scholarly journals Briefing: The role of higher-education apprenticeship in apprentices’ mental health and well-being

Author(s):  
Nnedinma Umeokafor
2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude-Hélène Mayer ◽  
Rian Viviers ◽  
Louise Tonelli

Orientation: Shame has been internationally researched in various cultural and societal contexts as well as across cultures in the workplace, schools and institutions of higher education. It is an emotional signal that refers to experienced incongruence of identity goals and the judgement of others.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to focus on experiences of shame in the South African (SA) workplace, to provide emic, in-depth insights into the experiences of shame of employees.Motivation for the study: Shame in the workplace often occurs and might impact negatively on mental health and well-being, capability, freedom and human rights. This article aims at gaining some in-depth understanding of shame experiences in SA workplaces. Building on this understanding the aim is to develop awareness in Industrial and Organisational Psychologists (IOPs), employees and organisations to cope with shame constructively in addition to add to the apparent void in the body of knowledge on shame in SA workplaces.Research design, approach and method: An interpretative hermeneutical research paradigm, based on Dilthey’s modern hermeneutics was applied. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 11 employees narrating their experiences from various workplaces, including the military, consulting organisations and higher education institutions. Content analysis was used for data analysis and interpretation.Main findings: The major themes around which shameful experiences evolved included loss of face, mistreatment by others, low work quality, exclusion, lifestyle and internalised shame on failure in the workplace. Shame is experienced as a disturbing emotion that impacts negatively on the self within the work context. It is also experienced as reducing mental health and well-being at work.Practical/managerial implications: SA organisations need to be more aware of shame in the workplace, to address the potential negative effects of shame on employees, particularly if they are not prepared to reframe shame into a constructively and positively used emotion. Safe spaces should be made available to talk about shame. Strategies should be applied to deal with shame constructively.Contribution/value-add: This article expands an in-depth understanding of shame from emic and culture-specific perspectives within SA workplaces. The findings are beneficial to IOPs and organisations to understand what shame is from the perspective of SA employees across cultural groups. The article thereby adds value to theory and practice, offering IOPs a deeper understanding of shame in the work context.


2022 ◽  
pp. 1715-1730
Author(s):  
Amy Tureen

Supervisors, be they employed in higher education or in other industries, operate in capacities that allow them to shape organizational cultures within their departments, divisions, colleges, or broader units. Within the higher educational model, this means that supervisors are uniquely placed to counteract negative elements within the culture of academia, which historically has tended to prioritize individual competitive output, with alternative models that may offer improvements to the emotional health and well-being of higher education employees. This chapter seeks to describe the impact of stress on the health of workers, the employment stressors that are unique to higher education, and the processes by which supervisors in higher education can use their positional power to counteract said stressors and improve academic organizational cultures. The chapter includes practical suggestions for supervisors to enhance wellness and decrease emotional harm in scenarios common to the higher education workplace as identified via social media crowdsourcing.


2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Tunac De Pedro ◽  
Ron Avi Astor ◽  
Tamika D. Gilreath ◽  
Rami Benbenishty ◽  
Ruth Berkowitz

Research has found that when compared with civilian students, military-connected students in the United States have more negative mental health outcomes, stemming from the stress of military life events (i.e., deployment). To date, studies on military-connected youth have not examined the role of protective factors within the school environment, such as school climate, in the mental health and well-being of military-connected adolescents. Given this gap in the research on military adolescents, this study draws from a large sample of military and non-military secondary adolescents in military-connected schools ( N = 14,943) and examines associations between school climate, military connection, deployment, and mental health. Findings show that multiple components of school climate are associated with a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation and increased likelihood of well-being among students in military-connected schools, after controlling for student demographics, military connection, and deployments. The authors conclude with a discussion of school climate interventions for military-connected youth.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-415
Author(s):  
Emily Furness ◽  
Ian W. Li ◽  
Lisa Patterson ◽  
Christopher G. Brennan-Jones ◽  
Robert H. Eikelboom ◽  
...  

Purpose Children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) face a wide array of issues that can impact their mental health and well-being. This study aimed to explore the role of schools and classroom teachers in supporting the mental health and well-being of DHH children. Method A qualitative study comprising telephone and semistructured interviews with 12 mainstream school classroom teachers who directly support the education and well-being of DHH children was conducted. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Result Classroom teachers indicated they play an important role in supporting the mental health and well-being of DHH children but identified a range of constraints to providing this support. Four themes were identified: (a) “culture of professional practice,” (b) “operationalized practice,” (c) “constraints to practice,” and (d) “solutions for constraints.” Conclusions Classroom teachers play an important role in supporting the mental health and well-being of DHH children but face several constraints in their practice, including limited training and awareness and access to resources. While further research is needed, this study suggests that classroom resources and teacher professional development are needed to enhance classroom teachers' understanding of how to support the mental health and well-being of DHH children.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Cipora ◽  
Flávia H. Santos ◽  
Karin Kucian ◽  
Ann Dowker

In this paper we list ten fairly undisputed claims about Mathematics Anxiety (MA) and propose where MA research should focus on. The areas future MA research should focus on comprise (a) theoretical clarifications on what MA is, and what constitutes its opposite pole, (b) construct validity – specifically relations between self-descriptive, (neuro)physiological and cognitive measures, (c) discrepancy between state and trait MA and its theoretical and practical consequences, (d) prevalence of MA and call for establishing external criteria for estimating prevalence and proposal of such criteria, (e) exploring role of MA in different groups, e.g., highly anxious and high match performing individuals, (f) classroom applications of MA knowledge, (g) effects of MA outside educational settings, (h) consequences of MA on mental health and well-being.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 19-26
Author(s):  
J. M. Caldas de Almeida

SummaryThe European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being, launched in 2008, expresses a commitment of the EU and Member States to implement a mental health strategy in Europe. Recognizing that the level of mental health and well-being in the population is a key resource for the success of the EU as a knowledge-based society and economy, the Pact concludes that action for mental health and well-being at EU-level needs to be developed by involving policy makers and all relevant stakeholders. Given the specific content of their discipline and the prestige they have in our societies, psychiatrists will certainly have a key role in the development of the strategies proposed by the Pact. The purpose of this paper is to review the background, objectives and outcomes of the European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being, and reflect on the future role of psychiatrists in the light of its implementation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleisha M. Clarke ◽  
Derek Chambers ◽  
Margaret M. Barry

The increasing role of online technologies in young people’s lives has significant implications for professionals’ engagement with technologies to promote youth mental health and well-being. However, relatively little is known about professionals’ views on the role of technologies in supporting youth mental health. This article outlines key findings from a needs assessment survey carried out in Ireland that sought to determine the views of professionals working with young people on the use of online technologies in supporting young people’s mental health and well-being. A total of 900 professionals from across the education, health, and mental health professions completed an online survey. The findings demonstrate the importance of the internet as a resource for professionals working with young people, with over 98% of those surveyed expressing a readiness to use online resources to support young people’s mental health. The nature of preferred online technologies differed according to professional groupings, however, 63% of overall respondents indicated they would look for help on a dedicated mental health website. Guidelines on working with young people and their parents on the promotion of positive mental were requested with the most frequency. Among the barriers identified were concerns about access to reliable information that was relevant to specific professional roles, and the need for organizational support of professionals’ use of online evidence-based resources. Concerns were also expressed that online resources could replace face-to-face support services for young people, and the need for training professionals in their appropriate use. The results highlight the potential role of technology in assisting professionals through the provision of online training, reliable information, and practical resources on the promotion of positive youth mental health.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document