Abstract
BackgroundCommunity-based mental health promotion programs focus on improving individual and community wellbeing by strengthening resilience and building capacity to support positive health outcomes. The Wheel of Wellbeing (WoW) is an example of such a program, promoting activities that support social engagement and positive emotions within a holistic framework underpinned by positive psychology. WoW is intended to be flexibly implemented in each community, training community members who implement behaviour change activities in their local community, workplace and educational settings.MethodThis study aimed to understand the opinions and experiences of a sample of individuals who had participated in a range of WoW training programs; documenting the impact on participant behaviours and professional practices, and how the WoW framework was subsequently employed within their communities. Using Ripple Effects Mapping evaluation processes to guide a focus group, nine WoW training participants collectively reflected on the program impacts, generating consensus themes and a mind map. Mind map qualitative data were entered into XMIND mapping software and reviewed with the focus group transcription and field notes.ResultsThematic analysis identified three themes: increased community involvement and engagement (strengthening community connections); improved health, emotions and behaviour (motivating change to health behaviours); and flexible resources which could be utilised in a range of settings (easily incorporated in the existing organisational cultures).ConclusionsThe results of this study support the premise that the WoW framework can be an effective framework for guiding wellbeing promotion activities, with participants championing a ‘ripple effect’ across individual, family, friendship, professional and community networks.
Highlights
Community-based mental health promotion programs focus on improving individual and community wellbeing by strengthening resilience and building capacity to support positive health outcomes
The results of this study support the premise that the Wheel of Wellbeing (WoW) framework can be an effective framework for guiding wellbeing promotion activities, with participants championing a ‘ripple effect’ across individual, family, friendship, professional and community networks
This study found that the WoW framework was seen by participants as a practical and effective vehicle for delivering health promotion activities which supported individual and community mental health and wellbeing
Summary
Community-based mental health promotion programs focus on improving individual and community wellbeing by strengthening resilience and building capacity to support positive health outcomes. The Wheel of Wellbeing (WoW) is an example of such a program, promoting activities that support social engagement and positive emotions within a holistic framework underpinned by positive psychology. We acknowledge that interventions that promote positive mental wellbeing need to take into account individual, community and structural factors if they are to be effective, with deprivation and inequalities diminishing the individual and community resources needed to generate and maintain good mental health [6]. Social support and engagement in community life have been found to provide protection during times of adversity or stress, with growing evidence to support the effectiveness of community-based mental health prevention and intervention programs [7,8,9]
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