scholarly journals Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mental Health Website for Adults With an Intellectual Disability: Qualitative Evaluation

10.2196/12958 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e12958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloe Watfern ◽  
Chloe Heck ◽  
Chris Rule ◽  
Peter Baldwin ◽  
Katherine M Boydell

Background Electronic mental health (e-mental health) programs for people with an intellectual disability are currently underexplored but may provide a way of mitigating some of the barriers that this population faces in accessing appropriate mental health services. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of Healthy Mind, an e-mental health program for adults with an intellectual disability developed by the Black Dog Institute, focusing on the design and implementation of the website. Methods A qualitative research design was used, which involved semistructured interviews and focus groups with people with an intellectual disability, support workers, and allied health professionals. People with an intellectual disability were also observed while using the website. A thematic analysis was used to interrogate the interview transcripts and observational field notes. Results Participants found the content of the website informative and appreciated the many ways that the website had been made accessible to users. Participants voiced some differing requirements regarding the way information should be presented and accessed on the website. Acknowledging different types of support needs was identified as an important issue for website dissemination. Conclusions The Healthy Mind website promises to provide an excellent tool for people with ID and their supporters. This research has pragmatic implications for the future development and implementation of the program, while contributing to knowledge in the broader fields of e-mental health and inclusive design for people with an intellectual disability.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloe Watfern ◽  
Chloe Heck ◽  
Chris Rule ◽  
Peter Baldwin ◽  
Katherine M Boydell

BACKGROUND Electronic mental health (e-mental health) programs for people with an intellectual disability are currently underexplored but may provide a way of mitigating some of the barriers that this population faces in accessing appropriate mental health services. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of Healthy Mind, an e-mental health program for adults with an intellectual disability developed by the Black Dog Institute, focusing on the design and implementation of the website. METHODS A qualitative research design was used, which involved semistructured interviews and focus groups with people with an intellectual disability, support workers, and allied health professionals. People with an intellectual disability were also observed while using the website. A thematic analysis was used to interrogate the interview transcripts and observational field notes. RESULTS Participants found the content of the website informative and appreciated the many ways that the website had been made accessible to users. Participants voiced some differing requirements regarding the way information should be presented and accessed on the website. Acknowledging different types of support needs was identified as an important issue for website dissemination. CONCLUSIONS The Healthy Mind website promises to provide an excellent tool for people with ID and their supporters. This research has pragmatic implications for the future development and implementation of the program, while contributing to knowledge in the broader fields of e-mental health and inclusive design for people with an intellectual disability.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia Gulliver ◽  
Alison L Calear ◽  
Matthew Sunderland ◽  
Frances Kay-Lambkin ◽  
Louise M Farrer ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Self-guided online mental health programs are effective in treating and preventing mental health problems. However, both the uptake and engagement with these programs in the community is suboptimal, and there is limited current evidence indicating how to increase the use of existing evidence-based programs. OBJECTIVE The current study aims to investigate the views of people with lived experience of depression and anxiety on the barriers and facilitators to using e-mental health interventions and to use these perspectives to help develop an engagement-facilitation intervention (EFI) to increase uptake and engagement with self-guided online mental health programs. METHODS A total of 24 community members (female = 21; male = 3) with lived experience of depression and/or anxiety participated in four focus groups that discussed: 1) barriers and facilitators to self-guided e-mental health programs, 2) specific details needed to help them decide to use an online program, and 3) the appearance, delivery mode, and functionality of content for the proposed EFI. A total of 14 of the focus group attendees participated in a subsequent follow-up survey to evaluate the resultant draft EFI. Data were thematically analysed using both inductive and deductive methods. RESULTS Participants suggested that the critical component of an EFI was information that would challenge personal barriers to engagement with psychosocial interventions. These were providing personalised feedback about symptoms, information about the content and effectiveness of the e-mental health program, normalisation of participation in e-mental health programs including testimonials, and brief information on data security. Reminders, rewards, feedback about their progress, and coaching were all mentioned as being useful in assisting people to continue to engage with a program once they had started. Feedback on the developed EFI was positive; with participants reporting satisfaction with the content of the EFI and that it would likely positively affect their use of an e-mental health program. CONCLUSIONS EFIs have the potential to improve the uptake of e-mental health programs in the community and should focus on providing information on the content and effectiveness of e-mental health programs, as well as normalising their use. There is strong value in involving people with a lived experience in the design and development of EFIs to maximise their effectiveness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-126
Author(s):  
Kusrini Semarwati Kadar ◽  
Andriani Andriani ◽  
Darmita Noria Tandi

