scholarly journals Community Structure of a Mental Health Internet Support Group: Modularity in User Thread Participation

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. e20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley Carron-Arthur ◽  
Julia Reynolds ◽  
Kylie Bennett ◽  
Anthony Bennett ◽  
John Alastair Cunningham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Internet Support Group ◽  
Internet Support ◽  
Registration Date

Background Little is known about the community structure of mental health Internet support groups, quantitatively. A greater understanding of the factors, which lead to user interaction, is needed to explain the design information of these services and future research concerning their utility. Objective A study was conducted to determine the characteristics of users associated with the subgroup community structure of an Internet support group for mental health issues. Methods A social network analysis of the Internet support group BlueBoard (blueboard.anu.edu.au) was performed to determine the modularity of the community using the Louvain method. Demographic characteristics age, gender, residential location, type of user (consumer, carer, or other), registration date, and posting frequency in subforums (depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, carers, general (eg, “chit chat”), and suggestions box) of the BlueBoard users were assessed as potential predictors of the resulting subgroup structure. Results The analysis of modularity identified five main subgroups in the BlueBoard community. Registration date was found to be the largest contributor to the modularity outcome as observed by multinomial logistic regression. The addition of this variable to the final model containing all other factors improved its classification accuracy by 46.3%, that is, from 37.9% to 84.2%. Further investigation of this variable revealed that the most active and central users registered significantly earlier than the median registration time in each group. Conclusions The five subgroups resembled five generations of BlueBoard in distinct eras that transcended discussion about different mental health issues. This finding may be due to the activity of highly engaged and central users who communicate with many other users. Future research should seek to determine the generalizability of this finding and investigate the role that highly active and central users may play in the formation of this phenomenon.

scholarly journals Mental Health in Women Living With HIV: The Unique and Unmet Needs

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 232595822098566
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Waldron ◽  
Inger Burnett-Zeigler ◽  
Victoria Wee ◽  
Yiukee Warren Ng ◽  
Linda J. Koenig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Women Living With Hiv ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Hiv Management ◽  
Living With Hiv

Women living with HIV (WLWH) experience depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms at higher rates than their male counterparts and more often than HIV-unaffected women. These mental health issues affect not only the well-being and quality of life of WLWH, but have implications for HIV management and transmission prevention. Despite these ramifications, WLWH are under-treated for mental health concerns and they are underrepresented in the mental health treatment literature. In this review, we illustrate the unique mental health issues faced by WLWH such as a high prevalence of physical and sexual abuse histories, caregiving stress, and elevated internalized stigma as well as myriad barriers to care. We examine the feasibility and outcomes of mental health interventions that have been tested in WLWH including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, and supportive counseling. Future research is required to address individual and systemic barriers to mental health care for WLWH.

scholarly journals Workers' Decisions to Disclose a Mental Health Issue to Managers and the Consequences

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn S. Dewa ◽  
Jaap van Weeghel ◽  
Margot C. W. Joosen ◽  
Petra C. Gronholm ◽  
Evelien P. M. Brouwers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Mental Health Issue ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Disclosure Decisions ◽  
Workplace Stigma

Background: Stigma can be a barrier to accessing effective interventions and work accommodations for mental illnesses. Fear of stigma's concomitant prejudice and discrimination can inhibit workers from asking for help. Thus, it may be important to develop effective interventions addressing workplace stigma. To identify important targets for these interventions, this study addresses three questions: (1) what proportion of workers experiencing mental health issues disclosed their mental health issue to their managers, (2) what factors did they identify as contributing to their disclosure decisions, and (3) what were the consequences of their decisions?Methods: The dataset is comprised of responses from respondents who were randomly drawn from a nationally representative sample of working Dutch adults who completed a web-based survey in February 2018. Respondents indicating they either had or have mental health issues were asked three sets of questions focusing on: (1) Did you disclose your mental health issue to you manager? (2) For what reasons did you disclose/not disclose the issue? (3) What were the consequences of your disclosure decision?Results: About 73% of respondents with lived experience with mental health issues told their managers about their mental health issue. The structure of the survey questions identified four groups of workers who either: (1) disclosed and had a positive experience (64.2%), (2) disclosed and had a negative experience (9.0%), (3) did not disclose and had a positive experience (22.6%), or (4) did not disclose and had a negative experience (4.2%).Conclusion: Our results reflect workers' diverse preferences for disclosing their mental health issues to their managers. Understanding both the factors that contributed to the decision to disclose and the consequences of disclosure decisions could help to better target workplace educational programs and interventions to address workplace stigma. Our findings suggest that addressing workplace stigma may not be as straightforward as requiring all employees to receive anti-stigma education. Rather, education should support workers to make the appropriate disclosure decision based on their workplace contexts. Future research is needed to understand the optimal ways for workers struggling with mental health issues to ask and receive help if they need it.

