scholarly journals “It’s more than milk, it’s mental health”: a case of online human milk sharing

2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda J. Wagg ◽  
Alexander Hassett ◽  
Margie M. Callanan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Milk ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Breastfeeding Support ◽  
Human Donor ◽  
Donor Milk

Abstract Background Milk sharing is not a new concept and occurs today via regulated human milk banks and unregulated online milk sharing groups. Exploring and understanding how, and why, mothers use these peers to peer milk sharing groups, is a vehicle to understanding how breastfeeding mothers can be tangibly supported online, adding to the literature on peer milk sharing, from a recipient’s perspective. This research presents a single case example of an online breastfeeding support group use, through one mother’s experiencing of seeking human donor milk. Method This is a qualitative, exploratory study observing the attitudes, thoughts, and feelings of one mother who is seeking human donor milk through online groups. A single key case was identified, and the participant was asked to document thoughts and feelings as she searched for milk online. A telephone interview was conducted after two months, and the online page activity from the Human Milk for Human Babies Facebook group was captured for the week following the interview. The results were presented in a chronological and linear analytical approach adopting pattern matching. Results ‘Abbi’ is a mother who has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and subsequent low milk supply and sought donor breastmilk online. Online support groups introduced her to donor milk sharing, which not only supported her breastfeeding but supported her own mental health. Abbi talks of the need to build a trusting relationship with her donor, due to the lack of regulation, and the positive impact it had for her and ‘Lucas’, her baby. Conclusion Considering milk sharing groups simply as tangible online support ignores the complexities around Abbi’s decision to use human donor milk. Peer milk sharing online is an option for mothers, but it is surrounded by stigma amongst other mothers, professionals, and even within pro breastfeeding support groups.

scholarly journals “It’s more than milk, it’s mental health”: A case of online human milk sharing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda J Wagg ◽  
Alex Hassett ◽  
Margie Callanan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Milk ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Breastfeeding Support ◽  
Human Donor ◽  
Donor Milk ◽  
Milk Banks

Abstract Aim: To produce a single case example of an online breastfeeding support group use, through one mother’s experiences of seeking human donor milk online. Background: Milk sharing is not a new concept and occurs today via regulated human milk banks and unregulated online milk sharing groups. Exploring and understanding how, and why, mothers use these peers to peer milk sharing groups, is a vehicle to understanding how breastfeeding mothers can be tangibly supported online, adding to the literature on peer milk sharing, from a recipient’s perspective. Method: This is a qualitative, exploratory study observing the attitudes, thoughts, and feelings of one mother who is seeking human donor milk through online groups. A single key case was identified, and the participant was asked to document thoughts and feelings as she searched for milk online. A telephone interview after two months, and online page activity from www.humanmilk4humanbabies.Facebook.com was captured for the week following the interview. The results were presented in a chronological and linear analytical approach adopting pattern matching.Results: ‘Abbi’ is a mother who has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and subsequent low milk supply and sought donor breast milk online. Online support groups introduced her to donor milk sharing, which not only supported her breastfeeding but supported her own mental health. Abbi talks of the need to build a trusting relationship with her donor, due to the lack of regulation, and the positive impact it had for her and ‘Lucas’, her baby. Conclusion: Considering milk sharing groups simply as tangible online support ignores the complexities around Abbi’s decision to use human donor milk. Peer milk sharing online is an option for mothers, but it is surrounded by stigma amongst other mothers, professionals, and even within pro breastfeeding support groups.“Tweetable abstract”: Milk sharing is not a new concept and occurs today via regulated human milk banks and unregulated online milk sharing groups. How and why do mothers obtain breastmilk online?

Investigation of the “alternative” effects of an online support group for mental health problems among Japanese adults: A cross-sectional study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Kobori ◽  
Naoki Yoshinaga
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Online Support Group ◽  
Usage Frequency

BACKGROUND Owing to the rapid development of social networking services, online support groups vary widely both in goal and structure. Several studies have shown the potential effectiveness of online support groups, such as reducing psychological distress (eg depression) among individuals with mental health problems. However, online support groups often do not aim at effectiveness regarding distress-relief-related outcomes. OBJECTIVE The U2plus.jp (hereinafter U2plus) is an online support group for individuals with depression; in it, people support each other in structured ways while engaging in simple cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) exercises. This study aimed to examine if usage frequency of the U2plus functions are associated with decreased stigma and increased consumer. METHODS In total, 355 U2plus users took part in an online survey. They were asked what therapy they had ever received, how often they logged into it and used each of its functions, and completed the following questionnaires: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Perceived Devaluation Discrimination Scale, and the General Help Seeking Scale. RESULTS Regarding the therapy they received, 89.3% (n=308) had been on medication for mental health problems, and 67.5% (n=233) had received psychotherapy or mental health counselling. Regarding the usage frequency, approximately 20% of the participants signed in to U2plus and used its functions more than once a week. The usage frequency of U2plus functions was not associated with perceived stigma. However, usage frequency of some functions was correlated to help seeking intentions from formal sources (eg doctors and psychologists). Moreover, 90% of the participants had a history of medication for their mental health. Additionally, the more depressed participants were, the more frequently they used U2plus. CONCLUSIONS It was suggested that online support groups may serve as an alternative treatment option for those who are already undergoing pharmacological treatment and are willing to seek help from whatever source they deem helpful.

