scholarly journals Well-being and mental health interventions for Indigenous people in prison: systematic review

BJPsych Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elke Perdacher ◽  
David Kavanagh ◽  
Jeanie Sheffield

Background Indigenous people are overrepresented in prison populations of colonised justice systems, and Indigenous prisoners in these countries are at a particularly high risk of poor mental health and well-being. There is an acute need to ensure the access of these groups to culturally appropriate, evidence-based interventions. Aims To conduct a systematic review, evaluating quantitative and qualitative evaluations of mental health and well-being interventions designed for Indigenous people in custody. Method A search of relevant peer-reviewed journal articles to August 2019 was conducted. The focus was on colonised countries under a Western model of justice and health, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. The review utilised Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, PsycNET, EBSCO, Proquest Criminal Justice Database and Informit. Results Of the 9283 articles initially found, only three quantitative and two qualitative evaluations of mental health or well-being interventions for Indigenous people in custody were identified. None were randomised controlled trials. Culturally based interventions appeared to have high acceptability and potential for increased recovery from trauma, reduced alcohol-related problems and lower reoffending. However, no studies quantitatively assessed mental health or well-being outcomes. Conclusions As yet there is no high-quality evidence on the impact on mental health and well-being from interventions specifically for Indigenous prisoners, although existing studies suggest programme features that may maximise acceptability and impact. There is a moral, social and practical imperative to build a strong evidence base on this topic.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabo Akafekwa ◽  
Elizabeth Dalgarno ◽  
Arpana Verma

AbstractObjectiveThis study explores the impact of the COVID 19 lockdown measures on the mental health and well-being of unpaid carers, who make up the largest number of the carer population in England.Study designA systematic review research protocol was designed and used to conduct the review along with the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the synthesis of Qualitative Research - ENTREQ statement [43]. Pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria were used. EndNote X9 reference management was used and the search process was represented using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram [76]. Appraisal of the included research was carried out using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) [57]. Line by line coding was done using inductive thematic synthesis and EPPI Reviewer 4 software [60].ResultsFour themes emerged; immediate worries or fears, adapting to change, post pandemic fears and use of technology.ConclusionThe measures put in place during the first lockdown period have had detrimental impacts on unpaid carers, putting them at greater risk of burnout. However, use of digital platforms could have a positive impact on well-being. Recommendations for further research are provided.What is new?Key findings?Discontinued or reduced access to activities and services during the first lockdown during the pandemic has had a negative impact on both people who require care and their carers.Carers prioritise the mental health and wellbeing needs of the people they care for over their own.Further qualitative research from different groups of carers would be useful to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic measures on unpaid carers.Use of digital technology and digital platforms may be useful tools for carers both during the pandemic and after.What this adds to what is known?There have been very few qualitative studies on the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of unpaid carers, this review has synthesised their findings and will contribute to future research.Unpaid carers are known to be at risk of poor mental health and wellbeing outcomes, this review demonstrates that they are even more at risk due to the increased reliance on them during the pandemic.What is this implication and what should change?There is limited qualitative data available from a range of different groups of carers for example, spouse carers, parent carers, carers of people who have specific needs or conditions. Therefore, purposeful sample research to determine the needs of groups of carers during the COVID 19 pandemic could be valuable.Unpaid carers who do not have appropriate support are more at risk of poor mental health and wellbeing outcomes. During the pandemic services have had to adapt to the various rules implemented. Digital adaptations to the provision of support to both carers and the people they care for could be beneficial both during and after the pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fisher ◽  
A. Roberts ◽  
A. R. McKinlay ◽  
D. Fancourt ◽  
A. Burton

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions caused major global disruption. Individuals with long-term physical health conditions (LTCs) are at higher risk of severe illness and often subject to the strictest pandemic guidance, so may be disproportionally affected. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore how living with a LTC during the COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s mental health and wellbeing. Methods Participants were people living with LTCs who participated in telephone/video call interviews based on a semi-structured topic guide. Key themes and subthemes were determined using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Results The sample included 32 participants with LTCs (most commonly cancer, respiratory conditions or cardiovascular diseases), mean age 57 (SD 13) years, 66% female and 72% white British. There were four overarching themes specific to living with a LTC. These were 1) high levels of fear and anxiety related to perceived consequences of catching COVID-19, 2) impact of shielding/isolation on mental health and wellbeing, 3) experience of healthcare during the pandemic and 4) anxiety created by uncertainty about the future. Fourteen subthemes were identified, including concerns about accessing essential supplies and the importance of social support. Individuals who lived alone and were advised to shield could be profoundly negatively affected. Conclusions This study found that there were a number of aspects of living with a LTC during the pandemic that had a significant impact on mental health and well-being. There should be focus on how best to provide practical and social support to people with LTCs during a pandemic, particularly if they have to shield or isolate.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Fisher ◽  
A Roberts ◽  
A.R. McKinlay ◽  
D Fancourt ◽  
A Burton

