Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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How does prison visiting affect female offenders' mental health? Implications for education and development
- Authors:
- DE MOTTE Claire, BAILEY Di, WARD James
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice, 7(4), 2012, pp.170-179.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Women in custody are said to be five times more likely to have a mental health problem than the general population. Visits by relatives or volunteers are one way of preserving familial ties and increasing social support. This paper sets out to determine the state of visiting for women in the English prison system and to explore the relationship between women's mental health and visits in prison. The authors gathered data from a review of the academic and grey literature as well as relevant internet forums and blogs. All literature published from 1983 onwards was included to coincide with the introduction of Pat Carlen's campaigning group Women in Prison (WIP). The review focused on literature from England and Wales to reflect the National Criminal Justice System. Key themes revealed include; visit rejection, the importance of visits for maintaining identity and the contradicting emotions that women in prison experience when visited. The authors note that although social relationships and family ties are protective factors for prisoners' mental wellbeing, the number and frequency of visits to offenders in custody has declined. The role of prison visiting schemes to improve the mental wellbeing of women in custody is explored, including the implications for the education and training of staff and visitors involved in the process.
Responding to the individual trauma of domestic violence: challenges for mental health professionals
- Author:
- HUMPHREYS Catherine
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Mental Health, 7(1-3), 2008, pp.186-203.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Drawing on a research project funded by Women's Aid, an organisation in England supporting domestic violence survivors in the UK, this article highlights the mental health issues for women using domestic violence services. Twelve outreach projects (nonrefuge services) provided the research sites. The difficulties of accessing mental health services, stigma, and concerns about the medical model ability to meet the needs of survivors of abuse are highlighted. The final sections look at the importance of social support and social movements can play in supporting survivors of domestic violence.
Personal social networks of women with co-occurring substance use and mental disorders
- Authors:
- TRACY Elizabeth M., JOHNSON Pamela J.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 7(1/2), 2007, pp.69-90.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
There has been relatively little examination of the social network resources of women with substance use disorder, and even fewer explorations of women with co-occurring mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. This American study explores the nature of co-occurring mental disorders, social network characteristics and perceived social support in 136 women with substance use disorders. Respondents reported small personal networks that contained both supportive and non-supportive people. Relatives did provide social support, but those who used alcohol/drugs were viewed as tending to interact negatively. Women with dual disorders perceived less concrete, emotional, and sobriety support from some network relationships than the women with substance use disorders only. Implications for research and practice are presented. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
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.
Befriending as an intervention for chronic depression among women in an inner city
- Authors:
- HARRIS Tirril, BROWN George V., ROBINSON Ruth
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 174, March 1999, pp.219-224.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Evaluates volunteer befriending as an intervention among women with chronic depression in inner London. The findings are discussed in relation to standard drug-trial results and to another befriending intervention with the elderly. Concludes that the results are not unpromising. Additional trials with less restricted intake conditions, and in more naturalistic general practice settings, might confirm volunteer befriending as a useful adjunct to current treatments.
Longitudinal investigation of depression, intimate partner violence, and supports among vulnerable families
- Authors:
- RIDINGS Leigh E., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33(24), 2018, pp.3749-3771.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects nearly 12 million individuals and their families each year in the United States. Many negative outcomes are associated with IPV, with depression being one of the most prevalent mental health problems. Most previous studies on IPV have used cross-sectional designs to examine the potential protective effects of support on depression. The current study fills this gap by conducting a longitudinal investigation of the roles of social support and family resources on depression among caregivers of young children. The study sample consisted of 548 female caregivers. Findings suggest that among those with an IPV history, those with higher social support reported lower depressive symptoms than those with less social support. No significant interaction was found for family resources and IPV. Rather, family resources had a main effect on depressive symptoms with no differential impact based on IPV status. Findings suggest the importance of connecting vulnerable families to supports such as social support and family resources to help mitigate depressive symptoms. Future research should consider the underlying mechanisms of social support as a protective factor among IPV victims with depression. (Publisher abstract)
Pakistani women's use of mental health services and the role of social networks: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative research
- Authors:
- KAPADIA Dharmi, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 25(4), 2017, p.1304–1317.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Pakistani women in the UK are an at-risk group with high levels of mental health problems, but low levels of mental health service use. However, the rates of service use for Pakistani women are unclear, partly because research with South Asian women has been incorrectly generalised to Pakistani women. Further, this research has been largely undertaken within an individualistic paradigm, with little consideration of patients’ social networks, and how these may drive decisions to seek help. This systematic review aimed to clarify usage rates, and describe the nature of Pakistani women's social networks and how they may influence mental health service use. Ten journal databases (ASSIA, CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, HMIC, IBSS, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Social Sciences Abstracts, Social Science Citation Index and Sociological Abstracts) and six sources of grey literature were searched for studies published between 1960 and the end of March 2014. Twenty-one studies met inclusion criteria. Ten studies (quantitative) reported on inpatient or outpatient service use between ethnic groups. Seven studies (four quantitative, three qualitative) investigated the nature of social networks, and four studies (qualitative) commented on how social networks were involved in accessing mental health services. Pakistani women were less likely than white (British) women to use most specialist mental health services. No difference was found between Pakistani and white women for the consultation of general practitioners for mental health problems. Pakistani women's networks displayed high levels of stigmatising attitudes towards mental health problems and mental health services, which acted as a deterrent to seeking help. No studies were found which compared stigma in networks between Pakistani women and women of other ethnic groups. Pakistani women are at a considerable disadvantage in gaining access to and using statutory mental health services, compared with white women; this, in part, is due to negative attitudes to mental health problems evident in social support networks. (Publisher abstract)
Intimate partner violence and depression in a population-based sample of women: can social support help?