scholarly journals High Hydrostatic Pressure Processing Better Preserves the Nutrient and Bioactive Compound Composition of Human Donor Milk

2019 ◽  
Vol 149 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A Pitino ◽  
Sharon Unger ◽  
Alain Doyen ◽  
Yves Pouliot ◽  
Susanne Aufreiter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrostatic Pressure ◽  
Vitamin C ◽  
Human Milk ◽  
High Hydrostatic Pressure ◽  
Very Low Birth Weight ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants ◽  
Human Donor ◽  
Donor Milk ◽  
Uv C

ABSTRACT Background When mother's milk is insufficient, pasteurized human donor milk (DM) is the recommended supplement for hospitalized very-low-birth-weight infants. The current method of pasteurization (Holder, 62.5°C, 30 min) negatively affects heat-sensitive nutrients and bioactive proteins. Objectives Objectives of this study were to compare changes in DM composition after thermal pasteurization (Holder and flash-heating) and nonthermal methods [UV-C irradiation and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP)]. We hypothesized that nonthermal techniques would result in fewer changes to composition. Methods Holder, flash-heating (brought to boil), UV-C irradiation (250 nm, 25 min), and HHP (500 MPa, 8 min) were studied. Pools of milk from 17 women known to contain bacteria at >5 × 107 colony forming units (CFU)/L were collected from the Rogers Hixon Ontario Human Milk Bank and underwent each pasteurization technique. Macronutrients, heat-sensitive micronutrients (vitamin C, folate), and bioactive components [bile-salt-stimulated lipase (BSSL), lysozyme, lactoferrin] were measured in raw and pools of pasteurized milk. Milk was cultured to determine how well each technique produced a culture negative result (detection limit <1 × 103 CFU/L). Results Folate was reduced by 24–27% after Holder, flash-heating, and UV-C (P < 0.05); no reduction was observed after HHP. All pasteurization methods reduced vitamin C (60–75%, P < 0.001). BSSL was abolished after Holder and flash-heating (P < 0.001), reduced after UV-C (48%, P < 0.001), but unaffected by HHP. Lysozyme activity was reduced after flash-heating (44%) and UV-C (74%, P < 0.004) but unaffected by Holder or HHP. Lactoferrin was reduced by all methods (P < 0.02) but most severely by flash-heating (74%) and least severely by HHP (25%). Holder and UV-C reduced lactoferrin by ∼48%. All pasteurization methods reduced the number of culture positive DM samples (P < 0.001). Conclusions HHP better preserves human milk composition than Holder pasteurization. Future research on the feasibility of HHP for pasteurizing human milk is warranted because its implementation may improve the nutritional status and health of DM-fed infants.

Online Talk About Mental Health

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Lamerichs ◽  
Wyke Stommel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Online Counseling ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Mediated Discourse

There is a need to focus on research conducted on online talk about mental health in the domains of ethnomethodology, Conversation Analysis (CA), Discursive Psychology (DP), and Membership Categorization Analysis (MCA). We use the notion of “talk” in this article, as opposed to what could be considered a more common term such as “discourse,” to highlight that we approach computer-mediated discourse as inherently interactional. It is recipient designed and unfolds sequentially, responding to messages that have come before and building a context for messages that are constructed next. We will refer to the above domains that all share this view as CA(-related) approaches. A characterizing feature of interactional approaches to online mental health talk is their focus on in-depth analyses of relatively small amounts of data. With this focus at the center of their attention, they sit in the wider field of Discourse Analysis (DA), or Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis (CMDA) who use language as their lens to understand human interaction. DA and CMDA research include a much wider set of both micro- and macro-analytic language-focused approaches to capture online discourse. Of all the CA(-related) work on online materials, a disproportionally large number of studies appear to deal with (mental) health talk. We aim to answer the question what the field of research on online mental health talk has yielded in terms of findings and methodologies. Centrally, CA (-related) studies of online mental health talk have aimed to grasp the actions people accomplish and the identities they invoke when they address their health concerns. Examples of actions in online mental health talk in particular are presenting oneself, describing a problem, or offering advice. Relevant questions for the above approaches that consider language-as-social-action are how these different actions are brought off and how they are received, by closely examining contributions such as e-mail and chat postings and their subsequent responses. With a focus on talk about mental health, this article will cover studies of online support groups (OSGs, also called online communities), and interaction in online counseling programs, mainly via online chat sessions. This article is organized as follows. In the historiography, we present an overview of CA(-related) work on online mental health talk. We discuss findings from studies of online support groups (OSGs) first and then move to results from studies on online counseling. The start of our historiography section, however, sets out to briefly highlight how the Internet may offer several particularly attractive features for those with mental health problems or a mental illness. After the historiography, we discuss what an interactional approach of online mental health talk looks like and focuses on. We offer examples of empirical studies to illustrate how written contributions to a forum, and e-mails or chat posts that are part of online counseling sessions are examined as interaction and which types of findings this results in. We conclude with a review of methodological issues that pertain to the field, address the most important ethical considerations that come into play when examining online mental health talk, and will lastly highlight some areas for future research.

