Caring for mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities: Approaches and opportunities

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Malapela ◽  
Faniswa Mfidi Mail ◽  
Sambulelwe Sibanda ◽  
Gloria Thupayagale-Tshweneagae
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Student Nurses ◽  
Adaptive Behaviour ◽  
Quality Patient Care ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Insight Into

Mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities are among the most disadvantaged groups in society. They experience numerous challenges which include limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour. These limitations present challenges in their care especially in cases where caregivers are not well prepared to cater for these special needsThe purpose of this study was to provide an insight into the experiences of student nurses on the approaches and opportunities related to the care of mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities.A qualitative, descriptive, interpretive, exploratory and contextual research was used to ascertain opportunities and approaches in caring for mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities. Audio-taped interviews were conducted with 12 student nurses in their fourth and final year of study who were assigned to the care centre catering for people with profound intellectual disabilities. Thematic analysis as proposed by Burnard (1991) was used to analyse the collected qualitative data. Three approaches to care emerged as promotion of health and wellbeing, training on communication skills and support for their dignity. One main opportunity to emerge was being caring and this was embedded on the principle of caring which defines a nurse.Caring for care users with profound intellectual disabilities can be emotionally challenging. However, this study identified approaches and opportunities which when explored can assist the nurses to render quality patient care for these patients.

Optimizing a Halfway House to Meet Mental Health Care Users’ Occupational Needs

2021 ◽  
pp. 000841742110448
Author(s):  
Itumeleng Augustine Tsatsi ◽  
Nicola Ann Plastow
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Halfway House ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Halfway Houses

Background. Halfway houses (HwH) may support community reintegration of mental health care users and can be effective in meeting occupational needs of residents. However, they are not optimally used in South Africa. Purpose. This study aimed to improve the functioning of a HwH so that it better meets occupational needs of the resident mental health care users. It draws on Doble & Santha; ( 2008 ) seven occupational needs. Method. A four-phase Participatory Action Research methodology was used. We conducted thematic analysis to describe met and unmet needs within PAR phases. Findings. Occupational needs of accomplishment, renewal, pleasure and companionship were being met. However, coherence, agency and affirmation needs were not being met. An additional occupational need for interdependence, based on the African ethic of Ubuntu, was identified. Implications. HwH functioning affected residents’ experiences of health and wellbeing. Engagement in collective occupations can contribute to meeting the occupational need of interdependence.

scholarly journals The Acceptability of Text Messaging to Help African American Women Manage Anxiety and Depression: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

10.2196/15801 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e15801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terika McCall ◽  
Todd A Schwartz ◽  
Saif Khairat
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
African American ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
American Women ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Insight Into

Background The rates of mental illness among African American women are comparable with the general population; however, they significantly underutilize mental health services compared with their white counterparts. Previous studies revealed that interventions delivered via text messaging are effective and can be used to increase access to services and resources. More insight into whether or not this modality is acceptable for use to deliver mental health care to help African American women manage anxiety and depression is needed. Objective This exploratory study aimed to gain insight into the acceptability of using text messaging to help African American women manage anxiety and depression. Methods A self-administered Web-based survey was launched in June 2018 and closed in August 2018. Eligible participants were African American women (18 years or older) who reside in the United States. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling (eg, email sent via listservs and social media posts). Respondents were provided an anonymous link to the questionnaire. The survey consisted of 53 questions on the following subjects: sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, mobile phone use, and acceptability of using a mobile phone to receive mental health care. Results The results of this exploratory study (N=101) showed that fewer than half of respondents endorsed the use of text messaging to communicate with a professional to receive help to manage anxiety (49/101, 48.5%) and depression (43/101, 42.6%). Approximately 51.4% (52/101) agreed that having the option to use text messaging to communicate with a professional if they are dealing with anxiety would be helpful. Similarly, 48.5% (49/101) agreed that having the option to use text messaging to communicate with a professional if they are dealing with depression would be helpful. Among participants who agreed that text messaging would be helpful, more than 80% noted being comfortable with its use to receive help for managing anxiety (approximately 86%, 45/52) and depression (approximately 82%, 40/49; highly significant positive association, all P<.001). More than 50% of respondents (56/101, 55.4%) indicated having concerns about using text messaging. No statistically significant associations were found between age and agreement with the use of text messaging to communicate with a professional to receive help for managing anxiety (P=.26) or depression (P=.27). Conclusions The use of text messaging was not highly endorsed by African American women as an acceptable mode of communication with a professional to help them manage anxiety or depression. Concerns around privacy, confidentiality, and the impersonal feel of communicating about sensitive issues via text messages must be addressed for this modality to be a viable option. The findings of this study demonstrated the need for further research into the use of mobile technology to provide this population with more accessible and convenient options for mental health care.