Purpose Mental health should be getting more attention, as mental health problems are increasing and they pose a significant health burden. Government plays an important role in supporting the implementation of mental health program. The purpose of this paper is to overview the implementation of mental health programs in North Toraja Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents an audit conducted to examine the practice of mental health staff delivering mental health programs in community centers in one sub-district area in Indonesia and describes key areas of work, including promotive, preventative, curative and rehabilitation intervention. Responds from the respondents then was compared to guidelines for mental health practice in community based on Mental Health Law No. 18 (2014). The respondents were all mental health program staff (26 staff) from all community health centers (26 Puskesmas) in the North Toraja region, South Sulawesi (each Puskesmas has one staff responsible for mental health program). Findings This study explored programs and services provided for community mental health programs and roles of health staff in implementing programs and delivering services in one rural area. Although most health staff had provided mental health services according to the government guidelines, this study did not identify what the staff actually did in performing this work. Health staff cannot work alone in providing healthcare services, thus support from other sectors and from government is needed to deliver more effective healthcare to people with mental health disorders in the community. For further study, qualitative design is needed to explore more about the actual practice of the mental health staff in Puskesmas. Originality/value There is no published information regarding this topic in Indonesia to date. This information is really important for the government to evaluate the implementation of mental health program in Indonesia. However, these findings may only apply in this area, thus cannot be generalized for other regions in Indonesia, even if similar condition occurs in other areas.


2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 480-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Callaly ◽  
Seetal Dodd ◽  
Carmel Ackerly ◽  
Paul Hantz ◽  
Melissa O'Shea ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Musa Gimba ◽  
Paul Harris ◽  
Amornrat Saito ◽  
Hyacinth Udah ◽  
Averil Martin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Secondary schools in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) provide promotional, preventive, and early treatment services. But the literature indicates that the modules of these services are either adapted or modified from existing mental health programs in developed countries. The literature also highlights the provision of non-comprehensive services (mental health promotion, prevention, and early treatment), in LMIC’s such as Nigeria. These findings inform the need for undertaking this systematic literature review. The aim of the review was to identify modules of school based mental health programs that have been implemented in LMICs to guide the development of a culturally sensitive comprehensive mental health program for adolescents in a LMIC.Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to guide this review. The following databases were searched in September 2018, to identify the relevant literature: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ERIC. The search was conducted by one of the authors and reviewed by two of the authors.Results Following the screening process, a total of 11 papers were identified and reviewed for quality. The systematic review highlighted that the mental health programs provided in schools included: introduction module, communication and relationship module, psychoeducation module, cognitive skills module, behavioral skills module, establishing social networks for recovery and help seeking behavioral activities and a summary/conclusion module.Conclusion The review shed light on the characteristics of the programs in LMIC. Two programs were universal in nature. Five programs were directed at key risk factors or at-risk groups and four were early intervention programs. The review also revealed that only one programs out of the 11 programs, included modules for parents. The synthesis indicated that all the identified programs were adapted or modified from existing programs. The dearth of comprehensive programs in LMIC was also revealed. The review also revealed modules that can be useful for developing a school based mental health program.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Musa Gimba ◽  
Paul Harris ◽  
Amornrat Saito ◽  
Hyacinth Udah ◽  
Averil Martin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Secondary schools in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) provide promotional, preventive, and early treatment services. But the literature indicates that the components of these services are either adapted or modified from existing mental health programs in developed countries. The literature also highlights the provision of non-comprehensive services (mental health promotion, prevention, and early treatment), in LMICs such as Nigeria. These findings inform the need for undertaking this systematic literature review. The aim of the review was to identify components of school based mental health programs that have been implemented in LMICs to guide the development of a culturally sensitive comprehensive mental health program for adolescents in a LMICs. Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to guide this review. The following databases were searched in September 2018, to identify the relevant literature: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ERIC. The search was conducted by one of the authors and reviewed by two of the authors. Results Following the screening process, a total of 11 papers were identified and reviewed for quality. The systematic review highlighted that the mental health programs provided in schools included: introduction module, communication and relationship module, psychoeducation module, cognitive skills module, behavioral skills module, establishing social networks for recovery and help seeking behavioral activities and a summary/conclusion module. Conclusion The review shed light on the characteristics of the programs in LMICs. Two programs were universal in nature. Five programs were directed at key risk factors or at-risk groups and four were early intervention programs. The review also revealed that only one programs out of the 11 programs, included modules for parents. The synthesis indicated that all the identified programs were adapted or modified from existing programs. The dearth of comprehensive programs in LMICs was also revealed. The review also revealed modules that can be useful for developing a school based mental health program in LMICs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindiwe Buyisile Mthembu ◽  
Marie Poggenpoel ◽  
Chris P. H. Myburgh

