Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Women's experiences of being in an acute psychiatric unit: an occupational perspective
- Authors:
- KENNEDY Jennifer, FORTUNE Tracy
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(6), 2014, pp.296-303.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Introduction: The need to address gender sensitivity and implement strategies to improve the treatment of women within inpatient mental health facilities has gained international recognition. Ascertaining service users' perspectives is a critical prerequisite to ensure that potential strategies are appropriate. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the occupational engagement of women service users in an acute inpatient mental health unit in Melbourne, Australia. Method: In this phenomenological study, five women were interviewed about their experiences of occupational engagement. Data were analysed according to Colaizzi's (1978) procedure, to generate an 'essence statement'. Fieldnotes were kept and an audit trail of the analysis process was recorded. Findings: Three main themes emerged: (1) Living in hospital is difficult; (2) What we need from staff; and (3) More meaningful things to do, please. Conclusion: Study findings highlight a need for more empathetic communication with staff, more effective use of the physical environment to enable improved perceptions of safety, and more meaningful occupational opportunities. (Publisher abstract)
Staffs' knowledge and perceptions of working with women with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems
- Authors:
- TAGGART L., MCMILLAN R., LAWSON A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(1), January 2010, pp.90-100.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
There is evidence suggesting that women are more likely than men to develop mental health problems; likewise there is literature indicating that people with intellectual disabilities are also more prone to developing mental ill health then the non-disabled population. The aim of this study was to explore a range of health and social care staffs' knowledge and perceptions of caring for women with ID who have mental health problems, focusing upon risk and resilient/protective factors and barriers to accessing care. The qualitative methodology used eight focus groups involving a total of 32 frontline hospital, community and residential staff across one region of the UK. Transcripts were subjected to thematic content analysis using Newell & Burnard's framework. Six inter-related risk factors were identified as potential causes for women with ID developing mental illness: having an ID and being female; unmet expectations; dysfunctional family upbringing; unstable relationships/loss of children; domestic violence; and negative life experiences. Hormonal issues were rarely acknowledged. Resilient/protective factors included being proactive, greater community participation, early recognition, and mental health maintenance. The authors discuss their results in light of current developments and policy within mainstream psychiatric gender approaches. They recommend greater recognition of a proactive health approach for both staff and women with an ID.
Staff experience and understanding of working with abused women suffering from mental illness
- Authors:
- BENGTSSON-TOPS A., SAVEMAN B.-I., TOPS D.
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 17(5), September 2009, pp.459-465.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Thematic interviews were conducted with 13 staff members from various welfare services in Sweden. Data were subject to content analysis. The findings showed that working with abused women was experienced as ambiguous and painful and made the staff act pragmatically. Feelings of ambiguity were mainly related to the lack of theoretical frameworks for interpreting why women with mental illness are exposed to abuse. Painful experiences involved intertwined feelings of distress, frustration, worthlessness, ambivalence and powerlessness. These were all feelings that emerged in the direct encounters with the abused women. In response to the abused women's comprehensive needs, staff members acted pragmatically, implying networking without any sanction from the leaders of the organisation, compliance with routines and taking action in here-and-now situations. By acting pragmatically, staff members could achieve concrete results through their interventions. It is concluded that staff members, working with abused women with mental illness, are in a vulnerable situation and in need of formally accepted and implemented support and legitimacy as well as theoretical knowledge regarding causes and consequences of abuse in this particular group of women.
Cultural differences in shame-focused attitudes towards mental health problems in Asian and Non-Asian student women
- Authors:
- GILBERT Paul, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Religion and Culture, 10(2), March 2007, pp.127-141.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This study explored differences in shame-focused attitudes to mental health problems in Asian and non-Asian students. The 'Attitudes Towards Mental Health Problems' (ATMHP) is a self-report scale designed for this study to measure: external shame (beliefs that others will look down on self if one has mental health problems); internal shame (related to negative self-evaluations); and reflected shame (believing that one can bring shame to family/community). A second questionnaire was designed to measure concerns with confidentiality. Results suggest that Asian students have higher external shame and reflected shame, but not internal shame beliefs. Asian students were also more concerned with confidentiality when it comes to talking about personal feeling/anxieties.
Factors associated with accessing professional help for psychological distress in midlife Australian women
- Authors:
- OUTRAM Sue, MURPHY Barbara, COCKBURN Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 13(2), April 2004, pp.185-195.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Given the high prevalence of mental health problems in midlife women it is important to understand the factors that motivate and inhibit seeking professional help. The aim was to identify factors associated with and barriers to seeking professional help for psychological distress amongst midlife Australian women. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered using semi-structured telephone interviews in NSW Australia. Seeking help from a GP was associated with poorer mental and physical health scores. But in contrast seeking help from a mental health professional was associated with being out of paid employment, being mostly able to talk about one's deepest problems, being dissatisfied with family relationships, and feeling understood by family/friends. The barriers to seek help for these women were thinking they should cope alone (64%); thinking the problem would get better by itself (43%); embarrassment (35%); believing no help available (34%); not knowing where to go for help (30%); and fear of what others might think (28%). Qualitative data also highlighted attitudinal barriers to help-seeking. Although level of need predicted GP contacts, attitudinal factors were more important in contacts with mental health services. These attitudinal barriers need to be addressed to enable midlife women to more easily seek and access mental health care when needed.