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions caused major global disruption. Individuals with long-term physical health conditions (LTCs) are at higher risk of severe illness and often subject to the strictest pandemic guidance, so may be disproportionally affected. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore how living with a LTC during the COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s mental health and wellbeing.Sample and methods32 participants, mean age 57 (SD 13) years, 66% female and 72% white British, who reported having LTCS (most commonly cancer, respiratory conditions or cardiovascular diseases), participated in telephone/video call interviews based on a semi-structured topic guide. Key themes and subthemes were determined using deductive and inductive thematic analysis.ResultsThere were four overarching themes specific to living with a LTC. These were 1) high levels of fear and anxiety related to perceived consequences of catching COVID-19, 2) impact of shielding/isolation on mental health and wellbeing, 3) experience of healthcare during the pandemic and 4) anxiety created by uncertainty about the future. Fourteen subthemes were identified, including concerns about accessing essential supplies and the importance of social support. Individuals who lived alone and were advised to shield could be profoundly negatively affected.ConclusionsThis study found that there were a number of aspects of living with a LTC during the pandemic that had a significant impact on mental health and well-being. There should be focus on how best to provide practical and social support to people with LTCs during a pandemic, particularly if they have to shield or isolate.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sian Price ◽  
Hannah Shaw ◽  
Fiona Morgan ◽  
Rocio Rodriguez-Lopez ◽  
Kirsty Little ◽  
...  

Objectives This systematic review addresses the question Is any job better than no job? Specifically, it compares health and well-being outcomes in those who are unemployed with those who are in jobs that could be considered poor or low quality and the impact of any movement between them. Method We conducted a systematic review following a PROSPERO-registered protocol (CRD42020182794). Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, HMIC, ASSIA, TRIP, Google Scholar and 10 websites were searched in April 2020 and again in May 2021 without date limits. Two reviewers working independently screened search results against the inclusion/exclusion criteria. A checklist for quantitative studies reporting correlations was used to critically appraise articles included at full text. We undertook synthesis without meta-analysis (narrative synthesis) and explored a range of variables (for example, study design and quality, type of outcome measure) that we considered might have an impact on the association between exposure and outcome. Results We included 25 studies reported in 30 journal articles. All 25 studies involved secondary analysis of data from national cohorts, including six from the UK. The most frequent outcomes reported were measures of mental well-being. There was considerable heterogeneity across included studies in terms of design, population, definition of poor/bad or low quality job and outcome types and measures. Overall the quality of the included studies was moderate. The evidence base is inconsistent. There are studies that suggested either labour market position might be preferable, but a number of studies found no statistically significant difference. Cohort and case-control studies looking at mental well-being outcomes showed some support for a poor job being better than unemployment. However, we did not find sufficient numbers of well-designed studies showing a strong association to support a causal relationship. Most included study designs were unable to distinguish whether changes in employment status occurred before a change in outcome. Three studies looking at employment transitions found that moving to a poor job from unemployment was not associated with improved mental health, but moving from a poor job to unemployment was associated with a deterioration. Conclusion Evidence that better health and well-being outcomes are more likely to be associated with a poor/bad or low quality job than with unemployment is inconsistent. Studies conducted in the UK suggest that a poor job is not significantly associated with better health and well-being outcomes than unemployment. The studies we identified do not allow us to distinguish whether this lack of association is the result of a state welfare regime preventing some of the worst ills associated with unemployment, or a reflection of job quality. The evidence base has significant limitations in study design and conduct. In summary, the evidence we found suggests it is not safe to assume that, in the UK, any job will lead to better health and well-being outcomes than unemployment.


Author(s):  
Lorraine Sherr

This chapter sets out the importance of adolescent mental health—how the first 1,000 weeks of life provide a more robust time frame for health and development—despite being underserved, underresourced, and underdeveloped. Both positive and negative mental health can affect adolescent well-being. There is a growing evidence base on need and emerging interventions that should be incorporated into holistic adolescent services. This chapter provides an overview of pathways of promise, ranging from social protection, individual and group work, parenting and community interventions, and the promise of a pathway in cyberspace. Mental and physical health are intimately intertwined, and no program of provision for adolescents should fail to address mental health and well-being.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e042815
Author(s):  
Rhiannon Evans ◽  
Maria Boffey ◽  
Sarah MacDonald ◽  
Jane Noyes ◽  
G.J. Melendez-Torres ◽  
...  

