Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Self-reported life events, social support and psychological problems in adults with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- HULBERT-WILLIAMS Lee, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 24(5), September 2011, pp.427-436.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Previous research has demonstrated a relationship between life events and psychological problems in people with intellectual disabilities. However, these studies have typically relied on proxy informants, usually professional carers or family members. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between life events and psychological problems in people with intellectual disabilities using self-report data. In addition, the study aimed to examine the direct effect of social support on psychological problems, and its moderating influence on the relationship between life events and psychological problems. The participants, 38 adults with intellectual disabilities, completed 3 psychological measures in a semi-structured interview setting: the Bangor Life Events Schedule for Intellectual Disabilities Self-Report; the Brief Symptom Inventory; and the Social Network Map. The findings showed that exposure to life events, such as death of a close friend or relative or a permanent change in staffing, were positively associated with measures of psychological problems. Social support was generally not found to be associated with psychological problems, although more psychological problems were reported by participants who also reported more criticism of them by others.
The influence of professional identity and the private practice environment: attitudes of clinical social workers toward addressing the social support needs of clients
- Authors:
- GROVES Laura C., KERSON Toba Schwaber
- Journal article citation:
- Smith College Studies in Social Work, 81(2-3), 2011, pp.218-233.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Social support affects the course of depression and other mental illnesses. Social work is associated with social support, being informed by the ecological perspective, and it would therefore be expected that social support would be a primary focus in clinical social work. The aim of this study was to explore how clinical social workers in private practice settings address the social support needs of their clients. Data were gathered through 6 focus groups comprising 30 clinical social workers. Follow-up interviews were then conducted with 11 of these participants. Themes included understanding the meaning of social support, social support’s relationship to mental health, assessing social support, interventions and specific techniques to enhance social support, therapist’s attitudes towards addressing various types of social support needs, and the relationship between professional identity and attitudes and behaviours regarding addressing social support. The findings indicate that the social workers understand the importance of addressing these needs. However, because of concerns about status, identity and reimbursement, they tend to avoid case-management-like tasks despite their intrinsic understanding of the social support value of these services. Recommendations for practice are provided.
Social support and sense of coherence: independent, shared and interaction relationships with life stress and mental health
- Authors:
- SORENSEN Tom, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 13(1), February 2011, pp.27-44.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Perceived social support and sense of coherence are both used extensively as variables to predict and explain the impact of external factors on individuals' mental health. This study investigated whether the current operational definitions of these two concepts measure the same or different dimensions of the intervening process and/or have a distinct interaction effect on mental health. A survey was carried out in Lofoten, a series of islands in Northern Norway. Self completion questionnaires were delivered to all households (people 18 years and above) in the selected communities; 67% responded (n = 1062). Factor analysis was used to subdivide the items for perceived social support and sense of coherence. The two concepts made both significant independent and shared contributions to explained variance on the mental health index. All second-order terms (any combination of two of the indexes, sense of coherence, perceived social support or negative life events) show modification effects with regard to mental health. The combination of sense of coherence, perceived social support and negative life events showed a third order effect modification with regard to mental health. The interaction between social support and sense of coherence increased with the number of experienced negative life events. Thus, it is concluded that all three factors need to be considered to maximise the efficiency of health promotion projects.
Parenting a child with a disability: the role of social support for African American parents
- Authors:
- HA Jung-Hwa, GREENBERG Jan S., SELTZER Marsha Mailick
- Journal article citation:
- Families in Society, 92(4), October 2011, pp.405-411.
- Publisher:
- The Alliance for Children and Families
Having a child with a disability poses a significant risk to parents’ physical and emotional well-being. This risk may vary across different racial and ethnic groups who may face differing caregiving challenges due to their socioeconomic and environmental resources. This study examines the impact of having a child with a disability on parents’ mental and physical health among urban-dwelling African Americans. It also examines the extent to which positive and negative social interactions with family members other than the spouse moderate the impact of child’s disability on parental adaptation. Analyses are based on an African American sample collected in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin collected as part of the Midlife in the United States study (MIDUS). The analytic sample consists of 48 parents of children with a disability and 144 comparison group parents of nondisabled children. The results show that having a child with a disability is associated with more somatic symptoms such as headaches, backaches, and trouble sleeping. However, the negative consequences of the child’s disability on parents’ mental health are reduced when parents receive greater positive support from family.
Getting connected
- Author:
- PENFORD Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Today, November 2011, p.12.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+, can be a useful channel for both mental health professionals and services users to discuss mental health and well-being. Social media offers the opportunity to connect to others, and to receive emotional support and encouragement. However, there are issues around using social media platforms. This article provides an overview of the issues discussed in a debate between a 5-strong expert panel comprising mental health professionals and service users plus a diverse audience at the Blogs for Breakfast event, part of the Love Arts Festival, organised by Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust. One of the key issues discussed involved concerns about the risks involved with making identities public and the use of pseudonyms to remain anonymous. Setting boundaries is very important, and the use of social media tools such as profiles, groups and lists to manage followers and contacts was discussed. For mental health professionals, the need to get the balance between personal and professional content right was also considered.