Stigmatizing reactions versus general negative reactions to partner violence disclosure as predictors of avoidance coping and depression
- Authors:
- Overstreet Nicole M., WILLIE Tiara C., SULLIVAN Tami P.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34(8), 2019, pp.1734-1752.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Despite increased attention to the relation between negative social reactions to intimate partner violence (IPV) disclosure and poorer mental health outcomes for victims, research has yet to examine whether certain types of negative social reactions are associated with poorer mental health outcomes more so than others. Furthermore, research is scarce on potential mediators of this relationship. To fill these gaps, the current study examines whether stigmatizing reactions to IPV disclosure, such as victim-blaming responses and minimizing experiences of IPV, are a specific type of negative social reaction that exerts greater influence on women’s depressive symptoms than general negative reactions, such as being angry at the perpetrators of IPV. The authors also examine avoidance coping as a key mediator of this relationship. A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted to examine these relationships. Participants were 212 women from an urban northeast community who indicated being physically victimized by their male partner in the past 6 months. Findings from a multiple regression analysis showed that stigmatizing reactions, not general negative reactions, predicted women’s depressive symptoms. In addition, a multiple mediation analysis revealed that avoidance coping strategies, but not approach coping strategies, significantly accounted for the relationship between stigmatizing social reactions and women’s depressive symptoms. Findings have implications for improving support from informal and formal sources and subsequently, IPV-exposed women’s psychological well-being. (Edited publisher abstract)
Unforgiveness, depression, and health in later life: the protective factor of forgivingness
- Authors:
- ERMER Ashley E., PROULX Christine M.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 20(10), 2016, pp.1021-1034.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: Feeling unforgiven by others has been linked to poor health outcomes. The current study examined whether feeling unforgiven by others is associated with depression and self-rated health among older adults in the United States. The potential moderating roles of forgiving others and self-forgiveness in the association between unforgiveness and both depression and self-rated health was also assessed along with gender differences. Method: Data were drawn from a sample of 1009 adults in Wave 2 of the Religion, Aging, and Health Survey, a national sample of adults aged over 67. Depression was measured using the eight item short form from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Self-rated health was assessed with a one-item indicator. Results: Analyses indicated that higher levels of self-forgiveness ameliorated the relationship between unforgiveness by others and depression for men and women and higher levels of forgiving others attenuated the association between unforgiveness by others and depression for women. Self-forgiveness was protective of depression for women who reported unforgiveness by others and low levels of forgiving others. Regardless of levels of self-forgiveness, men who were most likely to forgive others experienced a significant association between unforgiveness by others and depression. Neither forgiving others nor the self were significant moderators in the association between unforgiveness and self-rated health. Conclusion: Forgiving others and the self may be protective of well-being when women feel unforgiven by others. These findings have implications for forgiveness intervention programs and contribute to literature pertaining to forgiveness and health in later life. (Publisher abstract)
Use of mental health screening instruments by non-medical helping professionals a needs assessment
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29(11), 2014, pp.2068-2090.
- Publisher:
- Sage
When screening women intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors for mental health concerns, helping professionals must balance the very real concerns that arise with diagnostic labels with the equally real difficulties related to mental health problems. To better understand whether and how mental health screening tools can be more useful in this process, the current study reports findings from an online needs assessment. The nationally representative sample included 325 professionals who work with IPV survivors in United States. Overall, participants have a positive attitude about assessing mental health concerns even though most do not conduct such assessments. From this, the following four areas are highlighted: (a) a need for training, (b) the appropriateness of screening, (c) factors that limit use, and (d) assessment tools. Findings also suggest it may be beneficial to develop instruments and/or protocols that are tailored to the unique needs/experiences of IPV survivors. (Publisher abstract)
“If something happened, I will leave it, let it go and move on”: resiliency and victimized homeless women’s attitudes toward mental health counseling
- Authors:
- HUEY Laura, FTHENOS Georgios, HRYNIEWICZ Danielle
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28(2), 2013, pp.295-319.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This study investigated homeless women’s experiences of violent criminal victimisation and their attitudes toward accessing various post-victimisation assistance, in particular, mental health counselling. Participants included 60 women, aged 18 to 70 years, from Detroit and Chicago, United States. Findings revealed the extent to which victimised homeless women exhibited signs of resiliency through both attitudes and coping behaviours. Their expressed attitudes demonstrate the existence of a complex set of relationships between trauma, resiliency, and the desire to access mental health services. Implications for the delivery of mental health services to this group are discussed.
Normative beliefs regarding the maintenance of intimate relationships among abused and nonabused women
- Author:
- WOODS Stephanie J.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14(5), May 1999, pp.479-491.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This study examined the normative beliefs regarding how women act in maintaining intimate relationships. results indicated that abused and nonabused women with low self-esteem tended to have higher levels of belief in societal norms and gender specific socialisations regarding how women should maintain relationships. Abused women exhibited significantly higher levels of externalised self-perception, self-sacrifice, silence and disconnection in intimate relationships when compared to nonabused women.