Worldwide, grandparent-headed households have emerged as one of the fastest-growing family constellations responsible for caring for grandchildren as a result of various crises, including increased death of middle-aged people. Little is known about mental health factors influencing grandmothers’ daily well-being when raising orphaned adolescent grandsons (OAGs). The main objective of this study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of grandmothers raising their OAGs in uMkhanyakude District, KwaZulu-Natal. In this study, a qualitative research design, which is exploratory, descriptive and contextual in nature, was used. The study was based on the application of a philosophy of constructivism by conducting individual in-depth phenomenological interviews to understand the experience of grandmothers as they narrate it and the meaning they attach to raising their OAGs. Purposive sampling was used in the selection of grandmothers raising OAGs. Data saturation was reached after 10 interviews, and was supplemented by documented observations and field notes. The data was analysed using Tesch’s method of open coding. The themes that emerged were the following: the burden of meeting the basic needs of their OAGs, concern about the future and their health as well as their grandsons’ health, and living everything in God. The results are discussed in the context of existing literature. Many mental health conditions are undiagnosed; the study highlights the need to promote mental health strategies that will be sensitive to the challenges experienced by grandmothers raising OAGs and empower them with skills and the mobilisation of resources.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 866-866
Author(s):  
Courtney Funk ◽  
Rebecca Ferber ◽  
Cathleen Connell ◽  
Susan Maixner ◽  
Scott Roberts ◽  
...  

Abstract Effective and scalable mental health programs are greatly needed for older adults, given the vast majority in need do not receive formal mental health services. In this study, we adapted Mood Lifters—a peer-led, community-based program promoting mental well-being—to address the unique needs of older adults. The 14 weekly program sessions were delivered via Zoom. Twelve older adults (mean age = 69.7 years; 4 men, 8 women) enrolled; 9 completed the program (2 of 3 dropouts were due to health issues). A battery of validated measures administered within one week before and after the program assessed domains including depression and anxiety, stress management, and health behaviors. Compared to baseline, participants who completed the program showed significant improvements in perceived stress (p=0.03), sleep quality (p=0.02), and emotion regulation via cognitive reappraisal (p=0.06). Depression and anxiety symptoms (assessed by the Geriatric Depression and Anxiety Scales, respectively) were lower at program completion, although improvements were not statistically significant. No significant changes from pre- to post-test were reported in loneliness and health behaviors. Participant ratings of program satisfaction were very high (mean = 4.78/5, with 1=poor, 5=excellent). Results from this pilot test of Mood Lifters for Seniors suggest it is feasible and acceptable for outreach to older adults, with preliminary evidence of benefits in several domains related to mental health and wellness. Future randomized trials with larger, more diverse samples will be necessary to confirm program benefits.


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