scholarly journals Come for Information, Stay for Support: Harnessing the Power of Online Health Communities for Social Connectedness during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12743
Author(s):  
Brian M. Green ◽  
Casey A. Hribar ◽  
Sara Hayes ◽  
Amrita Bhowmick ◽  
Leslie Beth Herbert
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Online Health Communities ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Sources Of Support ◽  
Health Communities ◽  
Mental Health Distress

The COVID-19 pandemic created a globally shared stressor that saw a rise in the emphasis on mental and emotional wellbeing. However, historically, these topics were not openly discussed, leaving those struggling without professional support. One powerful tool to bridge the gap and facilitate connectedness during times of isolation is online health communities (OHCs). This study surveyed Health Union OHC members during the pandemic to determine the degree of COVID-19 concern, social isolation, and mental health distress they are facing, as well as to assess where they are receiving information about COVID-19 and what sources of support they desire. The survey was completed in six independent waves between March 2020 and April 2021, and garnered 10,177 total responses. In the United States, OHCs were utilized significantly more during peak lockdown times, and the desire for emotional and/or mental health support increased over time. Open-ended responses demonstrated a strong desire for connection and validation, which are quintessential characteristics of OHCs. Through active moderation utilizing trained moderators, OHCs can provide a powerful, intermediate and safe space where conversations about mental and emotional wellbeing can be normalized and those in need are encouraged to seek additional assistance from healthcare professionals if warranted.

scholarly journals Causal Factors of Effective Psychosocial Outcomes in Online Mental Health Communities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koustuv Saha ◽  
Amit Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Psychosocial Outcomes ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Causal Factors ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Health Communities ◽  
Mental Health Distress ◽  
And Control

Online mental health communities enable people to seek and provide support, and growing evidence shows the efficacy of community participation to cope with mental health distress. However, what factors of peer support lead to favorable psychosocial outcomes for individuals is less clear. Using a dataset of over 300K posts by ∼39K individuals on an online community TalkLife, we present a study to investigate the effect of several factors, such as adaptability, diversity, immediacy, and the nature of support. Unlike typical causal studies that focus on the effect of each treatment, we focus on the outcome and address the reverse causal question of identifying treatments that may have led to the outcome, drawing on case-control studies in epidemiology. Specifically, we define the outcome as an aggregate of affective, behavioral, and cognitive psychosocial change and identify Case (most improved) and Control (least improved) cohorts of individuals. Considering responses from peers as treatments, we evaluate the differences in the responses received by Case and Control, per matched clusters of similar individuals. We find that effective support includes complex language factors such as diversity, adaptability, and style, but simple indicators such as quantity and immediacy are not causally relevant. Our work bears methodological and design implications for online mental health platforms, and has the potential to guide suggestive interventions for peer supporters on these platforms.

scholarly journals Protective and Non-Protective Factors of Mental Health Distress in the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 1377
Author(s):  
Cristian Lieneck ◽  
Michele Bosworth ◽  
Eric Weaver ◽  
Katharine Heinemann ◽  
Janki Patel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Mental Health Concerns ◽  
Mental Health Distress ◽  
The U.S

Background and objectives: Health care organizations continue to respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic and an ongoing array of related mental health concerns. These pandemic-related challenges continue to be experienced by both the U.S. population and those abroad. Materials and methods: This systematic review queried three research databases to identify applicable studies related to protective and non-protective factors of mental health distress experienced during the pandemic within the United States. Results: Three primary factors were identified as protective factors, potentially helping to moderate the incidence of mental distress during the pandemic: demographics, personal support/self-care resources, and income/financial concerns. Researchers also identified these same three constructs of non-protective factors of mental health distress, as well as two additional variables: health/social status and general knowledge/government mistrust. Conclusions: This systematic review has identified protective and non-protective factors of mental health distress experienced in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic (to date) that can further assist medical providers in the U.S. and beyond as the pandemic and related mental health concerns continue at a global level.

scholarly journals Health and Mental Health Effects of Local Immigration Enforcement