- Authors:
- MBURIA-MWALILI Adel, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(12), December 2010, pp.2258-2278.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Prior studies suggest that social support protects women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). However, sample selection, from clinic and service based settings, may mean that these results are not generalisable to the whole population which includes many abused women who do not seek help. Data from the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in Nevada was analysed to determine whether social support is independently associated with depression in a population-based sample. More than a quarter (27%) of the women who were randomly chosen to participate reported lifetime IPV (n = 472). Twenty-four percent of abused women were currently depressed according to the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Abused women with low to moderate social support were 3 to 5 times more likely to be depressed than those reporting high levels of social support. Other independent risk factors for depression included: younger age; low education (less than high school); fair or poor perceived health status; being overweight or obese; having experienced sexual IPV; and having experienced both physical and sexual IPV. The authors believe there is a need for routine screening for IPV and depression in clinic and community settings. They suggest interventions that target younger women who experience IPV and aim to decrease depression are likely to be most effective if they promote social support, increase education opportunities, and support healthy weight loss behaviours.
Resiliency and social support networks in a population of Mexican American intimate partner violence survivors
- Authors:
- RODITTI Martha, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Families in Society, 91(3), July 2010, pp.248-256.
- Publisher:
- The Alliance for Children and Families
This article explores resilience in the context of the social networks of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. A cross-sectional descriptive study explored the relationship between social support, resilience, and psychological disturbance in Mexican American female survivors of IPV. The study used a nonprobability, convenience sample of 78 women living in battered women’s shelters in two southwestern border cities over a two year period. Interviews conducted with the women explored how much resiliency is affected by mood, and what parts of the IPV survivors’ social networks are most supportive. The results indicated that an increased resilience score is associated with decreased mood disturbance. The study demonstrated a significant relationship between the participants’ perception of social support from formal and organisational sources as well as from friends and neighbours, but not family. The article recommends that the reasons why these women did not turn to their family for support should be the subject of further research. The implications for practice are discussed.
Effect of perceived stigmatisation on the quality of life among ageing female family carers: a comparison of carers of adults with intellectual disability and carers of adults with mental illness
- Authors:
- CHOU Y.C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(7), July 2009, pp.654-664.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Little account has been taken of quality of life (QoL) among family carers of adults with an intellectual disability (ID) and family carers of adults with a mental illness (MI), particularly the female ageing carers' perceived stigma. This study explores whether there are differences in the significant predictors of female ageing family carers' QoL between family carers of adults with ID and family carers of adults with MI and aims to examine the effect of these differences in stigma on carer QoL between the two groups. A structural survey interview was administered to 350 female family carers supporting persons with ID and 66 female carers supporting persons with MI; the carers were aged 55 years and older, and the interviews were carried between July 2006 and April 2007 at the carers' homes in a county in Taiwan. The survey package contained standardised scales to measure the carer's stigma, social support, QoL and health as well as adult and carer socio-demographic data. The results highlight that in both groups the ageing female family carers' health and social support were strongly associated with the level of their QoL even though there was also a strong effect of carers' perceived stigma on their QoL. Contrary to previous findings, ageing female family carers of adults with MI had a higher level of QoL compared with the carers of adults with ID. Hierarchical regressions show a stronger effect of perceived stigma on the carer QoL among the family carers of adults with MI than among the carers of adults with ID. The authors conclude that this study suggests that attempts to improve these female older family carers' health and social support must include their lifelong unmet needs in terms of how to cope with the perceived stigma associated with their position.