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Who can I talk to? Self-harm and seeking help among 16 year olds: changes between 2008 and 2013
- Author:
- McCANN Mark
- Publisher:
- ARK
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 47
- Place of publication:
- Belfast
This briefing compares questionnaire results from the 2008 and 2013 Young Life and Times survey on self-harm and help seeking behaviour for young people in Northern Ireland, to identify any changes in young people's behaviours. The survey invites every 16-year old born in February and March of the survey year who receives Child Benefit Payments to take part. The numbers of 16 year olds responding to the survey was 941 in 2008 (23% response rate) and 1,367 in 2013 (35% response rate). Key findings include: a slight increase in the number of 16-year old's who said they self-harmed from 2008 to 2013; in both years, more females were more likely than males to say they thought about self-harm or did self-harm; a smaller percentage had talked to someone or tried to get help before self-harming; there was also a large drop in the number of young people who talked to friends before self-harming. However, the survey also found that most self-harming people do not use helplines for support. More work needs to be done to encourage young people to show young people where they can go for support. (Original abstract)
Helping children with the Steps to Cope intervention
- Authors:
- TEMPLETON Lorna, SIPLER Ed
- Journal article citation:
- Drugs and Alcohol Today, 14(3), 2014, pp.126-136.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to summarise the findings from two projects in Northern Ireland which investigated the feasibility of adapting an existing adult intervention, the 5-Step Method, for children affected by parental substance misuse and/or parental mental illness. The structured brief psychosocial intervention is called Steps to Cope and can be delivered as an individual or group intervention. Design/methodology/approach: The two projects recruited and trained 57 practitioners from across Northern Ireland, 20 of whom went on to use the Steps to Cope intervention with a total of 43 children. Findings: It appears possible to adapt the intervention for children; to train practitioners, some of whom are able to use the intervention with one or more children; and for the intervention to benefit children in line with the five steps of the intervention targeting areas such as health, feelings, information, coping, support, and resilience. However, there are organisational and practical barriers to delivery which need to be overcome for the intervention to be more widely implemented. Originality/value: Steps to Cope is a unique intervention for this population and the findings discussed here suggest that the model has potential in an area where support for children in their own right is lacking. (Publisher abstract)
Utilising a computer game as a therapeutic intervention for youth in residential care: Some preliminary findings on use and acceptability
- Authors:
- AVENTIN Aine, HOUSTON Stan, MACDONALD Geraldine
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 47(3), 2014, pp.362-369.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Mental illness is common amongst young people living in residential care, many of whom are reluctant to avail of therapeutic help. The potential value of computer games as therapeutic tools for these young people has received very little attention, despite indications of their potential for promoting engagement in therapeutic work and improving mental health outcomes. This study aimed to fill this research gap through the development, introduction, and preliminary evaluation of a therapeutic intervention in group care settings. The intervention incorporated a commercially available computer game (The SIMS Life Stories™) and emotion regulation skill coaching. Qualified residential social workers were trained to deliver it to young people in three children's homes in Northern Ireland, where therapeutic approaches to social work had been introduced. The research was framed as an exploratory case study which aimed to determine the acceptability and potential therapeutic value of this intervention. The evidence suggests that computer-game based interventions of this type may have value as therapeutic tools in group care settings and deserve further development and empirical investigation to determine their effectiveness in improving mental health outcomes (Publisher abstract)