Evaluation of Lebanon’s National Helpline for Emotional Support and Suicide Prevention: Reduction of Emotional Distress among Callers

Intervention ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
PiaA Zeinoun ◽  
FarahE Yehia ◽  
LilaZ Khederlarian ◽  
SereneF Yordi ◽  
MiaM Atoui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Emotional Support

scholarly journals THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION NATIONAL HELPLINE: EFFECTS ON FAMILY CAREGIVERS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S217-S217
Author(s):  
Nancy Hodgson ◽  
Darina V Petrovsky ◽  
Beth Kallmyer ◽  
Joanne Pike ◽  
Sam Fazio
Keyword(s):  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Master's Level ◽  
Limited Access ◽  
Core Content ◽  
Free Resource ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Family caregivers of persons with dementia experience high rates of social isolation and limited access to emotional support. The Alzheimer’s Association National Helpline is an accessible and free resource available 24 hours/day, 365 days/year in which master’s-level clinicians offer confidential emotional support and information on resources in the form of “action steps.” We evaluated the preliminary effectiveness of the Helpline for family caregivers of persons with dementia. Between January and October 2018, 185 non-crisis, caregiver calls to the Helpline were assessed at the time of call, one week, and 1 month post-call for effects on caregivers’ self-reported emotional distress, ability to manage anxiety, implement plan of action and access of services. The mean age of callers was 56 years; 22% were non white; 79% were women. Callers reported significantly (p <.05) improved caregiver emotional distress (27% net improvement) and ability to manage anxiety (29% net improvement). At one week, 70% of callers had put action steps in place, and by 1 month 80% of callers had put action steps into place. Over 80% of callers reported action steps were “helpful” and 65% reported that they had accessed additional dementia support services. This study suggests that support provided via the Alzheimer’s Association National Helpline is effective at reducing caregiver emotional distress and improving the ability of callers to “take action”. The results provide support for a larger study investigating caller characteristics and core content of the calls that provided sustained benefit to standardize the key elements of Helpline calls.

scholarly journals Callers’ Experiences of Contacting a National Suicide Prevention Helpline

Crisis ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 313-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Coveney ◽  
Kristian Pollock ◽  
Sarah Armstrong ◽  
John Moore
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Care ◽  
The Self ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Significant Phenomenon

Background: Helplines are a significant phenomenon in the mixed economy of health and social care. Given the often anonymous and fleeting nature of caller contact, it is difficult to obtain data about their impact and how users perceive their value. This paper reports findings from an online survey of callers contacting Samaritans emotional support services. Aims: To explore the (self-reported) characteristics of callers using a national suicide prevention helpline and their reasons given for contacting the service, and to present the users’ evaluations of the service they received. Methods: Online survey of a self-selected sample of callers. Results: 1,309 responses were received between May 2008 and May 2009. There were high incidences of expressed suicidality and mental health issues. Regular and ongoing use of the service was common. Respondents used the service for complex and varied reasons and often as part of a network of support. Conclusions: Respondents reported high levels of satisfaction with the service and perceived contact to be helpful. Although Samaritans aims to provide a crisis service, many callers do not access this in isolation or as a last resort, instead contacting the organization selectively and often in tandem with other types of support.

535 Associations between Multiple Stressors (Including Racism) and Sleep Health among Young African-American Women

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A211-A211
Author(s):  
Chandra Jackson ◽  
Frankie LaPorte ◽  
Symielle Gaston ◽  
Anissa Vines ◽  
John McGrath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Multiple Stressors ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
American Women

