scholarly journals Access to Daylight at Home Improves Circadian Alignment, Sleep, and Mental Health in Healthy Adults: A Crossover Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 9980
Author(s):  
Rohan Nagare ◽  
May Woo ◽  
Piers MacNaughton ◽  
Barbara Plitnick ◽  
Brandon Tinianov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Crossover Study ◽  
Biological Clock ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Circadian Phase ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Daylight Exposure ◽  
The Impact

As the primary environmental cue for the body’s master biological clock, light–dark patterns are key for circadian alignment and are ultimately fundamental to multiple dimensions of health including sleep and mental health. Although daylight provides the proper qualities of light for promoting circadian alignment, our modern indoor lifestyles offer fewer opportunities for adequate daylight exposure. This field study explores how increasing circadian-effective light in residences affects circadian phase, sleep, vitality, and mental health. In this crossover study, 20 residents spent one week in their apartments with electrochromic glass windows and another week with functionally standard windows with blinds. Calibrated light sensors revealed higher daytime circadian-effective light levels with the electrochromic glass windows, and participants exhibited consistent melatonin onset, a 22-min earlier sleep onset, and higher sleep regularity. In the blinds condition, participants exhibited a 15-min delay in dim light melatonin onset, a delay in subjective vitality throughout the day, and an overall lower positive affect. This study demonstrates the impact of daytime lighting on the physiological, behavioral, and subjective measures of circadian health in a real-world environment and stresses the importance of designing buildings that optimize daylight for human health and wellbeing.

Health, happiness and your future: using a “men’s group” format to work with homeless men in London

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-418
Author(s):  
Kate Thompson ◽  
Pippa Brown ◽  
Stephanie Vieira
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychosocial Issues ◽  
Horn Of Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Homeless Men ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe an intervention with a group of homeless men from the Horn of Africa, service users of the Horn of Africa Health and Wellbeing Project in London. The group was conceived by the second author who noted the presence of significant psychosocial issues for her clients, but equally their reluctance to access mainstream mental health or social care services. Design/methodology/approach Designing the group and introducing it to the men involved threw up some challenges which are explored, and the impact of the group on participants is evaluated. Findings Overall both the participants and the facilitators evaluated the group positively and it appeared to have led to lasting change for some of the group members, and this is described. The authors argue that this sort of group may be a more acceptable way to work on psychosocial issues than something more directly focused on mental health intervention. The group protocol is outlined along with suggestions for future work in this area. Originality/value This intervention represents a creative alternative to more mainstream psychological interventions for homeless or exiled men.

scholarly journals Systematic review protocol exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wellbeing of general practitioners

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Jefferson ◽  
Su Golder ◽  
Veronica Dale ◽  
Holly Essex ◽  
Elizabeth McHugh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Systematic Review Protocol ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Review Protocol ◽  
The Impact

Background Over recent years chronic stress and burnout have been reported by doctors working in general practice in the UK NHS and internationally. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed general practitioners working lives; adding potential pressures from avoiding infection and addressing pent-up demand for care, but also changing processes such as rapidly taking up remote consultations. To date, there has been a focus on exploring the impact of the pandemic on the wellbeing of hospital clinicians. No registered systematic reviews currently focus on exploring the impact of the pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of general practitioners. Aims and objectives To synthesise the current international evidence base exploring the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of general practitioners, and which factors are associated with their reported mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic. Methods In this paper we report a systematic review protocol, following PRISMA guidance. In our search strategy we will identify primary research studies or systematic reviews exploring the mental health and wellbeing of general practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic in four databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsychInfo and Medrxiv) and Google Scholar. We will hand-search reference lists and grey literature. Two reviewers will undertake all stages including study selection, data extraction and quality assessment, with arbitration by a third reviewer where necessary. We will use standardised quality assessment tools to ensure transparency and reduce bias in quality assessment. Depending on the quality of included studies, we may undertake a sensitivity analysis by excluding studies from narrative synthesis that are rated as low quality using the checklists. We will describe the findings across studies using narrative thematic data synthesis, and if sufficiently homogenous data are identified, we will pool quantitative findings through meta-analysis.