scholarly journals Coping With COVID-19: Mindfulness-Based Approaches for Mitigating Mental Health Crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Antonova ◽  
Karoly Schlosser ◽  
Rakesh Pandey ◽  
Veena Kumari
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Panic Attacks ◽  
World Population ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
The Impact

The novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 that first emerged in Wuhan, China, in Nov-Dec 2019 has already impacted a significant proportion of the world population. Governments of many countries imposed quarantines and social distancing measures in 2020, many of which remain in place, to mitigate the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus causing the COVID-19 disease. The direct impact of COVID-19 on people infected with the virus, their families and the health care workers, as well as the impact of the mitigation measures such as quarantine, social distancing, and self-isolation on the rest of the population have contributed to a global mental health pandemic, including anxiety, depression, panic attacks, posttraumatic stress symptoms, psychosis, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and suicidality. These effects are present acutely (for example, due to fear of contamination or losing loved ones, effects of quarantine/isolation, withdrawal of community and social services, etc.) and may continue long after the pandemic is over (for example, due to bereavement, unemployment, financial losses, etc). The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered mental health problems in people without previous history of mental illness, as well as worsened the symptoms in those with pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis. Therefore, the global effort is called for to deal with this mental health pandemic secondary to COVID-19 itself to address the emergence of new as well as the exacerbation of the existing mental health issues. Conversely, this global context provides an extraordinary opportunity for studying individual differences in response to and resilience in the face of physical and psychological threat, challenge to “normal” way of life, and long-term uncertainty. In this viewpoint article we outline the particular suitability of mindfulness, its skills and mechanisms, as an approach to the prevention and management of mental health issues, as well as to the promotion of well-being and building the foundations of adaptability and flexibility in dealing with the long-term uncertainty and profound changes to the social, economic, and possibly political systems as this pandemic continues to unfold.

scholarly journals The impact of polygamy on women's mental health: a systematic review

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. D. Shepard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Personal Communication ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
The Impact

Aims.The purpose of this systematic review is to identify and appraise the present state of prevalence research on the mental health of polygynous women, or plural wives, and to summarize its implications for future research and social work practice.Methods.PsycInfo (1967 to November 2011) and Medline (1985 to November 2011) databases, systematic bibliography hand-searches, personal communication with a leading expert, and gray literature searching were applied in a systematic literature search of the prevalence of mental-health issues in polygynous women compared to monogamous women. Twenty-two studies meeting eligibility criteria were identified. Study characteristics, methods and findings were systematically extracted and appraised for quality.Results.The identified studies are of mixed methodological quality, but generally suggest a more significant prevalence of mental-health issues in polygynous women compared to monogamous women. Individual studies report a higher prevalence of somatization, depression, anxiety, hostility, psychoticism and psychiatric disorder in polygynous wives as well as reduced life and marital satisfaction, problematic family functioning and low self-esteem.Conclusions.The current state of the research reveals with moderate confidence, a more significant prevalence of mental-health issues in polygynous women as compared to monogamous women. Implications for practice and research are indicated.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic and Overall Mental Health of Healthcare Professionals Globally: A Meta-Review of Systematic Reviews

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Chutiyami ◽  
Allen M. Y. Cheong ◽  
Dauda Salihu ◽  
Umar Muhammad Bello ◽  
Dorothy Ndwiga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Eligibility Criterion ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Meta Review

ObjectiveThis meta-review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of overall mental health of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodWe conducted a comprehensive literature search on Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE. A predefined eligibility criterion was used to screen the articles. The methodology quality of eligible studies was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for systematic reviews. The data were narratively synthesised in line with the meta-review aim.ResultForty systematic reviews (represented as K = 40), which reported data from 1,828 primary studies (N) and 3,245,768 participants, met the inclusion criteria. The findings from a pooled prevalence indicate that anxiety (16–41%, K = 30, N = 701), depression (14–37%, K = 28, N = 584), and stress/post-traumatic stress disorder (18.6–56.5%, K = 24, N = 327) were the most prevailing COVID-19 pandemic-related mental health conditions affecting healthcare workers. Other reported concerns included insomnia, burnout, fear, obsessive-compulsive disorder, somatization symptoms, phobia, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts. Considering regions/countries, the highest anxiety was reported in the United-Kingdom [22.3, 95% Confidence Interval (CI):7–38, N = 4] compared to other countries, while the highest depression was in the Middle-East, (41, 95% CI:16–60, N = 5) and stress in the Eastern Mediterranean region (61.6, 95% CI:56.4–66.8, N = 2) compared to other regions. The most significant risk factors include female gender, younger age, being a nurse, and frontline professional. The most-reported coping strategies include individual/group psychological support, family/relative support, training/orientation, and the adequacy of personal protective equipment.ConclusionIt was concluded that healthcare professionals (nurses, doctors, allied health) have experienced various mental health issues during COVID-19 pandemic. The meta-review, therefore, recommends targeted interventions and health policies that address specific mental health issues to support health professionals worldwide during the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and similar future health crises.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD4202126200, identifier: CRD42021262001.

