scholarly journals Factors that Influence the Decision to Seek Help in a Police Population

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6891
Author(s):  
Carolyn Burns ◽  
Marla Buchanan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Psychological Services ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Physical And Mental Health

Police officers face many competing pressures and demands. Exposure to potentially traumatic incidents and significant job-related stressors can place many at higher risk of developing physical and mental health problems. The police culture exerts a pronounced influence on officers, preventing some from asking for or receiving assistance. The stigma of being perceived as weak or incompetent, concerns about being labelled unfit for duty, and worry that accessing psychological support will impact future career advancement can affect the decision to seek help. The Enhanced Critical Incident Technique was utilized to investigate the following research question: What helps or hinders the decision to access psychological services in a police population? Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 serving Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada. The findings encompass five main themes: the importance of systemic factors, access to information and education, quality and influence of relationships, individual characteristics, and organizational processes that will increase the likelihood of accessing mental health services. The results contribute to the empirical literature by enhancing what is known about elements that influence an officers’ decision to seek psychological services, and factors that can enable officers to overcome barriers.

COVID-19 and the mental health of professionals in the health sector in the UAE: An analytical study

Avicenna ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chokri Kooli
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Services ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Preventive Actions ◽  
The Impact

As the Covid-19 pandemic persists, the public health interventions reported that many individuals during this pandemic situation experience different circumstances that lead to their poor mental health performance, such as isolation stress, anxiety, depression, anger, confusion, and unemployment. The aim of this study is to examine the existing literature in a comprehensive manner and to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of UAE health workers. This study also examined the psychological factors that influence workers’ mental health due to the pandemic of COVID-19. An online questionnaire was administered to answer the research question. The results proved that the pandemic has affected both physical and mental health of UAE health workers. Consequently, the adoption of preventive actions at the governmental, organizational, and individual levels is highly recommended. In this research, the implementation of effective communication and the application of adequate psychological services have been suggested. To this end, the role of policy makers to be involved in placing governmental initiatives that prevent the spread of the virus and protect the mental health of workers has been highlighted.

Hope Interventions for the Promotion of Well-Being Throughout the Life Cycle

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Leontopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Adaptation ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Wide Range

Hope lies at the core of human psyche. It has a unique power to propel individuals, groups, organizations, and communities to action and can sustain their energies to help them achieve their goals. Hope is differentially conceptualized and studied as an emotion; as a positive motivational state incorporating elements of pathways and agency thinking and also as goals pursuit cognitions that can cause emotions; and, lately, as a character strength. Thus, hope research and practice transverses major theoretical and applied fields of psychology (namely positive) developmental, educational, and counseling psychology. Long-established links between hope and well-being places it in a unique position to affect positive youth development through positive education practices but also to enhance physical and mental health and positive psychosocial adaptation throughout the life cycle with the use of successful approaches in therapy and counseling. Established criteria for hope-based interventions and programs were developed all over the world with the express dual aim to enhance well-being and reduce psychopathology in different populations, ranging from children, adolescents, youths, and adults with and without physical and mental health problems and learning disabilities; and also across various settings, as diverse as educational institutions, therapy and counseling, recreational centers, and correctional facilities. Overall, hope-based interventions were successful in enhancing positive psychosocial outcomes and reducing depression and other problems. Underlying mechanisms that drive hope programs include the development of upward spirals of positive emotions that help people build enduring psychosocial resources; the process of goal setting and pursuit in itself; and the identification of optimal combinations of individual characteristics and intervention goals and techniques. A wide range of individual factors, such as participants’ and implementers’ characteristics and levels of motivation, in addition to contextual factors such as protocols, research designs, techniques, materials, analyses, and reporting choices impact the effectiveness of hope interventions. Future research can benefit from targeted hope interventions, matching specific needs, skills, and capacities of people and groups in different settings, including educational, therapy, organizational, and community ones, which can greatly improve academic performance, physical and mental health, productivity, and life quality.

scholarly journals Analyzing the relationship between air pollution and various types of crime

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255653
Author(s):  
Pei-Fen Kuo ◽  
I. Gede Brawiswa Putra
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Crime Rates ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Outdoor Activities ◽  
High Crime

Air pollution has a severe impact on human physical and mental health. When the air quality is poor enough to cause respiratory irritation, people tend to stay home and avoid any outdoor activities. In addition, air pollution may cause mental health problems (depression and anxiety) which were associated with high crime risk. Therefore, in this study, it is hypothesized that increasing air pollution level is associated with higher indoor crime rates, but negatively associated with outdoor crime rates because it restricts people’s daily outdoor activities. Three types of crimes were used for this analysis: robbery (outdoor crime), domestic violence (indoor crime), and fraud (cybercrime). The results revealed that the geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model performed best with lower AIC values. In general, in the higher population areas with more severe air pollution, local authorities should allocate more resources, extra police officers, or more training programs to help them prevent domestic violence, rather than focusing on robbery.

