Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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The Stigma Scale: a Canadian perspective
- Authors:
- MEIER Amanda, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Research, 39(4), 2015, pp.213-222.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Stigma is a devastating psychosocial issue for many individuals with mental illness. This study examined the mental illness stigma experiences of 380 individuals with a self-reported psychiatric diagnosis in London, Ontario, Canada, using the Stigma Scale, a tool recently developed in the United Kingdom (UK). Data for the Canadian sample were examined and compared with those from the UK pilot group. Results indicated that both samples experienced mental illness stigma, with Canadian participants reporting fewer stigma experiences on close to half of the scale items. In general, the results suggested that antistigma efforts have achieved some successes, particularly for targeted recipient groups; however, the need remains for continued and varied methods of stigma reduction to eliminate stigma within society. (Publisher abstract)
Emotional security in the family system and psychological distress in female survivors of child sexual abuse
- Authors:
- CANTON-CORTES David, CANTON Jose, CORTES María Rosario
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 51, 2015, pp.54-63.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The Emotional Security Theory (EST) was originally developed to investigate the association between high levels of interparental conflict and child maladaptative outcome. The objective of the present study was to analyse the effects of emotional security in the family system on psychological distress among a sample of young female adult survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA). The role of emotional security was investigated through the interactive effects of a number of factors including the type of abuse, the continuity of abuse, the relationship with the perpetrator and the existence of disclosure for the abuse. Participants were 167 female survivors of CSA. Information about the abuse was obtained from a self-reported questionnaire. Emotional security was assessed with the Security in the Family System (SIFS) Scale, and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) was used to assess psychological distress. In the total sample, insecurity (preoccupation and disengagement) was correlated with high psychological distress scores, whereas no relationship was found between security and psychological distress. The relationship between emotional insecurity and psychological distress was stronger in cases of continued abuse and non-disclosure, while the relationship between emotional security and distress was stronger in cases of extrafamilial abuse and especially isolated or several incidents and when a disclosure had been made. No interactive effect was found between any of the three emotional variables and the type of abuse committed. The results of the current study suggest that characteristics of CSA such as relationship with the perpetrator and, especially, continuity of abuse and whether or not disclosure had been made, can affect the impact of emotional security on psychological distress of CSA survivors. (Publisher abstract)
The effectiveness of mental health interventions for adult female survivors of sexual assault: a systematic review
- Authors:
- PARCESEPE Angela M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aggression and Violent Behavior, 25(Part A), 2015, pp.15-25.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Objective: Sexual assault is a common global problem and is associated with poor mental health. Given the high prevalence of sexual assault, it is important to understand which interventions may help survivors. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of mental health interventions for adult female survivors of sexual assault, focusing on 1) methods used to study the interventions; 2) effectiveness of interventions compared to no treatment; and 3) comparative effectiveness of interventions. Methods: Published scientific literature was searched to identify manuscripts that investigated the effects of mental health interventions on adult female survivors of sexual assault. Articles were included if they: were in English, Spanish, or French; were published between January 1985 and December 2012; evaluated a mental health intervention; implemented the intervention with adult female survivors of sexual assault; evaluated the effectiveness of the intervention on mental health symptoms or diagnoses; and included a comparison group. Findings: Cognitive-behavioural interventions, exposure interventions, and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing interventions were typically more effective at improving mental health than no treatment. Statistical tests of comparative effectiveness did not demonstrate that one intervention was significantly more effective than another. Conclusions: Health providers should refer survivors of sexual assault to mental health treatments shown to be effective. Additional research on comparative effectiveness of mental health interventions is warranted. (Edited publisher abstract)
Childhood trauma levels in individuals attending adult mental health services: an evaluation of clinical records and structured measurement of childhood trauma
- Authors:
- ROSSITER Amy, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 44, 2015, pp.36-45.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Despite an increased awareness regarding the prevalence and impact of childhood trauma, especially childhood sexual abuse (CSA), few studies examine the clinical reporting of such childhood experiences. This study compared the prevalence of childhood trauma recorded in individual's clinical notes to those ascertained with a structured validated questionnaire, examined which forms of childhood trauma were less likely to be reported to the treating mental health team and established which demographic or clinical factors were associated with reporting of childhood trauma. The prevalence of childhood trauma was ascertained using both the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and a lifetime retrospective clinical note review in 129 individuals attending a general adult mental health service. Individuals were evaluated for the presence of mental health disorders, impulsivity, symptom severity and disability. Using the CTQ, childhood trauma was noted in 77% of individuals and recorded in 38% of individual's clinical notes. The greatest differences between CTQ reporting and clinical note documentation were noted for emotional neglect (62% versus 13.2%), physical neglect (48.1% versus 5.4%) and CSA (24.8% versus 8.5%). Childhood trauma was associated with increased psychopathology and greater symptom severity, and was particularly prevalent for individuals with personality disorders. This study demonstrated high rates of childhood trauma amongst adults attending a general adult mental health service. Furthermore, we demonstrated high rates of either non-enquiry from mental health professionals and/or high rates of non-documentation of childhood trauma by mental health professionals. Given the disparity between reporting of childhood trauma in clinical notes and findings with the CTQ, the use of a standardised questionnaire for the assessment of childhood trauma should be considered when performing a comprehensive mental health history. (Edited publisher abstract)
Survivors' voices: breaking the silence on living with the impact of child sexual abuse in the family environment
- Author:
- ONE IN FOUR
- Publisher:
- One in Four
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 48
- Place of publication:
- London
Using first-hand accounts, this report illustrates the effects suffered by people who were sexually abused as children in the family environment. In the report, adult survivors describe the long-term impact that childhood sexual abuse in the family environment has had on their lives and what has helped them to survive. The narratives demonstrates how sexual abuse in childhood can be associated with long-term conditions such as eating disorders, self-harm, addiction to alcohol or drugs, and mental illness including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal thoughts and behaviour. Many survivors also end up in the criminal justice system through the misuse of alcohol and drugs, causing significant costs to society. To draw out the key themes an analysis of the individual narratives was carried out. Themes discuss the impact on the survivor, their families; the professional responses; and also include a list of survivors’ recommendations. Recommendations include: improve the training of health-related professionals; improve referral pathways for survivors to ensure they are directed to specialist agencies; and the involvement of survivors and survivor organisations in the training of professionals and service development. The report will be useful for policy-makers, healthcare professionals and social workers to help them to understand what it means to have been sexually abused as children by a relative or close family friend. (Edited publisher abstract)
Life course pathways of adverse childhood experiences toward adult psychological well-being: a stress process analysis
- Authors:
- NURIUS Paula S., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 45, 2015, pp.143-153.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Growing evidence suggests that toxic stressors early in life not only convey developmental impacts but also augment risk of proliferating chains of additional stressors that can overwhelm individual coping and undermine recovery and health. Examining trauma within a life course stress process perspective, the authors posit that early childhood adversity carries a unique capacity to impair adult psychological well-being both independent of and cumulative with other contributors, including social disadvantage and stressful adult experiences. This study uses data from a representative population-based health survey (N = 13,593) to provide one of the first multivariate assessments of unique, cumulative, and moderated effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) toward explaining 3 related yet distinct measures of adult mental health: perceived well-being, psychological distress, and impaired daily activities. Results demonstrate support for each set of hypothesised associations, including exacerbation and amelioration of ACEs effects by adult stress and resilience resources, respectively. Implications for services and future research are discussed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Exploring mental health consequences of childhood abuse and the relevance of religiosity
- Authors:
- FEINSON Marjorie C., MEIR Adi
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30(3), 2015, pp.499-521.