Abstract Introduction Stress contributes to poor sleep, and both are associated with adverse mental and physical health outcomes. African-American women are disproportionately burdened by multiple forms of stress as well as poor sleep, but few studies have investigated the stressor-sleep relationship in this population. Methods We investigated associations between multiple measures of both stressors and sleep among African American women participating in the Study of Environment, Lifestyle and Fibroids. Using principal components analysis, we summarized 43 items ascertaining self-reported stressors (e.g., racism) and potential mitigators (e.g., resilience). Components were extracted and factor scores generated. Self-reported sleep included short (<7 hours) versus recommended (7–9 hours) sleep, waking unrested 4+ days/week, and insomnia symptoms (>4 nights per month). Adjusting for demographics, health behaviors, and body mass index, we used Poisson regression with robust variance to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) for each factor score dichotomized at the median. Results Among 1,672 women, mean age was 29.2 ± 3.4 years and 45% had a household income <$20,000. We extracted 9 stress factors accounting for 57% of the variance across the 43 items. In order of contribution to explaining the variance, stress factors included emotional distress (e.g., frequency of anger suppression and rumination); racism; social/emotional support; financial strain; medical/crime/family problems; faith/spirituality; resilience; job/home changes; and intimate partner changes/problems. Emotional distress (PR=1.52 [1.35–1.72]), racism (PR=1.28 [1.13, 1.44]), and financial strain (PR=1.14 [1.01–1.29]) were associated with insomnia symptoms. Emotional distress was also related to waking unrested (PR=1.36 [1.26–1.47]) while social/emotional support (PR=0.85 [0.79–0.92]) and resilience (PR=0.88 [0.82–0.95]) were protective. Short sleep was associated with a higher prevalence of emotional distress (PR=1.15 [1.06–1.25]) as well as medical/crime/family problems (PR=1.21 [1.03–1.42]); however, there was a protective association between resilience and short sleep (PR=0.88 [0.82–0.96]). Conclusion Multiple stressors were associated with sleep disturbances, but social/emotional support and resilience were associated with more favorable sleep. Support (if any):

The effects of principals’ communication practices on teachers’ emotional distress

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 642-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izhak Berkovich ◽  
Ori Eyal
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Supportive Communication ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Emotional Change ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
Empathic Listening ◽  
Communication Practices

Educational leadership plays a significant role in school success, through its effects on teachers’ emotions, attitudes, and behaviours. However, the knowledge of how school leaders influence teachers’ emotions is very limited. Most existing evidence focuses on general explanations that are not the result of controlled research designs, which is why we lack solid operative knowledge on principals’ emotional support of teachers in emotional distress. The present study seeks to address this lacuna. Our approach focuses on interpersonal communication, aimed at expanding the operative knowledge about emotionally supportive communication in principal–teacher relations. The study is based on the experimental vignette method, which makes it possible to infer causality. The data were collected using a sample of 113 primary school teachers. The study found that principals’ empathic listening is associated with greater attributed emotional reframing (i.e. positive emotional change), irrespective of the message that principals communicate; however, it is only the presence of a reframing message, whether empowering or normalising, that influences the actual reframing of negative affect.

scholarly journals A survey of United Kingdom (UK) Bisexuals' experiences of emotional distress support

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant Denkinson
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Human Sexuality ◽  
Multiple Services ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Area Of Concern ◽  
The Right ◽  
Underlying Pathology ◽  
Multiple Episodes

