scholarly journals Work Hard, Party Hard: Harm Reduction in a Postsecondary Setting

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Victoria Ford ◽  
Alyssa Wooster ◽  
Mary Bartram
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Psychological Safety ◽  
Student Leaders ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

In the context of the increasing focus on harms, psychological safety, and mental health in post-secondary settings, this qualitative study explores the challenges and opportunities for harm reduction through focus groups with student leaders, service providers, and administrators in one large Canadian university. Key themes explored by participants include a pervasive work hard, party culture, clashes regarding how to define and operationalize harm reduction, broad approaches to harm reduction in tension with the risk of becoming a band-aid solution, and knowledge transfer and privilege in an academic context. These findings suggest possible avenues for harm reduction that could be implemented as part of the new post-secondary standard, as well as in society as a whole.

Perceived Facilitators and Barriers to Implementation of a Decision Support Tool for Adolescent Depression and Suicidality Screening: A Qualitative Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Radovic ◽  
Nathan Anderson ◽  
Megan Hamm ◽  
Brandie George-Milford ◽  
Carrie Fascetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Depression Screening ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Adolescent Parent ◽  
Barriers To Implementation

BACKGROUND Screening Wizard (SW) is a technology-based decision support tool aimed at guiding primary care providers (PCPs) to respond to depression and suicidality screens in adolescents. Separate screens assess adolescents’ and parents’ reports on mental health symptoms, treatment preferences, and potential treatment barriers. A detailed summary is provided to PCPs, also identifying adolescent-parent discrepancies. The goal of SW is to enhance decision making to increase utilization of evidence-based treatments. OBJECTIVE We describe a multi-stakeholder qualitative study with adolescents, parents, and providers to understand potential barriers to implementation of SW. METHODS We interviewed 11 parents and 11 adolescents, and conducted 2 focus groups with 17 healthcare providers (PCPs, nurses, therapists, staff) across 2 pediatric practices. Participants described previous experiences with screening for depression and were shown a mock-up of SW and asked for feedback. Interviews and focus groups were transcribed verbatim, and codebooks inductively developed based on content. Transcripts were double-coded, and disagreements adjudicated to full agreement. Completed coding was used to produce thematic analyses of interviews and focus groups. RESULTS We identified five main themes across the interviews and focus groups: (1) parents, adolescents, and pediatric PCPs agree that depression screening should occur in pediatric primary care; (2) there is concern that accurate self-disclosure does not always occur during depression screening; (3) Screening Wizard is viewed as a tool that could facilitate depression screening, and which might encourage more honesty in screening responses; (4) parents, adolescents and providers do not want Screening Wizard to replace mental health discussions with providers; and (5) providers want to maintain autonomy in treatment decisions. CONCLUSIONS We identified that providers, parents, and adolescents all have concerns with current screening practices, mainly regarding inaccurate self-disclosure. They recognized value in SW as a computerized tool that may elicit more honest responses and identify adolescent-parent discrepancies. Surprisingly, providers did not want the SW report to include treatment recommendations, and all groups did not want the SW report to replace conversations with the PCP about depression. While SW was originally developed as a treatment decision algorithm, this qualitative study has led us to remove this component, and instead focus on aspects identified as most useful by all groups. We hope that this initial qualitative work will improve future implementation of SW.

scholarly journals Primary care teams’ experiences of delivering mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachelle Ashcroft ◽  
Catherine Donnelly ◽  
Maya Dancey ◽  
Sandeep Gill ◽  
Simon Lam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Virtual Care ◽  
Primary Care Teams ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Integrated primary care teams are ideally positioned to support the mental health care needs arising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding how COVID-19 has affected mental health care delivery within primary care settings will be critical to inform future policy and practice decisions during the later phases of the pandemic and beyond. The objective of our study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary care teams’ delivery of mental health care. Methods A qualitative study using focus groups conducted with primary care teams in Ontario, Canada. Focus group data was analysed using thematic analysis. Results We conducted 11 focus groups with 10 primary care teams and a total of 48 participants. With respect to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health care in primary care teams, we identified three key themes: i) the high demand for mental health care, ii) the rapid transformation to virtual care, and iii) the impact on providers. Conclusions From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, primary care quickly responded to the rising mental health care demands of their patients. Despite the numerous challenges they faced with the rapid transition to virtual care, primary care teams have persevered. It is essential that policy and decision-makers take note of the toll that these demands have placed on providers. There is an immediate need to enhance primary care’s capacity for mental health care for the duration of the pandemic and beyond.