It Takes an E-Village: Supporting African American Mothers in Sustaining Breastfeeding Through Facebook Communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 569-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayanna Robinson ◽  
Marsha Davis ◽  
Jori Hall ◽  
Carolyn Lauckner ◽  
Alex Kojo Anderson
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
African American Mothers ◽  
Breastfeeding Support ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
And Shifts

Background: Lack of breastfeeding support is a common barrier reported by African American mothers, whose breastfeeding rates remain significantly below the national average. Despite mothers’ reported use of social network sites to access support on topics relating to child rearing, few studies have examined their use to exchange breastfeeding support. Research aims: To describe (1) the experiences of African American mothers who participate in breastfeeding support groups on Facebook and (2) the breastfeeding beliefs, practices, and outcomes for this population of mothers. Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional qualitative study with an online focus group design. The study was guided by Black Feminist Thought and an integrated model of behavior prediction. Four online focus groups ( N = 22) were conducted using video conferencing during September 2017 with African American mothers who were participating in breastfeeding support groups on Facebook. Results: Thematic analysis was used to develop four themes and two subthemes, including creating a community for Black mothers, online interactions and levels of engagement, advantages of participating in online support groups, critiques of online support groups, empowerment of self and others, and shifts in breastfeeding perceptions and decisions. Among participants in this study, positive imagery of African American breastfeeding mothers and ongoing support from women with shared experiences improved confidence with public breastfeeding and prolonged goals for breastfeeding duration. Conclusion: Receiving peer support within Facebook communities may positively influence breastfeeding norms and confidence in breastfeeding, help mothers to overcome breastfeeding challenges, and ultimately extend intended breastfeeding duration.

scholarly journals The Public Health Impact and Policy Implications of Online Support Group Use for Mental Health in Singapore: Cross-Sectional Survey (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumarasan Roystonn ◽  
Janhavi Ajit Vaingankar ◽  
Boon Yiang Chua ◽  
Rajeswari Sambasivam ◽  
Saleha Shafie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Online Support Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Treatment Services

BACKGROUND The wide mental health treatment gap continues to pose a global and local public health challenge. Online support groups are on the rise and could be used to complement formal treatment services for mental health. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine the prevalence of online support group use and explore factors associated with the use in the general population using data from a national cross-sectional mental health survey in Singapore. METHODS Singapore residents aged 18 years and above participated in a nationally representative household survey in which the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 was administered by trained interviewers to examine the use of online support groups for mental health. Multiple logistic regressions were used to analyze the association of online support group use with various sociodemographic and health factors. RESULTS A total of 6110 respondents with complete data were included in this study. Overall, 10 individuals per 1000 adults (1%) reported seeking help from online support groups for their mental health problems. Compared to younger adults (those aged 18 to 34 years) and those with university education, individuals aged 50 to 64 years (<i>P</i>&lt;.001; OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.0-0.3) and those with preuniversity qualifications (<i>P</i>=.02; OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.0-0.8) were less likely to use online support groups for mental health, respectively. Participants with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) mental disorder were 6.8 times more likely (<i>P</i>&lt;.001; 95% CI 3.0-15.4) to use an online support group; in particular, individuals with major depressive disorder (<i>P</i>&lt;.001; OR 5.4, 95% CI 2.1-13.8) and obsessive compulsive disorder (<i>P</i>=.01; OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.3-9.7) were more likely to use an online support group for their mental health. CONCLUSIONS Online support groups could be used to complement formal treatment services, especially for mood and anxiety-related disorders. As online support group use for mental health issues may be more prevalent among younger people, early detection and accurate information in online support groups may guide individuals toward seeking professional help for their mental health problems.

scholarly journals The Effects of Situational Peers and Support Groups on the Well-Being of Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 408-409
Author(s):  
Alexandra Jeanblanc ◽  
Carol Musil ◽  
Christopher Burant ◽  
McKenzie Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Multigenerational Households ◽  
Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren ◽  
Need For Support ◽  
Group Engagement