As a psychotherapist and bisexual I was concerned after reading studies showing bisexuals have worse wellbeing than others and hearing multiple anecdotes from bisexuals about poor support from mental health or counselling services.I organised a number of gatherings to collect UK bisexuals' experiences of emotional distress support and clustered the results.Participants wanted good therapeutic experiences and sometimes found tolerant therapists who would be with them on a sometimes confusing or distressing journey of self-understanding and acceptance. Some valued therapists who were able to work with people who could not label their sexuality.Some experiences with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) services or therapists were positive, others were not.Bisexual clients may see multiple services over multiple episodes prompting confidentiality concerns, inappropriate psychiatric referrals, fatigue from needing to explain our sexuality multiple times and a lottery of whether a supplied therapist will be bi-friendly.Many participants had their bisexuality treated as pathological, as a symptom of underlying pathology or as the cause of their problems. Therapists seemed overly fixated on looking for a cause for a client's bisexuality.Therapist ignorance was often mentioned: Disclosing that they had never worked with a bi person, using an overly simplistic coming out model from straight to gay, being unaware of biphobia as a source of stress and incorrectly assuming all LGBT groups would welcome bisexuals.Many bisexuals reported therapists focussing on sexuality rather than the client's chosen area of concern, sometimes showing excessive interest in a client's sexual activity. Alternatively, some therapists avoided the issue. Some challenged a client to justify or prove their bisexuality in ways that clients thought would not have happened for lesbian, gay or heterosexual clients.Some reported experiences were gendered and/or sexist with women / women relationships being treated less seriously, bisexuality sometimes being seen as a defense and assumptions that all abuse was of women by men.Some respondents raised important intersectional issues around madness, race, class, religion, age and political climate.Some participants were also in education to provide emotional support professionally and reported a lack of course and tutor time, knowledge and interest on sexuality in general and challenges in being openly bi as a learner.While being aware of psychological dynamics affecting reports of therapy, a number of issues were commonly reported and I recommend should be addressed: Bisexuality is not an illness or logically connected with pathology. Bisexual clients should be listened to carefully and therapists should educate themselves outside of the clinic about the complexity and diversity of human sexuality. Therapists should process their own confusion or assumptions around sexuality in order to be in the right place to accompany clients on their journeys. More bisexual visibility is likely to be helpful.

Family, Health, and Poverty Factors Impacting Suicide Attempts in Cambodian Women

Crisis ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-145
Author(s):  
Desiree M. Seponski ◽  
Charity M. Somo ◽  
Sovandara Kao ◽  
Cindy J. Lahar ◽  
Sareth Khann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Suicide Attempt ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Life Saving ◽  
Study Results

Abstract. Background: Our recent report demonstrates that 5.5% of Cambodian women have previously attempted suicide. Despite these high rates and critical need for intervention, research on suicide attempts in Cambodia is lacking, and life-saving information on suicide prevention is therefore unknown. Aims: This study explores factors impacting Cambodian women suicide attempts. Method: A total of 1,801 women participated in the large national survey during which 100 of these women (5.5%) reported at least one suicide attempt. Of the 100 participants 76 provided qualitative reasons for the suicide attempts. Only the 76 who provided the reasons for suicide attempt were included for analysis in this study. Results: Four major themes emerged: (1) family conflict, (2) emotional distress, (3) poverty, and (4) illness. Family conflict, emotional distress, poverty, and illness were all interrelated with each other; for example, women without money were unable to pay for treatment of otherwise treatable illnesses. Limitations: Owing to the nature of the data collection, member checking could not be conducted. Conclusion: Cumulative and intertwined personal, interpersonal, and contextual-level factors impacting suicide attempts included emotional distress, illness, family conflict, and poverty. Findings highlight points of intervention at individual, familial, and contextual levels to prevent suicide.

scholarly journals Guidelines for Psychological Assistance to Chronically Ill Children and Their Parents

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.S. Buslayeva ◽  
A.L. Venger ◽  
S.B. Lazurenko
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Rheumatic Disorder ◽  
Chronically Ill Children ◽  
Psychological Assistance ◽  
Psychological Features

This study explored psychological features in 33 children aged 8—17 years suffering from rheumatic disorder and in their mothers. 11 children were in the emergency department, 22 in the department of rheumatology. The following methods were used: observation, conversation, the Draw-a-Person and Three Wishes tests, the Dembo-Rubinstein self-esteem scales, and the Parent’s Essay technique. According to the level of their mental activity the children were divided into 4 groups: ‘inactive’, ‘passive’, ‘relatively active’ and ‘active’. Working with the ‘inactive’ children was impossible; the main task was to help their mothers cope with emotional distress. The ‘passive’ children received emotional support and were taught how to understand and express their needs; their parents were taught how to communicate with the child in various ways. Working with the ‘relatively active’ children and their parents had the aim of reestablish- ing productive interactions between them. Working with the ‘active’ children consisted of supporting their self-esteem, self-respect and interests; their parents were taught to better understand age-specific and indi- vidual psychological features of the child and to take into account limitations caused by the illness.

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