scholarly journals Mental health promotion competencies in the health sector in Finland: a qualitative study of the views of professionals

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-120
Author(s):  
Nina Tamminen ◽  
Pia Solin ◽  
Eija Stengård ◽  
Lasse Kannas ◽  
Tarja Kettunen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Mental Health Promotion ◽  
Personal Attitudes

Aims: In this study, we aimed to investigate what competencies are needed for mental health promotion in health sector practice in Finland. Methods: A qualitative study was carried out to seek the views of mental health professionals regarding mental health promotion-related competencies. The data were collected via two focus groups and a questionnaire survey of professionals working in the health sector in Finland. The focus groups consisted of a total of 13 professionals. Further, 20 questionnaires were received from the questionnaire survey. The data were analysed using the qualitative data analysis software ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin. A content analysis was carried out. Results: In total, 23 competencies were identified and clustered under the categories of theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and personal attitudes and values. In order to promote mental health, it is necessary to have a knowledge of the principles and concepts of mental health promotion, including methods and tools for effective practices. Furthermore, a variety of skills-based competencies such as communication and collaboration skills were described. Personal attitudes and values included a holistic approach and respect for human rights, among others. Conclusions: The study provides new information on what competencies are needed to plan, implement and evaluate mental health promotion in health sector practice, with the aim of contributing to a more effective workforce. The competencies provide aid in planning training programmes and qualifications, as well as job descriptions and roles in health sector workplaces related to mental health promotion.

Enhancing Successful Employment Outcomes for People with a Psychiatric Disability

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-64
Author(s):  
Maxie Ashton ◽  
Josephine Dowsett
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Psychiatric Disability ◽  
Rehabilitation Services ◽  
Important Goal ◽  
Rehabilitation Process ◽  
Successful Employment

Work, for most people with psychiatric disability, is their most important goal and yet they often have more difficulty getting work and maintaining work than other disability groups. Six focus groups were held with consumers of mental health services to explore the reason for this and identify what rehabilitation services should do about this problem. The groups recommended many strategies which have been divided by the authors into three rehabilitation phases. Three check lists have been developed to assist service providers address the range of needs with consumers during the rehabilitation process and to identify service gaps.

Engaging persons with dementia in advance care planning: Challenges and opportunities

Dementia ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 147130122097305
Author(s):  
Tamara Sussman ◽  
Rebecca Pimienta ◽  
April Hayward
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Reflective Process ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Future Care ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
Positive Engagement

This study reports findings from a series of focus groups with persons with dementia and family caregivers intended to explore: (1) perceptions of and experiences with advance care planning (ACP); (2) concerns related to future care including, but not limited to, end-of-life care; and (3) practices that may support positive engagement with ACP. A total of 18 participants including 10 persons with dementia and eight family caregivers participated in five focus groups held in two urban cities in Canada. All focus group deliberations were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed in five stages using a semantic thematic approach. All participants expressed some form of engagement in ACP, but understandings were limited and divergence was expressed regarding the timing of more expansive conversations about future care. Although some persons with dementia were ready to engage in future care discussions, most preferred focusing on the present and suggested their families did not require direction. This placed families in the complex dilemma of protecting their loved ones while compromising their own needs for dialogue. Although individually focused models of ACP engagement hold promise for those persons with dementia ready to engage in future planning, our findings suggest that early engagement of families in the reflective process may go a long way in supporting ACP activation. Our findings further suggest that persons with dementia who do not have close family/friends may require extensive ACP encouragement and support from service providers.