Socio Demographic and Clinical Profile of Indoor Female Patients of RINPAS

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Rajni Suri ◽  
Anshu Suri ◽  
Neelam Kumari ◽  
Amool R. Singh ◽  
Manisha Kiran
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional

The role of women is very crucial in our society. She cares for her parents, partner, children and other relatives. She performs all types of duties in family and also in the society without any expectations. Because of playing many roles, women often face many challenges in their life including both physical and mental. Mental health problems affect women and men equally, but some problems are more common among women including both physical and mental health problems. Aim of the study - The present study is aimed to describe and compare the clinical and socio-demographic correlates of female mentally ill patients. Methods and Materials: The study includes 180 female mentally ill patients based on cross sectional design and the sample for the study was drawn purposively. A semi structured socio-demographic data sheet was prepared to collect relevant information as per the need of the study. Result: The present study reveals that the socio-demographic factors contribute a vital role in mental illness. Findings also showed that majority of patients had mental problems in the age range of 20-30 have high rate. Illiterate and primary level of education and daily wage working women as well as low and middle socio-economic status women are more prone to have mental illness. Other factors like marital status, type of family and religion etc also important factors for mental illness. Keywords: Socio demographic profile, female, psychiatric patient

Loneliness, social isolation and cardiovascular risk

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackson Alun ◽  
Barbara Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Premature Death ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cardiac Events ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
Traditional Risk Factors

Loneliness and social isolation are increasingly being acknowledged as risk factors for both physical and mental health problems. Recent statistics demonstrate that loneliness and isolation are on the rise internationally, to the point of being classed as an epidemic. In this paper, the authors outline some of the recent research linking loneliness and isolation to significant chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes; mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression; cognitive disorders and dementia. Isolation has also been shown to compromise recovery after acute cardiac events, being associated with increased hospital readmission and premature death. Indeed, isolation has now been identified as a risk factor equivalent in effect to traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension and obesity. While distinguishing between objective and subjective indicators of isolation, the authors highlight the complexity of this phenomenon, both in terms of definition and measurement, as well as the interplay between subjective and objective indicators. Important clinical implications for health professionals working with cardiac patients are also proposed, in terms of screening for isolation, and possible interventions to support patients at risk of isolation. The aim of the current article is to emphasise the importance of acknowledging loneliness and isolation as key risk factors requiring urgent attention, both in research and in clinical practice.

Policing mental illness: Police use of section 136 – Perspectives from police and mental-health nurses

2021 ◽  
pp. 002580242199336
Author(s):  
Meron Wondemaghen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Health Care Policy ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Care Policy ◽  
Mental Health Nurses ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Pilot Scheme

Ideological shifts in mental health-care policy such as deinstitutionalisation have meant police have had to make decisions about the care of persons with a mental-health crisis. This study examines how police in five English counties respond to crisis calls when employing the powers afforded in section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, and the effectiveness of the national Street Triage pilot scheme. Qualitative interviews with 30 police officers and mental-health nurses (MHN) were collected as data sources. The analysis shows that police have previously struggled with the significant number of crisis calls, whilst also finding mental-health services inadequately sourced, leading to some detentions in police cells as alternatives to health-based places of safety. However, the scheme has made positive changes in alleviating these issues when MHN are co-located with police, highlighting the need to strengthen their partnership by facilitating the sharing of information, responsibilities and decision making in order to ensure police cells continue to be avoided as alternative places of safety.

scholarly journals “I Didn’t Know What They Wanted From Me”–the Perspective of Individuals with Mental Disorders on Police Interventions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linus Wittmann ◽  
Gunter Groen ◽  
Janusz Ogorka ◽  
Astrid Jörns-Presentati
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Police Training ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Personal Space ◽  
Police Encounters