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 970-1001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Shu-Huah Wang ◽  
Neeraj Kaushal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Task Force ◽  
The United States ◽  
Latino Immigrants ◽  
Immigrant Integration ◽  
Immigration Enforcement ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Secure Communities ◽  
Mental Health Distress

We study the effect of two local immigration enforcement policies — Section 287(g) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act and the Secure Communities Program (SC) — on the health and mental health outcomes of Latino immigrants living in the United States. We use the restricted-use National Health Interview Survey for 2000–2012 and adopt a difference-in-difference research design. Estimates suggest that SC increased the proportion of Latino immigrants with mental health distress by 2.2 percentage points (14.7%), Task Force Enforcement under Section 287(g) worsened their mental health distress scores by 15 percent (0.08 standard deviation), and Jail Enforcement under Section 287(g) increased the proportion of Latino immigrants reporting fair or poor health by 1 percentage point (11.1%) and lowered the proportion reporting very good or excellent health by 4.8 to 7.0 percentage points (7.8% to 10.9%). These findings are robust to various sensitivity checks and have long-term implications for population health, public health expenditure, and immigrant integration.

Filling the Emotional Gap at Transition: Young People with Learning Difficulties and Friendship

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 28-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Val Williams ◽  
Pauline Heslop
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Young People ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Short Course ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Mental Health Distress

Young people with learning disabilities frequently experience mental health support needs, especially at the transition stages as they move into adulthood. The Count Us In inquiry (Carpenter, 2002) suggested that the prevalence rate for mental health needs in young people with learning disabilities may be as high as 40%, four times as high as for young people in general. This paper reports on an action research study in Somerset which was funded by the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. The study followed young people and practitioners in adopting a largely social model of mental health distress. It focused on positive emotional support, and worked with young people themselves to find new ways of tackling these issues. Young people in the study said that the support they most valued was that gained through friendships. A small, self‐selecting group of students worked with the project, and they designed and piloted a short course about emotional support for other young people. The findings show that this was effective in helping the young people talk more freely about their feelings, and build their confidence and mutual trust. This article argues that, by developing their own self‐determination, young people with learning disabilities can build their resilience to emotional problems and take more control over their own lives.

scholarly journals O3E.5 Military veterans pathways to mental health support: the need for new solutions

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A31.2-A31
Author(s):  
Laura Rafferty ◽  
Sharon Stevelink ◽  
Neil Greenberg
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Treatment ◽  
Need For Treatment ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Mental Health Distress

Military service can place personnel at a greater risk of developing mental health issues yet both serving personnel and military veterans are reluctant to seek help for mental health issues. Delay in seeking support for mental health distress can result in reduced quality of life as well as a worse treatment prognosis. This research aims to explore the barriers and facilitators to care for the UK veteran population, identifying the relationship between these factors and help seeking behaviour.Sixty- two in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with male UK military veterans who had left the Armed Forces in the last five years and screened positive for a degree of mental health distress on self-report questionnaires covering common mental disorders (anxiety or depression), post-traumatic stress disorder or alcohol misuse. Thematic analysis was utilised to identify core themes which were developed into an illustrative journey to mental health support, outlining the key stages through which a veteran may travel on their journey to engaging in effective mental health treatment.Veterans’ decision to seek care was mainly concentrated on the perceived need for treatment. Those not in mental health treatment failed to identify problems they were having as being indicative of a ‘mental health disorder’ as they had not yet reached a crisis point where they could no longer cope. Those veterans who were in mental health treatment typically had reached a point where the severity of their condition meant that their need for treatment was highlighted regardless of their intention, either due to a crisis event or to another’s intervention.Interventions are needed to target early identification and management of mental health distress and encourage veterans to seek support before reaching a crisis event. The implications for this research to other high stress, masculine occupations will be explored within the talk.