scholarly journals Promoting the Mental Health of University Students in China: Protocol for Contextual Assessment to Inform Intervention Design and Adaptation (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine Pui-Hing Wong ◽  
Cun-Xian Jia ◽  
Mandana Vahabi ◽  
Jenny Jing Wen Liu ◽  
Alan Tai-Wai Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
University Students ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mental Illness Stigma ◽  
Contextual Assessment ◽  
Mental Health Knowledge

BACKGROUND Chinese students are extremely vulnerable to developing mental illness. The stigma associated with mental illness presents a barrier to seeking help for their mental health. OBJECTIVE The <i>Linking Hearts—Linking Youth and ‘Xin’ (hearts)</i> project is an implementation science project that seeks to reduce mental illness stigma and promote the mental health of university students in Jinan, China. The Linking Hearts project consists of 3 components. In this paper, we outline the protocol for the first component, that is, the contextual assessment and analysis of the mental health needs of university students as the first step to inform the adaptation of an evidence-based intervention to be implemented in Jinan, China. METHODS Six local universities will participate in the Linking Hearts project. A total of 100 students from each university (n=600) will engage in the contextual assessment through self-report surveys on depression, anxiety, stress, mental health knowledge, and mental health stigma. Quantitative data will be analyzed using several descriptive and inferential analyses via SPSS. A small number of participants (144 students and 144 service providers) will also be engaged in focus groups to assess the socio-environmental contexts of university students’ health and availability of mental health resources. Qualitative data will be transcribed verbatim and NVivo will be used for data management. Social network analysis will also be performed using EgoNet. RESULTS Linking Hearts was funded in January 2018 for 5 years. The protocol of Linking Hearts and its 3 components was approved by the research ethics boards of all participating institutions in China in November 2018. Canadian institutions that gave approval were Ryerson University (REB2018-455) in January 2019, University of Alberta (Pro00089364), York University (e2019-162) in May 2019, and University of Toronto (RIS37724) in August 2019. Data collection took place upon ethics approval and was completed in January 2020. A total of 600 students were surveyed. An additional 147 students and 138 service providers took part in focus groups. Data analysis is ongoing. Results will be published in 2021. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this contextual assessment and analysis will generate new knowledge on university students’ mental health status, mental health knowledge, and resources available for them. These findings will be used to adapt and refine the <i>Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment-Linking Youth N’ Xin</i> intervention model. The results of this contextual assessment will be used to inform the adaptation and refinement of the mental health intervention to promote the mental health of Chinese university students in Jinan. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/25009

scholarly journals ‘Asking for help’: a qualitative interview study exploring the experiences of interpersonal counselling (IPC) compared to low-intensity cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for women with depression during pregnancy

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Ingram ◽  
Debbie Johnson ◽  
Heather A. O’Mahen ◽  
Roslyn Law ◽  
Iryna Culpin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
In Pregnancy

Abstract Background Treating depression early in pregnancy can improve health outcomes for women and their children. Current low-intensity psychological therapy for perinatal depression is a supported self-help approach informed by cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) principles. Interpersonal counselling (IPC) may be a more appropriate low-intensity talking therapy for addressing the problems experienced by pregnant women with depression. A randomised feasibility trial (ADAGIO) has compared the acceptability of offering IPC for mild-moderate antenatal depression in routine NHS services compared to low-intensity CBT. This paper reports on a nested qualitative study which explored women’s views and expectations of therapy, experiences of receiving IPC, and Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs - junior mental health workers) views of delivering the low-intensity therapy. Methods A qualitative study design using in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Thirty-two pregnant women received talking therapy within the ADAGIO trial; 19 contributed to the interview study from July 2019 to January 2020; 12 who had IPC and seven who had CBT. All six PWPs trained in IPC took part in a focus group or interview. Interviews and focus groups were recorded, transcribed, anonymised, and analysed using thematic methods. Results Pregnant women welcomed being asked about their mental health in pregnancy and having the chance to have support in accessing therapy. The IPC approach helped women to identify triggers for depression and explored relationships using strategies such as ‘promoting self-awareness through mood timelines’, ‘identifying their circles of support’, ‘developing communication skills and reciprocity in relationships’, and ‘asking for help’. PWPs compared how IPC differed from their prior experiences of delivering low-intensity CBT. They reported that IPC included a useful additional emotional component which was relevant to the perinatal period. Conclusions Identifying and treating depression in pregnancy is important for the future health of both mother and child. Low-intensity perinatal-specific talking therapies delivered by psychological wellbeing practitioners in routine NHS primary care services in England are acceptable to pregnant women with mild-moderate depression. The strategies used in IPC to manage depression, including identifying triggers for low mood, and communicating the need for help, may be particularly appropriate for the perinatal period. Trial registration ISRCTN 11513120. 02/05/2019.