Immigrant Mothers’ Perspectives of Barriers and Facilitators in Accessing Mental Health Care for Their Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 598-605
Author(s):  
Mia Tulli ◽  
Bukola Salami ◽  
Lule Begashaw ◽  
Salima Meherali ◽  
Sophie Yohani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Immigrant And Refugee

Introduction: Data on immigrant and refugees’ access to services in Canada typically focus on adult populations generally but not children specifically. To fill this gap, this study explored immigrant and refugee mothers’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators for mental health care for their children in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Method: In this qualitative descriptive study, researchers conducted 18 semistructured interviews with immigrant and refugee mothers who live in Edmonton, self-identify as women, and have children living in Canada. Results: Barriers included financial strain, lack of information, racism/discrimination, language barriers, stigma, feeling isolated, and feeling unheard by service providers. Facilitators included schools offering services, personal levels of higher education, and free services. Discussion: Nurses can improve access to mental health services by addressing issues related to racism within the health system, by creating awareness related to mental health, and by providing trained interpreters to help bridge barriers in communications.

Access to Australian Mental Health Care by People from Non-English-Speaking Backgrounds

2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Pirkis ◽  
Jane Pirkis ◽  
Philip Burgess ◽  
Graham Meadows ◽  
David Dunt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Perceived Needs ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Needs For Care ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Access Services

Objective: This study aimed to examine access to mental health care for people from non-English-speaking backgrounds relative to that of people from English-speaking backgrounds, in the context of the mental health status of both groups; and to consider whether, if they perceive that they have needs for care, these needs are met. Method: The study used data from the population-based Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, conducted in 1997. Results: People from non-English-speaking backgrounds and English-speaking backgrounds were equally likely to experience anxiety disorders and affective disorders, but the former were less likely to experience substance-use disorders and any mental disorder. When those with each disorder type were considered alone, people from non-Englishspeaking backgrounds and English-speaking backgrounds were equally likely to use services for mental health problems. When those with perceived needs for care were considered in isolation, there was no difference between birthplace groups in terms of their likelihood of reporting that their needs were fully met. Conclusions: The study had several limitations (i.e. lack of detail on specific ethnic groups and exclusion of potential respondents who could not speak English), which mean that these findings should be interpreted with caution. There is a need to build on this populationbased work, by oversampling people from particular non-English speaking communities and ensuring that those who do not speak English are included in population samples. Such work will further clarify the relative ability of people from non-English-speaking backgrounds to access services, and the extent to which their needs are met.

scholarly journals Perceived Drivers and Barriers to the Adoption of eMental Health by Psychologists: The Construction of the Levels of Adoption of eMental Health Model (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milou A Feijt ◽  
Yvonne AW de Kort ◽  
Inge MB Bongers ◽  
Wijnand A IJsselsteijn
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Clinical Psychologists ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
New Treatment ◽  
Health Model ◽  
Structured Representation

BACKGROUND The internet offers major opportunities in supporting mental health care, and a variety of technology-mediated mental and behavioral health services have been developed. Yet, despite growing evidence for the effectiveness of these services, their acceptance and use in clinical practice remains low. So far, the current literature still lacks a structured insight into the experienced drivers and barriers to the adoption of electronic mental health (eMental health) from the perspective of clinical psychologists. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the drivers and barriers for psychologists in adopting eMental health tools, adding to previous work by also assessing drivers and analyzing relationships among these factors, and subsequently by developing a structured representation of the obtained findings. METHODS The study adopted a qualitative descriptive approach consisting of in-depth semistructured interviews with clinical psychologists working in the Netherlands (N=12). On the basis of the findings, a model was constructed that was then examined through a communicative validation. RESULTS In general, a key driver for psychologists to adopt eMental health is the belief and experience that it can be beneficial to them or their clients. Perceived advantages that are novel to literature include the acceleration of the treatment process, increased intimacy of the therapeutic relationship, and new treatment possibilities due to eMental health. More importantly, a relation was found between the extent to which psychologists have adopted eMental health and the particular drivers and barriers they experience. This differentiation is incorporated in the Levels of Adoption of eMental Health (LAMH) model that was developed during this study to provide a structured representation of the factors that influence the adoption of eMental health. CONCLUSIONS The study identified both barriers and drivers, several of which are new to the literature and found a relationship between the nature and importance of the various drivers and barriers perceived by psychologists and the extent to which they have adopted eMental health. These findings were structured in a conceptual model to further enhance the current understanding. The LAMH model facilitates further research on the process of adopting eMental health, which will subsequently enable targeted recommendations with respect to technology, training, and clinical practice to ensure that mental health care professionals as well as their clients will benefit optimally from the current (and future) range of available eMental health options.