Prevalence of Self-Reported Depression Symptoms and Perceived Anxiety Among Community-Dwelling U.S. Adults Reporting Tinnitus

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 959-970
Author(s):  
Kelly M. Reavis ◽  
James A. Henry ◽  
Lynn M. Marshall ◽  
Kathleen F. Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Mental Health Distress

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between tinnitus and self-reported mental health distress, namely, depression symptoms and perceived anxiety, in adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examinations Survey between 2009 and 2012. A secondary aim was to determine if a history of serving in the military modified the associations between tinnitus and mental health distress. Method This was a cross-sectional study design of a national data set that included 5,550 U.S. community-dwelling adults ages 20 years and older, 12.7% of whom were military Veterans. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between tinnitus and mental health distress. All measures were based on self-report. Tinnitus and perceived anxiety were each assessed using a single question. Depression symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire, a validated questionnaire. Multivariable regression models were adjusted for key demographic and health factors, including self-reported hearing ability. Results Prevalence of tinnitus was 15%. Compared to adults without tinnitus, adults with tinnitus had a 1.8-fold increase in depression symptoms and a 1.5-fold increase in perceived anxiety after adjusting for potential confounders. Military Veteran status did not modify these observed associations. Conclusions Findings revealed an association between tinnitus and both depression symptoms and perceived anxiety, independent of potential confounders, among both Veterans and non-Veterans. These results suggest, on a population level, that individuals with tinnitus have a greater burden of perceived mental health distress and may benefit from interdisciplinary health care, self-help, and community-based interventions. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12568475

Does Assessment Method Matter in Detecting Mental Health Distress among Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Israeli Women with Breast Cancer?

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-109
Author(s):  
Ora Nakash ◽  
Leeat Granek ◽  
Michal Cohen ◽  
Gil Bar-Sela ◽  
David Geffen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Structured Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Mental Health Distress

Abstract Authors examined differences in assessment method (structured diagnostic interview versus self-report questionnaire) between ethnic groups in the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders among women with breast cancer. A convenience sample of 88 Mizrahi (Jews of Middle Eastern/North African descent, n = 42) and Ashkenazi (Jews of European/American descent, n = 46) women with breast cancer from oncology units in three health centers across Israel participated in the study. Participants were within eight months of diagnosis. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and a structured diagnostic interview, the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Approximately one-third (31.8 percent, n = 28) of participants were diagnosed with at least one mood or anxiety disorder based on the MINI. Significantly more Mizrahi participants (42.9 percent) were diagnosed with at least one mood or anxiety disorder, compared with their Ashkenazi counterparts (21.7 percent). Mean score on HADS was below the optimal cutoff score (≥13) among all participants, with no significant difference in mean score for emotional distress based on HADS between the two ethnic groups. The findings highlight the role of measurement variance in assessing mental health distress among women with breast cancer in general and among ethnic and racial minorities in particular.

scholarly journals Exploring nurses’ experiences of psychological distress during care of patients with COVID-19: a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasrin Galehdar ◽  
Aziz Kamran ◽  
Tahereh Toulabi ◽  
Heshmatolah Heydari
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Phone Call ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Purposeful Sampling ◽  
Content Analysis Method ◽  
The Family ◽  
Mental Health Distress ◽  
Delivering Bad News

Abstract Background COVID-19 infection is a new disease that infects a large number of people, killing a ratio of whom every day in the world. Healthcare staff, especially nurses, experience a great deal of psychological distress during care of COVID-19 patients. Detecting factors that disturb nurses’ mental health during care of these patients can help to reduce their psychological distress. Therefore, this study aimed to explore nurses’ experiences of psychological distress during care of patients with COVID-19. Methods The present qualitative research was performed using the conventional content analysis method in Iran from March to May 2020. Participants in this study included the nurses caring for patients with COVID-19, and they were selected based on the purposeful sampling method. The data was collected through 20 phone call interviews and analyzed based on the method proposed by Lundman and Graneheim. Results Qualitative data analysis revealed 11 categories including death anxiety, anxiety due to the nature of the disease, anxiety caused by corpse burial, fear of infecting the family, distress about time wasting, emotional distress of delivering bad news, fear of being contaminated, the emergence of obsessive thoughts, the bad feeling of wearing personal protective equipment, conflict between fear and conscience, and the public ignorance of preventive measures. Conclusion The data showed that the nurses experienced a variety of psychological distress during care of patients with COVID-19. Through proper planning by authorities, it is possible to manage the risk factors of mental health distress in nurses and improve their mental health status.

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