Addressing unmet needs in incarcerated women with co-occurring disorders
- Authors:
- SALINA Doreen D., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Service Research, 37(4), July 2011, pp.365-378.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Women are increasingly entering and leaving the criminal justice system with unmet needs relating to lack of mental health and substance abuse treatment and availability of basic resources. The presence of unmet needs is likely to impact the success of community entry of incarcerated women. This study aimed to identify the most prevalent critical needs reported by incarcerated women with co-occurring disorders. The participants were 281 incarcerated women diagnosed with substance use and mental health disorders. The women completed interviews while incarcerated and again at 1, 3 and 6 months after community re-entry. The findings revealed that the women had the same or a higher number of needs after spending 6 months in the community compared to those reported while incarcerated. A low level of social support was related to negative outcomes. The article concludes that incarcerated women require holistic evaluation assessments and integrated treatment plans that encourage staff to comprehensively assess clients at intake and link them to support services during and after incarceration.
Factors associated with psychological distress in the Canadian population: a comparison of low-income and non low-income sub-groups
- Authors:
- CARON Jean, LIU Aihua
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 47(3), June 2011, pp.318-330.
- Publisher:
- Springer
The level of psychological distress was compared between low-income and non low-income populations in Canada. Factors associated with distress identified for each population and differences found with the models used in predicting distress are also described. Data were collected through the Canadian Community Health Survey, including 36,984 individuals aged 15 or over. Of this sample, 17.9% was identified as being within the low-income population. In the low-income population the percentage of high psychological distress was as high as 28%, compared to 19% in the non low-income population. Variables related to social support, stress and coping abilities were the stronger sets of variables related to distress in both populations. The results provided evidence that although economically disadvantaged and more affluent populations share many variables associated with psychological distress, they have a different profile on the correlates of psychological distress.
Affect and loneliness among centenarians and the oldest old: the role of individual and social resources
- Authors:
- MARGRETT Jennifer A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 15(3), April 2011, pp.385-396.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Affect and loneliness are important indicators of mental health and well-being in older adulthood. Negative affect appears to be related to psychological distress and depression. Positive affect is associated with optimism, adaptive coping responses, and lower depression. The aim of this study was to examine the ability of individual and social resources in predicting positive and negative affect and loneliness within a sample of oldest-old individuals including centenarians. Data collection was done as part of the Georgia Centenarian Study, Phase 3, 2001-2008. The eligible sample for this study included 55 octogenarians aged 81-90 years and 77 centenarians and near centenarians aged 98-109 years, all of whom scored 17 or more on the Mini-Mental Status Exam. The participants completed demographics and multiple indicators of mental health, functional ability, cognition, social functioning, and personality. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that, within this sample of cognitively intact oldest old, measures of executive control and cognitive functioning demonstrated limited association with mental health. Personality, specifically neuroticism, was strongly related to mental health indicators for both age groups and social relations were particularly important associates of centenarians' mental health.
Lack of perceived social support among immigrants after a disaster: comparative study
- Authors:
- DROGENDIJK Annelieke N., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 198(4), April 2011, pp.317-322.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
It is suggested that immigrant groups affected by a disaster receive less emotional support than their native counterparts. However, it is unclear whether these differences existed before or can be attributed to post-disaster mental health problems. The authors examined the association between lack of social support, immigration status and victim status, as well as differences in support between immigrants and Dutch natives with disaster-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Social support and psychological distress were assessed among immigrants and Dutch native, affected and non-affected, individuals 2-3 weeks, 18 months and four years after a devastating explosion in a firework storage facility. The disaster–affected group initially consisted of 1567 residents; the control group comprised 640 non-exposed adults from a different part of the Netherlands. Affected immigrants more often lacked various kinds of perceived social support compared with affected Dutch natives. However, no differences in support were seen between affected immigrants and non-affected immigrants. Immigrants with PTSD differed on only two out of six aspects of support from the Dutch natives with PTSD. The authors conclude that differences in support between immigrants and Dutch natives were largely present before the disaster rather than being a consequence of the disaster.
Measuring family caregiver perceptions of support in caring for children and youth with mental health concerns
- Authors:
- DAVIS Tamara S., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Service Research, 37(5), October 2011, pp.500-515.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
There are ongoing efforts in Ohio to support families experiencing significant child and adolescent emotional and behavioural health care needs. These services include the use of peer-support providers to assist families who are new to the mental health system. This study aimed to examine the association between caregiver perceptions of the level of support they receive from informal and formal resource providers and child mental health outcomes. The participants were 904 adult caregivers of youth receiving public mental health care services in Ohio. The caregivers completed a scale, the Family Caregiver Perceptions of Support Scale, which had been developed as part of the study to assess family caregiver perceptions of support prior to and at termination of services. Factor analysis identified 3 types of caregiver anticipated supports: informal support resources; support for treatment plan influence; and health care resources. These 3 domains were significantly and positively associated with one another, but did not uniformly correlate with youth mental health outcomes. The study provides preliminary evidence that treatment gains in youth mental health outcomes are observed when caregivers perceive support in treatment processes.