Psychiatry and the Need for Mental Health Care in Australia: Findings from the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Meadows ◽  
Bruce Singh ◽  
Philip Burgess ◽  
Irene Bobevski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Psychiatric Services ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Perceived Needs ◽  
Health And Wellbeing

Objective: This paper describes the pattern of consultations reported with psychiatrists and primary mental health care providers in the Australian adult population. It explores whether inequalities found in utilization of psychiatric services according to area are different in degree from inequalities in utilization of medical and surgical specialists, and describes the meeting of perceived needs for mental health care within those seen by psychiatrists. Method: The National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHW) was a community survey employing clustered probability sampling, with a computerized field questionnaire which included sections of the composite international diagnostic interview (CIDI), as well as self-reported service utilization and perceived needs for care. Results: By survey estimates, 1.8% of the Australian population consulted a psychiatrist in the last year. Among people with an ICD 10-diagnosed mental disorder, 7.3% consulted a psychiatrist. Only about one in five people seen by a psychiatrist report the psychiatrist as the only mental health care provider. Disadvantaged areas of the cities and remote areas, when compared with the least deprived areas of the cities, showed lower rates of utilization. This effect is stronger in psychiatry than in other specialities. Patients seeing psychiatrists seem to be a more satisfied group than those seeing only other providers; nonetheless, some needs are not well met, and the role of the psychiatrist cannot be isolated as the cause of this satisfaction. Conclusions: Most care delivered by psychiatrists is de facto shared care. Psychiatrists as clinical professionals need to be continually mindful of the need to communicate with others providing care. Psychiatric services in Australia are not delivered in an equitable manner, and the inequalities are greater for psychiatric services than for other medical specialities.

Awareness and accessibility of the Dutch mental health care system for people with borderline intellectual functioning or mild intellectual disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 114-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jannelien Wieland ◽  
Mascha ten Doesschate
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Intellectual Functioning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Borderline Intellectual Functioning ◽  
High Prevalence

Purpose In The Netherlands, curative mental health care and supportive care for people with an intellectual disability (ID) are organised in separate domains. Prevalence of mental health problems is known to be high among people with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) or mild intellectual disabilities (MID). By contrast, according to recent findings, prevalence of BIF and MID is high among patients in mental health care (17.5–58 per cent). In The Netherlands, a new quality standard of care (QSOC) on mental health care for people with BIF or MID is developed. It is designed to supplement existing guidelines on mental health care so that they can be used appropriately in people with BIF or MID and meant for use in both mental health care organisations (MHCO) as in organisations for ID care. To a large extent, the QSOC should describe the existing practice. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach To assess the existing practice in current mental health care for people with BIF or MID in The Netherlands, the authors examined the views and accessibility of MHCO on the mental health care for patients with and IQ<85. In addition, the authors reviewed published criteria for in- and exclusion of all 39 top clinical mental health care departments for criteria on BIF or (mild) ID. Findings The authors found there is a clear awareness of the high prevalence of BIF and MID among large Dutch MHCO. Dutch MHCO estimate the prevalence of BIF and MID among their patients to be around 30 per cent. Nonetheless, most MCHO surveyed (76 per cent) indicated they do not routinely estimate or measure IQ among their patients and 53 per cent of MHCO indicated not having knowledge and expertise on the dual diagnoses of mental health problems and BIF or MID. Fitting in with the new QSOC most of the MHCO (59 per cent) agreed on the statement in the survey that professionals should be able to treat patients with BIF or ID and all but one of the MHCO stated to have some form of collaboration with an institute for ID care. Originality/value The authors concluded there is a clear awareness of the high prevalence of BIF and MID among large Dutch MHCO. The new QSOC on mental health care for people with BIF or MID can help improve accessibility and quality of mental health care for these patients.

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