scholarly journals Advancing Behavioral Health Literacy

Author(s):  
James Scollione

Accessing, comprehending, and using information to make informed decisions and improve one’s overall health or well-being are the foci of health literacy. The concept of behavioral health was introduced in the early 1980s and, since then, it has influenced new ideas (e.g., behavioral health literacy and integrated behavioral health care) and gained research and public attention. My aim is to provide an overview of definitions (i.e., health literacy, mental health literacy, and behavioral health literacy) and their connection to each other. I propose an expanded and honed definition of behavioral health literacy to enhance the behavioral health literacy and well-being of the individual as well as the community, with the hope of reducing both physical and behavioral negative health conditions and improving overall quality of life for all people.

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 697-715
Author(s):  
Justine Virlée ◽  
Allard C.R. van Riel ◽  
Wafa Hammedi

Purpose This study aims to develop a better understanding of how online health community (OHC) members with different health literacy (HL) levels benefit from their participation, through the analysis and comparison of their resource integration (RI) processes. It investigates through a RI lens how the vulnerability of community members – captured as their level of HL – affects the benefits they derive from participation. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to investigate the effects of healthcare service users’ vulnerability. Data were collected about their profiles and levels of HL. Furthermore, 15 in-depth interviews were conducted. Findings The study demonstrates how low levels of HL act as a barrier to the integration of available online health resources. Participation in OHCs appears less beneficial for vulnerable users. Three types of benefits were identified at the individual level, namely, psychological quality-of-life, physical quality-of-life and learning. Benefits identified at the community level were: content generation and participation in the development of the community. Originality/value This study has implications for the understanding of how service users’ activities affect their own outcomes and how the vulnerability of users could be anticipated and considered in the design of the community.


2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 105-120
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Bulatovic

The concept of well being has become the main criterion to assess quality of life in contemporary society. Individual well-being describes the individual quality of life, while social well-being refers to quality of life in a society. Given that well-being has a multitude of dimensions, a unique definition of it is elusive to scholars. In this article social well-being is conceptualised as a dynamic process within the context set by social integration as one?s relationship to society and the community. This includes the quality of interaction between the individual and society and one?s ?social actualisation? understood as the realisation of one?s social capacities. Social actualisation also involves one?s ability to influence social processes and to benefit from social cohesion, which consists, in any society, of the quality, organisation and functioning of the social world. Hence the ability to impact society is an integral part of individual well being. This paper suggests that philosophical practice as a new paradigm in the humanities holds out promise for the improvement of both individual and social well-being.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Mohamed Osman ◽  
Nur Farhanah Rosli ◽  
Noor Suzilawati Rabe

The definition of quality of life is varied. Different individuals may perceive the quality of life in a different form of other individuals. Over more than four decades, Malaysia has made remarkable achievements regarding its economic growth as well as its socio-economic development. Numerous factors have been identified that may influence the quality of life of the people according to their personal preferences. This article assessed the perception of 100 respondent's lives in two major cities in Malaysia namely Johor Bharu and Petaling. These cities are also the major district in Johor Darul Takzim and Selangor Darul Ehsan. These study also would be focusing on the economic well-being of the individual. The economic individual is economic capacity, transportation, living condition and educational satisfaction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Mohamed Osman ◽  
Nur Farhanah Rosli ◽  
Noor Suzilawati Rabe

The definition of quality of life is varied. Different individuals may perceive the quality of life in a different form of other individuals. Over more than four decades, Malaysia has made remarkable achievements regarding its economic growth as well as its socio-economic development. Numerous factors have been identified that may influence the quality of life of the people according to their personal preferences. This article assessed the perception of 100 respondent's lives in two major cities in Malaysia namely Johor Bharu and Petaling. These cities are also the major district in Johor Darul Takzim and Selangor Darul Ehsan. These study also would be focusing on the economic well-being of the individual. The economic individual is economic capacity, transportation, living condition and educational satisfaction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
F Samkange-Zeeb ◽  
H Singh ◽  
M Lakeberg ◽  
J Kolschen ◽  
B Schüz ◽  
...  