Abstract Grandmothers raising their grandchildren face not only the demands of parenting, but the added burden of parenting a child they did not expect to raise. Similarly, grandmothers living in multigenerational households need to balance expectations and household/caregiving tasks across the generations. As part of a nationwide RCT designed to lessen the stress associated with the caregiving burden of raising grandchildren, we asked 342 grandmothers raising their grandchildren about their engagement with support groups and whether their social network included other grandfamilies. Here, we examine the effect of situational peers and support group engagement on grandmother’s stress, reward, social support, mental health, mindfulness, and resourcefulness. Of our sample, 53.8% (N=184) reported belonging to a support group. The majority of participants (138) belonged to online support groups on Facebook, 41 reported participating in in-person support groups, 3 belonged to both in-person and online support groups, and 8 did not respond. When asked whether and how well our participants knew other families like theirs, 31% (106) said they did not know any, 40.6% (139) knew of at least one, but not well, and 28.4% (97) said they had at least one friend with a family like her own. Knowing other families like their own affected self-appraised stress, but no other outcomes. Grandmothers participating in support groups had lower mindfulness scores, higher stress, and worse mental health scores than grandmothers not participating in support groups, possibly reflecting the higher need for support among those participants.

scholarly journals The Effects of Spirituality and Religiosity on Better Symptom Control in Patients With Covid-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 49-53
Author(s):  
Gilberto Campos Guimarães Filho ◽  
Maria Emília Figueiredo Teixeira ◽  
Idiberto José Zotarelli Filho ◽  
Patrícia Maluf Cury ◽  
Giancarlo Lucchetti
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Spiritual Care ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Symptom Control ◽  
Religious Faith ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Practice Meditation

The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), whose disease is COVID-19, in March 2020, spread around the world. To minimize the deleterious effects of emotional vulnerability, many strategies are in use worldwide, such as support groups, online courses, use of social networks, web meetings, yoga practice, meditation, and other contemplative religious and spiritual activities. Religious and spiritual beliefs have been used to deal with tough situations and, through scientific literature is still not so clear about the role of spirituality and religiosity (S/R) in physical and mental health during the pandemic. Therefore, this article proposes a discussion about the physiopathological mechanisms of COVID-19 and how S/R could be useful in this context. In this sense, religious faith can be a powerful resource for good health and well-being with a positive impact verified in mental health outcomes it is plausible to suggest that S/R should be an important tool in minimizing the population suffering at this moment. Spiritual care has long been recognized as one of the domains of quality palliative care, but every health care professional is ultimately responsible for ensuring spiritual care to deal with spiritual distress and improve quality of life in the scenarios inherent to COVID-19.

scholarly journals The Public Health Impact and Policy Implications of Online Support Group Use for Mental Health in Singapore: Cross-Sectional Survey

10.2196/18114 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. e18114
Author(s):  
Kumarasan Roystonn ◽  
Janhavi Ajit Vaingankar ◽  
Boon Yiang Chua ◽  
Rajeswari Sambasivam ◽  
Saleha Shafie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Online Support Groups ◽  
Online Support Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Treatment Services

Background The wide mental health treatment gap continues to pose a global and local public health challenge. Online support groups are on the rise and could be used to complement formal treatment services for mental health. Objective This study aimed to examine the prevalence of online support group use and explore factors associated with the use in the general population using data from a national cross-sectional mental health survey in Singapore. Methods Singapore residents aged 18 years and above participated in a nationally representative household survey in which the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 was administered by trained interviewers to examine the use of online support groups for mental health. Multiple logistic regressions were used to analyze the association of online support group use with various sociodemographic and health factors. Results A total of 6110 respondents with complete data were included in this study. Overall, 10 individuals per 1000 adults (1%) reported seeking help from online support groups for their mental health problems. Compared to younger adults (those aged 18 to 34 years) and those with university education, individuals aged 50 to 64 years (P<.001; OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.0-0.3) and those with preuniversity qualifications (P=.02; OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.0-0.8) were less likely to use online support groups for mental health, respectively. Participants with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) mental disorder were 6.8 times more likely (P<.001; 95% CI 3.0-15.4) to use an online support group; in particular, individuals with major depressive disorder (P<.001; OR 5.4, 95% CI 2.1-13.8) and obsessive compulsive disorder (P=.01; OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.3-9.7) were more likely to use an online support group for their mental health. Conclusions Online support groups could be used to complement formal treatment services, especially for mood and anxiety-related disorders. As online support group use for mental health issues may be more prevalent among younger people, early detection and accurate information in online support groups may guide individuals toward seeking professional help for their mental health problems.

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