Reproductive and Mental Health during Natural Disaster

2015 ◽  
pp. 265-291
Author(s):  
Jasim Anwar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

With the ever-increasing number of natural disasters, it is important to understand the impact on the health and wellbeing of survivors, especially women. The reproductive and mental health of women contributes significantly to their overall wellbeing. The Chapter gives an overview of natural disasters with an emphasis on consequences of earthquakes of health and wellbeing of the survivors. It includes a critical review of published studies on psychological trauma and reproductive health following earthquake disasters. Among the psychological consequences of earthquakes, this chapter describes post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. The last section of this chapter reviewed reproductive health in relation to the mental health consequences following natural disasters.

scholarly journals Exploring the impact of social inequality and poverty on the mental health and wellbeing and attainment of children and young people in Scotland

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 204-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Gaynor Mowat
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Impact

The poverty-related attainment gap is an internationally recognised problem. There is growing recognition that it cannot either be understood or addressed without taking cognisance of children’s mental health and wellbeing. The focus of this conceptual article is to examine the impact of social inequality and poverty on the mental health and wellbeing and attainment of children and young people in Scotland through the lens of resilience. While not a ‘state of the art’ literature review, a systematic approach was adopted in the selection of the literature and in the identification of themes to emerge from it. A range of risk and protective factors at the individual, social, societal and political levels emerged as impacting on the mental health and wellbeing and attainment of children living in poverty, and three important mediating variables are the negative impact of social stratification and adverse childhood experiences and the positive impact of a supportive adult. Schools alone cannot solve the problem. The findings revealed that there is a need to build a strong infrastructure around families and schools and to examine how economic, social, health and educational policy interact with each other as a starting point in addressing the problem, supported by inter-disciplinary research.

scholarly journals 9.L. Workshop: Mental health of older people

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The world's population is aging rapidly. Globally, the population of older people will nearly double in the next 30 years, from 12% to 22%. Unfortunately, many elderly people are often vulnerable to the development of mental health problems. Besides the development of mental disorders (such as depression) or neurological disorders (such as cognitive impairment), they often experience several health ailments and loss of functionality, which negatively impacts their mental health and wellbeing. The WHO points out that mental health problems among this group of people are under-identified by healthcare professionals and by older people and their relatives themselves, and that stigma surrounding these conditions makes people often reluctant to seek help. Therefore, more scientific research and debate is needed on mental health of older persons, especially from a public health perspective. By bringing together researchers on this domain from different countries and background, this workshop aims to contribute to the scientific insight in this topic and finally to the improvement of the mental health and wellbeing of this growing group of people. In this workshop, research findings on the prevalence of (undetected) mental health problems and the impact of organizational, social and physical conditions on these problems, among older persons, both institutionalized and not, will be presented and discussed by five researchers from different European countries. Dr. Sunwoo Lee (Czech Republic) will talk about the demographic, psychosocial, and health-related risk factors for suicidal ideation among older adults in 12 European countries. Dr. Patricia De Vriendt (Belgium) will give a presentation on the unnoticed mild cognitive problems in nursing homes in Flanders. Dr. Henriette van der Roest (the Netherlands) will show the relationship between organizational adaptions in Dutch nursing homes and cognitive improvement and quality of life among older persons with dementia. Dr. Jutta Lindert (Germany) will focus on the impact of social stress and strain on the episodic memory and executive functioning of the “Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) cohort. And finally Dr. Mauro Carta (Italy) will illustrate the positive effect of moderate physical activity on cognitive functioning and general wellbeing of older people. Key messages Mental health problems among the growing group of older people are prevalent and of different kind. More scientific insight is needed on the prevalence and determinants of these problems, in order to provide timely and adequate support and prevention.

scholarly journals Exploring the relationship between housing concerns, mental health and wellbeing: a qualitative study of social housing tenants

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. e231-e238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Holding ◽  
Lindsay Blank ◽  
Mary Crowder ◽  
Edward Ferrari ◽  
Elizabeth Goyder
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Housing Quality ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The rising prevalence of mental health problems is a growing public health issue. Poor mental health is not equally distributed across social groups and is associated with poverty and insecure housing. An evaluation of a social housing intervention provided an opportunity to explore the connections between housing and wider determinants of health and wellbeing. Methods We undertook 44 interviews with social housing tenants over a two-year period to explore their views on housing, health and wellbeing. Results Poor mental health was common. The results suggest that perceptions of housing quality, service responsiveness, community safety, benefit changes and low income all have a detrimental effect on tenants’ mental health. Conclusions Social housing providers who wish to have a positive impact on the mental health of their tenants need to consider how to best support or mitigate the impact of these stresses. Addressing traditional housing officer functions such as reporting or monitoring home repairs alongside holistic support remains an important area where social housing departments can have substantial health impact. Tackling the complex nature of mental health requires a joined up approach between housing and a number of services.