Abstract   Disadvantaged populations, including unemployed adults, often exhibit low levels of health literacy. Exploring subjectively perceived health literacy needs in these populations can serve as an entry point for participatory intervention development. We aimed to assess health literacy needs of unemployed adults by triangulating qualitative interviews data and a scoping review. Using a parallel approach, we combined results of an interview study with 10 participants of a job-reintegration program in Germany and a scoping review. The interviews, conducted in early 2021, focused on health topics of interest to the participants and their sources of health-related information. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. For the scoping review, we searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo and SCOPUS up to January 2021 for studies containing “unemployed” AND “health literacy” in titles/abstracts. Study selection and data extraction were done independently by two researchers. Nutrition and physical activity emerged as core themes during the interviews, with some participants referring to the importance of both for mental health. Doctors and the institution running the job-reintegration program were the sources of health-related information often mentioned. The Corona pandemic was reported to have limited physical activity and affected psycho-social well-being. Five out of 2696 studies were included in the review. Four focused on mental health literacy, the fifth assessed information seeking practices in unemployed adults. The qualitative analysis revealed that health literacy needs of unemployed adults go beyond mental health literacy. As nutrition and physical activity impact mental health, interventions targeting such topics might also improve mental health literacy in unemployed adults. Study findings will be discussed with unemployed persons and social workers in co-production workshops that aim to identify and prioritize health literacy needs for intervention development. Key messages Health literacy programs for unemployed adults should target nutrition and physical activity. Workforce re-integration programs play a pivotal role in improving health literacy of unemployed adults.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany Anne Beks ◽  
Sharon L Cairns ◽  
Serena Smygwaty ◽  
Olga A.L. Miranda Osorio ◽  
Sheldon J Hill

Many universities have implemented campus-based initiatives addressing students’ mental health with the goal of promoting well-being. One such initiative is the newly developed Counsellor-in-Residence (CIR) program at the University of Calgary, which targets students’ mental health by providing residence-based counselling services and mental health programming. In this process evaluation, students completed three waves of data collection conducted over the academic year. Each wave measured students’ mental health literacy, using the Mental Health Literacy Scale (O’Connor & Casey, 2015), and resiliency, using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-25 (Connor & Davidson, 2003). Males reported lower mental health literacy than females (p < .001), and international students reported lower mental health literacy than domestic students (p < .001). No differences in resilience levels were found between groups. These findings suggest that male and international students experience additional barriers to accessing campus-based mental health services. Implications for residence-based mental health programming that target male and international students are discussed.  


Author(s):  
Svitlana Kalishchuk

The paper raises the issue of exacerbation of psychological problems caused by the political and economic environment, which creates a general social tension and becomes a background that exacerbates the existential problems of the individual. That's why author emphasizes on a particular need for the development of therapeutic direction and a detailed and well-grounded development of therapeutic concepts. It creates ways of an effective solve of current problems of psychological health and well-being of the person. The article explained the conceptual provisions of the establishment, operation and therapeutic work with the symptom. The main characteristics, structure and overall symptom phenomenological expanse from the standpoint of the existential approach of the theory of system solutions and system modeling. Psychological functions of a symptom are considered. Issues of operationalization of a symptom and definition of conceptual provisions of its formation are solved . Basic rules of interpretation of a symptom and interpretation of the concept are described in terms of several approaches. The conceptual provisions of symptom formation that allow to include it in psycho-corrective methods are considered in detail. The methods of the existential-systemic technological approach for providing psychological assistance to the client are analyzed and empirically tested, providing dynamic changes in the content of the "picture of the world" of clients in the cognitive and ontological plans. According to the empirical study, psychosomatic, emotional and behavioral symptoms were presented. It has been shown that symptoms with different specificities have unchanging constituents and functions. It also has been shown that applying an existential approach helps the symptomatic client to produce a new, better reality that will take into account the actual needs and aspirations of the subject. Thus, the main task, which is directed and work with the symptom – is the person's approach to himself/herself, greater sensitivity to his own real existential aspirations.


Author(s):  
Shakiba Oftadeh-Moghadam ◽  
Paul Gorczynski

Within rugby, a plethora of research has focused on male rugby players, with some recent attention being directed to examining their mental health. Such attention has not been evident for their female rugby counterparts. The aims of this study were to ascertain levels of mental health literacy (MHL) and explore demographic differences in United Kingdom semielite rugby players who identified as women, and examine whether MHL is associated with better mental health outcomes and general help-seeking intentions. In total, 208 semielite women rugby players completed an online multisection questionnaire measuring MHL, general help-seeking intentions, distress, and well-being. Overall, most players scored a low rating of well-being; however, those who indicated a previous mental health problem exhibited significantly higher levels of MHL. Players were more likely to display general help-seeking intentions toward an intimate partner or a friend than a health care professional. High levels of distress were reported in 64.4% of players, particularly those who had been previously medically diagnosed with a mental disorder and bisexual rugby players. MHL was significantly, positively correlated with general help-seeking intentions, but not significantly correlated with distress or well-being. This study is the first to examine MHL in women rugby players and suggests that strategies devised by multidisciplinary teams of experts to help promote, engage, and offer tailored mental health support to women rugby players would be beneficial. Further investigations exploring the determinants of, and barriers to, MHL among women rugby players would be worthwhile to better understand and support players throughout their sporting career.


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