scholarly journals Physical activity in paid work time for desk-based employees: a qualitative study of employers’ and employees’ perspectives

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma Ryde ◽  
Patricia Atkinson ◽  
Martine Stead ◽  
Trish Gorely ◽  
Josie Evans
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Work Time ◽  
High Workload

Abstract Background: Poor physical and mental health of employees create significant problems in the workplace. Physical activity (PA) has been shown as an effective strategy for preventing and treating numerous physical and mental health issues as well as work performance outcomes. However, there are many barriers to taking part in PA (such as lack of time) with participation rates typically low. Providing PA in paid work time might be a way to overcome these issues, yet employers’ and employees’ opinions of this concept are unknown. The aim of this study was to explore employee and employer perspectives of PA in paid work time. Methods: Workplaces were recruited through existing contacts on the research team. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with employees and managers at one University and two executive non-departmental public bodies in central Scotland with mainly desk-based employees. Both managers and employees were involved to gain perspectives throughout the organisational hierarchy and were interviewed separately to reduce social desirably bias. All discussions were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed thematically for both managers and employees but due to significant overlap in themes between the groups, these are reported together in the results.Results: Three out of five organisations approached took part in this qualitative study. Two individual interviews were held with strategic managers, five focus groups with middle managers (n=16) and nine with employees (n=45). Benefits were anticipated by managers and employees for both employees themselves and the organisation and included improved mental health, productivity and more favourable perceptions of the employer. Despite these widely acknowledged benefits, significant barriers were identified and included the structure and nature of the working day (high workload, front line job requirements), workplace culture and norms (resentment from colleagues, no break culture) and organisational concerns (cost of lost time, public perceptions). Conclusion: This study suggests that there are significant barriers to PA in paid work time. Whilst numerous anticipated benefits were conveyed by both employees and managers, PA in paid work time is unlikely to become common place until changes in attitudes and the culture towards movement at work occur.

scholarly journals Syrian Crisis in Jordan: Case Study of Hosting Community Psycho-social in Low Income areas in Amman

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 171
Author(s):  
Manal Fathi Anabtawi
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Syrian Crisis ◽  
Syrian Refugee

This paper explores the influence that the Syrian crisis has on hosting community psycho-social in low income areas in Amman, Capital of Jordan. Case study was chosen as a design that would support a wider and in-depth exploration because it would be able to address the sensitivity of the issue; based on data from a qualitative study involving ten focus groups conducted from July to October 2017. Available reports and researches have investigated Syrian refugee needs and experiences, while few studies have explored the experiences of Jordanians in a hosting community, especially their psycho-social. In this paper, researcher argues that policy makers and service providers have to pay attention to hosting community experiences; especially their psycho-social. Paper concludes that Jordanians living in low income areas in Amman have been influenced by the Syrian crisis; suffering from  frustration and despair, fears, anger, low self-esteem and hopelessness.

scholarly journals Globalisation and psychiatry

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 464-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan D. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Training Policy ◽  
Positive Engagement ◽  
The Relationship

Globalisation means crossing borders. It is a complex, large-scale social phenomenon that presents to mental health services both challenges and opportunities. These relate to the increased cultural diversity of service users and service providers; the effects of migration on mental health; and the implementation of international protocols in relation to training, policy and education. In the aftermath of 11 September 2001 in the USA, the relationship between large-scale social change and mental health has also focused attention on the concepts of anomie and social capital. An explicit return to the principles of biopsychosocial psychiatry and a positive engagement with globalisation will advance the development of effective, evidence-based models of care appropriate to the changing needs of patients.

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