scholarly journals Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 1232-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Chang ◽  
Daniel Aeschbach ◽  
Jeanne F. Duffy ◽  
Charles A. Czeisler
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Clock ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Biological Clock ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Light Emitting ◽  
Circadian Phase ◽  
The Impact

In the past 50 y, there has been a decline in average sleep duration and quality, with adverse consequences on general health. A representative survey of 1,508 American adults recently revealed that 90% of Americans used some type of electronics at least a few nights per week within 1 h before bedtime. Mounting evidence from countries around the world shows the negative impact of such technology use on sleep. This negative impact on sleep may be due to the short-wavelength–enriched light emitted by these electronic devices, given that artificial-light exposure has been shown experimentally to produce alerting effects, suppress melatonin, and phase-shift the biological clock. A few reports have shown that these devices suppress melatonin levels, but little is known about the effects on circadian phase or the following sleep episode, exposing a substantial gap in our knowledge of how this increasingly popular technology affects sleep. Here we compare the biological effects of reading an electronic book on a light-emitting device (LE-eBook) with reading a printed book in the hours before bedtime. Participants reading an LE-eBook took longer to fall asleep and had reduced evening sleepiness, reduced melatonin secretion, later timing of their circadian clock, and reduced next-morning alertness than when reading a printed book. These results demonstrate that evening exposure to an LE-eBook phase-delays the circadian clock, acutely suppresses melatonin, and has important implications for understanding the impact of such technologies on sleep, performance, health, and safety.

scholarly journals Mentally disordered young offenders in transition from child and adolescent to adult mental health services across England and Wales

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria I. Livanou ◽  
Vivek Furtado ◽  
Swaran P. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Child And Adolescent ◽  
Young Offenders ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper provides an overview of transitions across forensic child and adolescent mental health services in England and Wales. The purpose of this paper is to delineate the national secure services system for young people in contact with the youth justice system. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews findings from the existing literature of transitions across forensic child and adolescent mental health services, drawing attention to present facilitators and barriers to optimal transition. The authors examine the infrastructure of current services and highlight gaps between child and adult service continuity and evaluate the impact of poor transitions on young offenders’ mental health and wellbeing. Findings Young offenders experience a broad range of difficulties, from the multiple interfaces with the legal system, untreated mental health problems, and poor transition to adult services. Barriers such as long waiting lists, lack of coordination between services and lack of transition preparation impede significantly smooth transitions. Research limitations/implications The authors need to develop, test and evaluate models of transitional care that improve mental health and wellbeing of this group. Practical implications Mapping young offenders’ care pathway will help to understand their needs and also to impact current policy and practice. Key workers in forensic services should facilitate the transition process by developing sustainable relationships with the young person and creating a safe clinical environment. Originality/value Transition of care from forensic child and adolescent mental health services is a neglected area. This paper attempts to highlight the nature and magnitude of the problems at the transition interface in a forensic context.

scholarly journals The The Violence of Colonization and the Importance of Decolonizing Therapeutic Relationship: The Role of Helper in Centring Indigenous Wisdom

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Riel Dupuis-Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Ways Of Knowing ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Health Practices ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Mental Health Practices ◽  
Colonial Oppression ◽  
Indigenous Wisdom ◽  
The Impact

Engaging existing literature and current mainstream frontline health and mental health practice, this article expands research on the impact of colonization and mainstream mental health practices on Indigenous clients. Through this process, it creates new ground on which decolonizing therapeutic responses to ongoing attempted genocide are introduced, described, and developed. I identify the brutality of historical and contemporary colonization as one of the major influences in undermining Indigenous clients’ health and wellbeing—a perspective that decentres and resists individualistic pathologizing that is the focal point of mainstream psychiatric diagnoses and treatment. I also illustrate the negative impacts of psychiatric assessment for Indigenous clients and demonstrate how mainstream mental health practices, in not acknowledging colonization as the context for Indigenous clients’ suffering, are implicated in ongoing enactments of colonial oppression. The mainstream assessment of Indigenous clients’ suicidality as an individualized mental health disorder is also problematized. I conclude by centring Indigenous ways of knowing and culture in the promotion of health and wellbeing for Indigenous clients.

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