, of which 58% were female, with a mean age of 44 years (SD = 12 years). The data were analyzed through structural equations. Findings: The results of the analysis of structural equations showed that relational crafting had a direct impact on positive mental health. The relations of cognitive crafting with positive mental health were totally mediated by flow at work. We concluded that job crafting, primarily cognitive crafting, influence occupational and general well-being.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1391
Author(s):  
Qiaohui Liu ◽  
Xiaoping Wang ◽  
Jinglan Liu ◽  
Congying An ◽  
Yuqi Liu ◽  
...  

Many studies have proved that having nature experiences in forests is conducive to human physiological and psychological health. However, currently there is little research focusing on the effects of forest characteristics and the experiential characteristics of nature experiences on changes in health. In the study, three types of forest (mixed forest; deciduous forest; coniferous forest) and an urban site were used to measure the effects of these environments on participants’ physiological and psychological restoration after nature experience activities (sitting and walking activities). The study participants were 30 young adult students from Beijing Forestry University. Restorative effects were measured by physiological indicators (blood pressure and heart rate) and four psychological questionnaires (Profile of Mood States (POMS); Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS); Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS); Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS)). Results demonstrated that all types of forest were beneficial to lower blood pressure and heart rate as well as to reduce negative feelings while boosting positive emotions. The mixed forest was more effective in lowering blood pressure and heart rate as well as increasing vitality. The levels of restoration and positive mental health increased significantly, while all subscales of the POMS (with the exception of vigor) decreased greatly in the coniferous forest. Relative to the sitting activity, obvious decreases in blood pressure and negative emotions were observed, while significant increases in restoration, vitality and positive mental health were observed after the walking activity. In conclusion, the impact on subjects’ health restoration varied with different forest characteristics, and the experiential characteristics of exposure may be helpful for creating supportive interventions and lifting the benefits of forest therapy as people interact with the forest.


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