Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Reducing the barriers to accessing psychological therapies for Bengali, Urdu, Tamil and Somali communities in the UK: some implications for training, policy and practice
- Authors:
- LOEWENTHAL Del, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 40(1), February 2012, pp.43-66.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Those from minority groups are generally under-represented in mental health services. This study examined the feasibility of achieving Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) for people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities living in the UK. There was with specific reference to Bengali, Urdu, Tamil and Somali speaking communities. Focus groups were carried out with each of the communities to investigate how they conceptualise and experience mental health issues and what they do when faced with what they regard as these issues. Participants recruited through Bengali, Urdu, Tamil and Somali community groups. Focus groups were held with 14 Bengali speakers, 21 Urdu, 18 Tamil, 24 Somali, and interviews were held separately with 6 people from each group. Findings revealed that the participants did not fully understand common conceptualisations about mental health issues, nor did they know how to seek mental health support. Implications of cultural barriers and recommendations for IAPT outcomes are presented.
Research watch: Coronavirus (COVID-19), mental health and social inclusion in the UK and Ireland
- Author:
- HOLTTUM Sue
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 24(3), 2020, pp.117-123.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: This paper aims to examine recent papers on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, including implications for some of the groups of people already less included in society. Design/methodology/approach: A search was carried out for recent papers on mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: Two papers describe surveys of adults in the UK and Irish Republic in the first days of lockdown. Low income and loss of income were associated with anxiety and depression. These surveys could not examine distress in Black and minority ethnicities, who have higher death rates from COVID-19. Two surveys of children and young people report distress and what can help. One paper summarises a host of ways in which the pandemic may affect mental well-being in different groups, and what might help. Another calls for research to understand how to protect mental well-being in various groups. Originality/value: These five papers give a sense of the early days of the pandemic, especially in the UK. They also highlight the needs of some specific groups of people, or the need to find out more about how these groups experience the pandemic. They suggest some ways of trying to ensure that everyone has the best chance to thrive in the aftermath of the pandemic. (Edited publisher abstract)
Psychopathology and coping in survivors of intimate partner violence: associations with race and abuse severity
- Authors:
- CLEMENTS Caroline M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Aggression Maltreatment and Trauma, 28(2), 2019, pp.205-221.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The present study examined how race and abuse severity independently and interactively predicted psychopathology and coping in a sample of 206 African-American and White survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Women reported on their exposure to physical violence, their psychological symptoms, and their coping behaviours. White women reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression than African-American women. More severe abuse was generally related to more psychological symptoms and to greater denial. Interactions between race and abuse severity indicated that African-Americans reported fewer psychological symptoms than Whites at lower levels of abuse but not when abuse was very severe. African-Americans reported more coping-related substance use than Whites at the highest level of abuse severity. The implications of the findings for future research and for treatment of IPV survivors are considered. (Edited publisher abstract)
Parent-reported stigma and child anxiety: a mixed methods research study
- Authors:
- CHAVIRA Denise A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 76, 2017, pp.237-242.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Background: Stigma has been frequently cited as a barrier to service use for various mental health problems. Studies suggest that stigma may be greater for childhood mental health problems that are perceived as more atypical. Aims: This study utilised a mixed methods research design (qual + QUAN) to examine parental endorsement of stigma and its impact on service utilisation among children with significant anxiety—a common childhood problem frequently perceived as normative. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 29 parents of anxious children. Qualitative data were coded using a grounded theory approach, and stigma-related responses were examined for emergent themes. Quantitative data was analysed with frequency counts and chi-square analysis. Results: Stigma related to children's anxiety symptoms and seeking mental health services was reported by 41.3% (n = 12) of parents. Emergent themes included: 1) Parental Concern for Negative Consequences, 2) Parent Internalised Stigma, and 3) Negative Associations with Mental Health Treatment. Latino parents discussed stigma more frequently than non-Latino White parents (70% vs. 17.6%, respectively, X2(1, N = 27) = 5.33, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Although anxiety is a common childhood problem, stigma is still frequently reported by parents and may be an important barrier to mental health service use, especially among Latino youth. (Edited publisher abstract)
Impact of ethnic density on adult mental disorders: narrative review
- Authors:
- SHAW Richard J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 201(1), July 2012, pp.11-19.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Research suggests that mental health and the use of mental health services frequently varies by ethnic origin. The ‘ethnic density hypothesis’ proposes that members of ethnic minority groups may have better mental health when they live in areas with higher proportions of people of the same ethnicity. The literature on this subject is complex and sometimes disparate. This new literature study covered work published to January 2011. Studies were included if they had a defined ethnic minority sample; some measurement of ethnic density defined at a geographical scale smaller than a nation or a US state; and a measure ascertaining mental health or disorder. Thirty four papers were identified. Protective associations between ethnic density and mental disorders were most consistent in older US ecological studies of admission rates. More recent multilevel studies showed some evidence of ethnic density being protective against depression and anxiety for African American people and Hispanic adults in the USA. However, Hispanic, Asian–American and Canadian ‘visible minority’ adolescents have higher levels of depression at higher ethnic densities. Studies in the UK showed mixed results, with evidence for protective associations most consistent for psychoses. Overall they had limited statistical power, and given the heterogeneity of their designs, could only provide tentative conclusions.
Use of professional and informal support by Black men with mental disorders
- Authors:
- WOODWARD Amanda Toler, TAYLOR Robert Joseph, CHATTERS Linda M.