AbstractEncounters between individuals with a mental disorder and police forces can be harmful and dangerous for both parties involved. Previous research explored mostly police officers’ subjective experience of these encounters and focused on their recommendations. The present study takes the perspective of individuals with a mental disorder and investigates their subjective experience of dealing with the police. Thirteen semi-structural interviews were conducted with individuals with a history of mental health problems who have had encounters with the police and experienced contact-based anti-stigmatization interventions as consultants. Interviews revolved around the subjective experience of these police encounters. Questionnaires were used to inquire about context factors, individuals’ perceptions of police officers, and their sense of security during these encounters. Furthermore, individuals were asked to rate police officers’ ability to recognize signs and symptoms of ill mental health and give recommendations in regard to adequate communication strategies, interventions, and police training. The results indicate that encounters were experienced predominantly as positive and non-threatening. Participants emphasized the importance of communication strategies with a focus on empathy and respect. Keeping personal space and satisfying basic needs was recommended. Contact-based anti-stigmatization interventions were regarded as an effective approach to reduce stigma. Empathy and respect are perceived as key strategies for police officers when dealing with individuals with a mental disorder. To promote these strategies, trialogical anti-stigmatization interventions and crisis intervention training, including communication skills and face-to-face contact, are promising approaches.

Factors Associated With Police Decisions on Immediate Responses to Intimate Partner Violence

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15-16) ◽  
pp. 2993-3010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merete Berg Nesset ◽  
Johan Håkon Bjørngaard ◽  
Jim Aage Nøttestad ◽  
Richard Whittington ◽  
Cecilie Lynum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Lethal Violence ◽  
Emergency Situations

Police officers are often the first responders to intimate partner violence. The aim of the study was to examine the association between structured police assessments on-site in cases of intimate partner violence, and decisions about immediate arrest of the perpetrator and/or relocation of the victim. Data were extracted from police reports on 124 emergency visits in cases of intimate partner violence perpetrated by men toward women. Six out of totally 15 items of the intimate partner violence risk assessment measure B-SAFER were used by the front line police officers as the basis for decisions on whether or not to arrest the perpetrator or relocate the victim. The six items: perpetrator violent acts, violent threats or thoughts, escalation of violence, substance use problems, mental health problems, and breach of no-contact order, were selected on the basis of their utility in emergency situations. There were increased odds of arrest on-site if the perpetrator was physically violent (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0-7.7) or had substance problems (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI = [1.0- 5.2]). There were increased odds of victim relocation if the perpetrator had mental health problems (AOR = 7.4, 95% CI = [2.4-23.1]) or if children were present on-site (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI = [1.1- 8.6]). In contrast, escalation of violence was associated with reduced odds of the perpetrator being arrested (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI = [0.1- 0.9]) or the victim being relocated (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI = [0.1- 1.3]). The finding that the police did not immediately respond to escalation, potentially signaling lethal violence needs to be addressed.

scholarly journals Experiences of living with mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a coproduced, participatory qualitative interview study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Gillard ◽  
Ceri Dare ◽  
Jackie Hardy ◽  
Patrick Nyikavaranda ◽  
Rachel Rowan Olive ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Mental Health Conditions ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
The Impact

AbstractPurposeResearch is beginning to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on people with pre-existing mental health conditions. Our paper addresses a lack of in-depth qualitative research exploring their experiences and perceptions of how life has changed at this time.MethodsWe used qualitative interviews (N=49) to explore experiences of the pandemic for people with pre-existing mental health conditions. In a participatory, coproduced approach, researchers with lived experiences of mental health conditions conducted interviews and analysed data as part of a multi-disciplinary research team.ResultsExisting mental health difficulties were exacerbated for many people. People experienced specific psychological impacts of the pandemic, struggles with social connectedness, and inadequate access to mental health services, while some found new ways to cope and connect to community. New remote ways to access mental health care, including digital solutions, provided continuity of care for some but presented substantial barriers for others. People from black and ethnic minority (BAME) communities experienced heightened anxiety, stigma and racism associated with the pandemic, further impacting their mental health.ConclusionThere is a need for evidence-based solutions to achieve accessible and effective mental health care in response to the pandemic, especially remote approaches to care. Further research should explore the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on people with pre-existing mental health conditions. Particular attention should be paid to understanding inequalities of impact on mental health, especially for people from BAME communities.

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