IntroductionThe mental health and well-being of children and young people who have been in care (ie, care-experienced) are a priority. There are a range of interventions aimed at addressing these outcomes, but the international evidence-base remains ambiguous. There is a paucity of methodologically robust systematic reviews of intervention effectiveness, with few considering the contextual conditions under which evaluations were conducted. This is important in understanding the potential transferability of the evidence-base across contexts. The present systematic review will adopt a complex systems perspective to synthesise evidence reporting evaluations of mental health and well-being interventions for care-experienced children and young people. It will address impact, equity, cost-effectiveness, context, implementation and acceptability. Stakeholder consultation will prioritise a programme theory, and associated intervention, that may progress to further development and evaluation in the UK.Methods and analysisWe will search 16 bibliographic databases from 1990 to June 2020. Supplementary searching will include citation tracking, author recommendation, and identification of evidence clusters relevant to included evaluations. The eligible population is children and young people (aged ≤25 years) with experience of being in care. Outcomes are (1) mental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental disorders; (2) subjective well-being; (3) self-harm; suicidal ideation; suicide. Study quality will be appraised with methodologically appropriate tools. We will construct a taxonomy of programme theories and intervention types. Thematic synthesis will be used for qualitative data reporting context, implementation and acceptability. If appropriate, meta-analysis will be conducted with outcome and economic data. Convergent synthesis will be used to integrate syntheses of qualitative and quantitative data.Ethics and disseminationWe have a comprehensive strategy for engagement with care-experienced children and young people, carers and social care professionals. Dissemination will include academic and non-academic publications and conference presentations. Ethical approval from Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences REC will be obtained if necessary.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020177478.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e056297
Author(s):  
Jade Burley ◽  
Anna MH Price ◽  
Anneka Parker ◽  
Nora Samir ◽  
Anna Zhu ◽  
...  

IntroductionPoverty has far-reaching and detrimental effects on children’s physical and mental health, across all geographies. Financial advice and income-maximisation services can provide a promising opportunity for shifting the physical and mental health burdens that commonly occur with financial hardship, yet awareness of these services is limited, and referrals are not systematically integrated into existing healthcare service platforms. We aim to map and synthesise evidence on the impact of healthcare-income maximisation models of care for families of children aged 0–5 years in high-income countries on family finances, parent/caregiver(s) or children’s health and well-being.Methods and analysisTo be included in the review, studies must be families (expectant mothers or parents/caregivers) of children who are aged between 0 and 5 years, accessing a healthcare service, include a referral from healthcare to an income-maximisation service (ie, financial counselling), and examine impacts on child and family health and well-being. A comprehensive electronic search strategy will be used to identify studies written in English, published from inception to January 2021, and indexed in MEDLINE, EMBase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Proquest, Family & Society Studies Worldwide, Cochrane Library, and Informit Online. Search strategies will include terms for: families, financial hardship and healthcare, in various combinations. Bibliographies of primary studies and review articles meeting the inclusion criteria will be searched manually to identify further eligible studies, and grey literature will also be searched. Data on objective and self-reported outcomes and study quality will be independently extracted by two review authors; any disagreements will be resolved through a third reviewer. The protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required. The results will be disseminated widely via peer-reviewed publication and presentations at conferences related to this field.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020195985.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 104-110
Author(s):  
Z. Budayova ◽  
L. Ludvigh Cintulova

The research study analyses the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and identifies changes in the life satisfaction of seniors in social services facilities. The research sample consisted of 79 seniors in social services facilities, the sample consisted of ten participants, data collection took place in the period from November 2020 to April 2021, where the method of qualitative research was used in empirical research, through semi-structured interviews to determine the impact of Covid-19 on We collected the data collected by open coding and pointed to those dimensions of the lives of seniors that were most marked by pandemic measures against the spread of Covid-19.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon L. Boring ◽  
Kaitlyn T. Walsh ◽  
Namrata Nanavaty ◽  
Vani A. Mathur

The experience of pain is subjective, yet many people have their pain invalidated or not believed. Pain invalidation is associated with poor mental health, including depression and lower well-being. Qualitative investigations of invalidating experiences identify themes of depression, but also social withdrawal, self-criticism, and lower self-worth, all of which are core components of shame. Despite this, no studies have quantitatively assessed the interrelationship between pain invalidation, shame, and depression. To explore this relationship, participants recounted the frequency of experienced pain invalidation from family, friends, and medical professionals, as well as their feelings of internalized shame and depressive symptoms. As shame has been shown to be a precursor for depression, we further explored the role of shame as a mediator between pain invalidation and depressive symptoms. All sources of pain invalidation were positively associated with shame and depressive symptoms, and shame fully mediated the relationship between each source of pain invalidation and depression. Relative to other sources, pain invalidation from family was most closely tied to shame and depression. Overall, findings indicate that one mechanism by which pain invalidation may facilitate depression is via the experience of shame. Future research may explore shame as a potential upstream precursor to depression in the context of pain. Findings provide more insight into the harmful influence of pain invalidation on mental health and highlight the impact of interpersonal treatment on the experiences of people in pain.


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