- Journal article citation:
- Research on Social Work Practice, 21(3), May 2011, pp.328-336.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This study aimed to investigate the use of different help-seeking options among African American and Caribbean black men with mental disorder. The study used data taken from the National Survey of American Life. The analytic sample included 371 African American and 138 Caribbean Black men who met diagnostic criteria for a mood disorder, an anxiety disorder, or a substance use disorder. The findings showed that 33% used both professional services and informal support, 14% relied on professional services only, 24% used informal support only, and 29% did not seek help. African American men were more likely than Caribbean Blacks to rely on informal support alone. Having co-occurring mental and substance disorders, experiencing an episode in the past 12 months, and having more people in the informal network increased the likelihood of using professional services and informal supports. Marital status, age, and socioeconomic status were also significantly related to help seeking. Almost 1 in 3 Black men with a psychiatric disorder did not receive assistance from either professional or informal helpers, suggesting a substantial amount of unmet need. However, the reliance on informal support also suggests a strong protective role that informal networks play in the lives of Black men.
Fear, black people and mental illness: a vicious circle?
- Authors:
- KEATING Frank, ROBERTSON David
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 12(5), September 2004, pp.439-447.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The relationships between black communities and the mental health (MH) services are fraught. Paradoxically, black communities receive the MH services they don't want, but not the ones they do or might want. Black people mistrust and often fear services, and staff are often wary of the black community, fearing criticism, and not knowing how to respond, are fearful of black people, in particular, young black men. The situation is fuelled by prejudice, misunderstanding, misconceptions and sometimes racism. The present paper describes the findings of a study to explore the issues in greater depth. The study was premised on a belief that there are 'circles of fear' which lead to poorer treatment of black communities. A purposive sampling approach was used to seek out groups and individuals in whom the 'circles of fear' were likely to be evident. The findings suggest that there are fears which impact negatively on the interaction between black communities and MH services. Two major themes emerged in this study, i.e. the sources of fear and the consequences of fear. Sources of fear included perceptions of MH services, attitudes to mental illness and diagnosis, and experiences of hospital care. The impact of fear included limited trust, limited engagement and delayed help-seeking behaviour. The study concludes that these fears mar the interactions between these communities and MH services, affect help-seeking behaviour adversely, and lead to restrictive and punitive interventions. Progress will only be made in breaking the 'circles of fear' if there is a systematic change in the experience of black services users at each point in the care pathway.
Completing the circle
- Author:
- STRONG Susannah
- Journal article citation:
- Care and Health Magazine, 17, July 2002, pp.20-22.
- Publisher:
- Care and Health
Summarises some of the findings from a new report by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, 'Breaking the Circles of Fear', which highlights the fear and misunderstanding by both black service users and professionals in the mental health services working with them.
Family-Level factors, depression, and anxiety among African American children: a systematic review
- Authors:
- WASHINGTON Tyreasa, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child and Youth Care Forum, 46(1), 2017, pp.137-156.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Background: The reported prevalence of depression and anxiety among African American children and adolescents and their negative sequalae suggest a need to further explore factors that may be protective of depression and anxiety among this population. Objective: The aim of this review was to examine empirical studies that focus on the association between family-level factors (e.g., parenting practices, family functioning) and depression and anxiety in African American children. Specifically, the authors examined the studies’ characteristics and the relationship between various family-level factors and depression and anxiety outcomes and assessed the methodological quality of studies. Methods: This review was guided by systematic review methods postulated by Gough and colleagues and the Prisma Group. Electronic databases searched were Social Work Abstracts, PsycINFO, SocIndex, PubMed, Social Service Abstracts, and Sociological Abstracts. Thirty-one studies published from 2003 to 2014 were included and assessed for methodological strength using the Quantitative Research Assessment Tool. Results: The majority of the study samples were low income and resided in metropolitan or urban areas, and primary caregivers were female. Parenting practices (58 % of studies) were by far the most frequently examined family-level factor associated with depression and anxiety. Conclusions: Positive family-level factors (e.g., positive parenting, healthy family functioning and environment) was associated with decreased depression and anxiety. Findings from this review can inform the development or adaptation of family-based interventions that can effectively reduce depression and anxiety symptoms in African American children. (Edited publisher abstract)
An art therapy intervention for symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety among Syrian refugee children
- Authors:
- UGURLU Nilay, AKCA Leyla, ACARTURK Ceren
- Journal article citation:
- Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 11(2), 2016, pp.89-102.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This study first examined the prevalence of psychological symptoms among Syrian refugee children (N = 64) and assessed the effect of an art therapy intervention on post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety symptoms. The Stressful Life Events (SLE) Questionnaire was used to measure stressful and traumatic experiences. The main outcome measures were UCLA Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Parent version, Child Depression Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Scale. After the baseline assessment, a five-day art therapy intervention, which is based on Skills for Psychological Recovery, was implemented. Findings of the study indicated that 60.3% (N = 35) of Syrian children who participated had high risk to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to the SLE scale. The 23.4% of the children had PTSD symptoms while the 17.6% showed severe depression symptoms. Moreover, the 14.4% of the children showed severe levels of state anxiety symptoms and the 31.1% showed severe levels of trait anxiety symptoms. Findings of the study indicated that trauma, depression and trait anxiety symptoms of children were significantly reduced at the post-assessment. However, for state anxiety scores, significant differences between pre- and post-assessments did not appear. Therefore, it could be said that art therapy may be an effective method to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and trait anxiety symptoms among refugee children. (Publisher abstract)