scholarly journals Psychiatry on the Internet: survey of an OCD mailing list

1997 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan J. Stein
Keyword(s):  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Mailing List ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Internet Support Group ◽  
Internet Support ◽  
Source Of Information

Professionals and consumers have joined psychiatric support groups on the Internet. This paper reports on a survey of members of an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) mailing list (OCD-L). Members, who were primarily patients with OCD, but included family members and professionals, were generally positive about the benefits of the list, finding it a useful source of information about treatment, and a helpful source of support. It is concluded that a useful component of the management of OCD may include Joining OCD–L or a similar Internet support group, as benefits seem to outweigh possible problems. Further study of other Internet psychiatric support groups, which may differ significantly from OCD–L, seems warranted.

scholarly journals The curvilinear relationship between the age of adults and their mental health in Iran after its peak of COVID-19 cases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyao Chen ◽  
Stephen X. Zhang ◽  
Yifei Wang ◽  
Asghar Afshar Jahanshahi ◽  
Maryam Mokhtari Dinani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues

AbstractThe emerging body of research on the predictors of mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed contradictory findings, which prevent effective psychiatry screening for mental health assistance. This study aims to identify the predictors of nonsomatic pain, depression, anxiety, and distress, especially focusing on age as a nonlinear predictor. We conducted a survey of 474 adults in Iran during April 1–10, 2020, when Iran had just passed its first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic with new confirmed cases. We found that Age had a curvilinear relationship with nonsomatic pain, depression, and anxiety. Age was associated with pain, depression, and anxiety disorders negatively among adults younger than 45 years, but positively among seniors older than 70 years. Adults who were female, unsure about their chronic diseases, and exercised less per day were more likely to have mental health issues. This study advances the use of age as an effective predictor by uncovering a curvilinear relationship between individuals’ age and mental health issues by using a sample of adults across a wide spectrum of ages. We hope future research on mental health during COVID-19 pays more attention to nonlinear predictors.

scholarly journals Mental Health of Asian American Older Adults: Contemporary Issues and Future Directions

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giyeon Kim ◽  
Sylvia Y Wang ◽  
Soohyun Park ◽  
Stacy W Yun
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
Asian American ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Current State ◽  
Mental Health Issues

Abstract Given the increased attention to older Asian Americans due to their increasing numbers in the United States, this article aims to provide a collective appraisal of older Asian American mental health issues by reviewing trends in older Asian American mental health research over the past 2 decades. This review article provides an overview of the current state of mental health and care research on older Asian Americans and vital factors associated with older Asian American mental health and care. We also identify gaps in current research on Asian American mental health issues and propose 5 potential areas for future research into which gerontologists need to put more effort during the next decade. Ways to reduce disparities in mental health and improve the quality of mental health of older Asian Americans are also discussed.

scholarly journals Lockdown experiences and views on future research participation of autistic adults in the UK during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba X Realpe Rojas ◽  
Nicola Mills ◽  
Lucy Beasant ◽  
Sarah Douglas ◽  
Lorcan Kenny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Research Participation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 lockdown was a set of nationwide public health restrictions in force on the UK from March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Co-occurring anxiety and depression in autistic people placed them at heightened risk of potential adverse mental health due to the lockdown. Furthermore, the impact of current and future public health measures on autistic people’s willingness to take part in autism research was unknown. We carried out in-depth interviews with 31 autistic adults exploring their experiences of the COVID-19 lockdown and how the pandemic may affect future research participation. Transcripts were analysed thematically within a critical realism framework. Participants identified positive aspects of lockdown such as enjoying the lack of social pressures and using their well-developed skills for dealing with uncertainty. Autistic people also shared challenges of adjusting to lockdown, e.g., rapid change in daily routines. While hopeful about the freedom gained from easing restrictions, participants were concerned about the inconsistent communication and application of rules during the transition out of lockdown which may exacerbate already rising mental health issues among autistic people. The participants viewed research participation and engagement with increased relevance during the pandemic and welcomed efforts to conduct research using online methods of communication. The COVID-19 lockdown had a varied effect in the lives and routines of autistic people. However, healthcare providers and researchers need to be mindful of rising mental health issues during the pandemic, especially for people who were already vulnerable. The response to the pandemic may have offered opportunities for innovation in research processes enabling more autistic people to engage with research and making studies more inclusive.

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