- Publisher:
- Sage
A community-based sample of adult Jewish women that included sizable subsamples of both rigorously devout ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) and nonreligious Secular Jews was studied to explore how religiosity could mitigate the risk for mental health problems in survivors of child abuse. Mental health is assessed with the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI distress) and a single item reflecting unresolved anger about the past. Predictors of distress severity are examined with separate hierarchical regressions for each religious observance (RO) group. Despite being located at opposite ends of the religiosity spectrum, several surprising similarities emerge including no significant RO group differences in distress among abuse survivors. Moreover, ACA emerges as the strongest predictor of BSI distress within both groups and regressions explain similar amounts of variance. In contrast, two important differences emerge regarding unresolved anger and any recent abuse (ARA). Anger makes a strong contribution to explaining Haredi distress severity, less so for Secular respondents (6.1% vs. 2.9% respectively) while ARA is significant only for Haredi respondents. These initial findings suggest that abusive traumas in childhood may seriously compromise religiosity's potentially protective role. Broadening the research agenda to focus on resilient survivors would expand our understanding of healing resources, both within and outside of a religious framework. Moreover, a better understanding of unresolved anger would likely enhance interventions with greater potential for mitigating the suffering of those abused in childhood. (Edited publisher abstract)
A briefing for mental health professionals: why asking about abuse matters to service users: REVA Briefing 3
- Authors:
- SCOTT Sara, et al
- Publishers:
- DMSS Research and Consultancy, NatCen Social Research, London Metropolitan University, Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit, Truth
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 10
- Place of publication:
- London
One of five briefing paper presenting findings from the Department of Health funded REVA study, which looked at responding effectively to the needs of survivors of violence and abuse who are mental health service users. The study included specifically asking survivors of violence and abuse about their views on routine enquiry (the policy of asking routinely about experiences of abuse in service user assessments), their experiences of disclosing abuse and their recommendations for how staff should ask people using mental health services about abuse. Interviews with users of mental health services found that people are positive about routine enquiry and that those who had been asked by a professional about their experience of violence and abuse welcomed this. Service user recommendations for service providers about routine enquiry included: asking the question as early as possible, asking with interest rather than as a tick box requirement and asking the question more than once. (Edited publisher abstract)
A briefing for commissioners: what survivors of violence and abuse say about mental health services: REVA briefing 4
- Authors:
- SCOTT Sara, et al
- Publishers:
- DMSS Research and Consultancy, NatCen Social Research, London Metropolitan University, Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit, Truth
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 12
- Place of publication:
- London
One of five briefing paper presenting findings from the Department of Health funded REVA study, which looked at responding effectively to the needs of survivors of violence and abuse who are also mental health service users. The briefing focusses on the links between experience of abuse and mental health and the implications this has for commissioners to create an effective service. It presents information drawn from interviews with 21 mental health service users who had experienced domestic and/or sexual violence. It reports on their views and experience of mental health services and what they thought were the key elements of a good service. Five core components that were considered essential for effective support include: routine enquiry across a range of child and adult settings; well trained staff who are able to make referrals to specialist services; availability of group and peer support; non-hospital based crisis provision; and integrated coordinated services. Implications for commissioners of mental health services are also listed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Guidance for Trust managers: implementing and sustaining routine enquiry about violence and abuse in mental health services: REVA Briefing 2
- Authors:
- SCOTT Sara, et al
- Publishers:
- DMSS Research and Consultancy, NatCen Social Research, London Metropolitan University, Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit, Truth
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 13
- Place of publication:
- London
One of five briefing paper presenting findings from the Department of Health funded REVA study, which looked at responding effectively to the needs of survivors of violence and abuse who are mental health service users. This briefing highlights key recommendations and good practice guidelines for Trust managers regarding implementation of routine enquiry, the practice that all adult service users should be asked about experiences of violence and abuse in mental health assessments. It draws on the findings from case studies of four hospital trusts. The briefing summarises key evidence on why mental health professionals should routinely ask service users whether they have experienced violence or abuse, presents findings from the four case studies in the REVA study which focuses on the need for strategic leadership and commitment; training provision; data collection requirements; knowledge sharing and awareness raising. It also list points for good practice in implementing routine enquiry as part of mental health assessments. (Edited publisher abstract)