Community Mental Health Promotion Research Articles

Wearing their heart on a wall: the World’s Biggest Comic

Abstract An arts-based project, using a community development approach engaging people in a community of place to address suicide prevention, is potentially powerful. This involves linking community development and mental health promotion practice. The challenge in doing this is that, conceptually, the integration between the two is incomplete and there is a lack of guidance about effective community processes. This paper analyses community development processes to create the World’s Biggest Comic (WBC). The WBC was an innovative, large scale public art project engaging local artists, some with a lived experience of mental illness, to tell a story of Will and Hope. A 15-part comic story, printed on vinyl canvas panels and mounted on buildings, covered 600 m2. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=217471332673743 Conducted in a small rural South Australian community by the local volunteer Suicide Prevention Network, the WBC aimed to raise awareness, break down stigma, and prompt life-saving conversations. Results of a mixed method impact evaluation are presented using a community development framework that considers ‘people’, ‘space’, and ‘place’. The use of sociological concepts about community and the community field, the value of relationships, and listening to the voices of those with a lived experience of mental illness, may assist practice. Some potential learnings and pitfalls in using a community development approach in mental health promotion are discussed.

A Community Mental Health and Well-Being University Level Course: Design and Implementation

Background: Community mental health is growing discipline in psychology that recognizes the importance of creating a community that fosters wellness. Although universities provide many individuals a sense of community, little research has examined how community mental health interventions can be implemented into a classroom setting. Purpose: This paper provides a proof of concept of a university course that was created to give students the opportunity to interact with their campus community while receiving course credit over two semesters. Approach: In the first semester, the course provided students with content and theory as it relates to community mental health, well-being, and health promotion. The second semester implemented experiential learning, where students applied knowledge and skills to a placement related to mental health and well-being within their university. Conclusions: This university course can provide benefits to the university (e.g., cost-efficiency), the students (e.g., networking), and the community (e.g., accessible mental health services). This research presents a course framework that other post-secondary institutions can build upon and implement into their own programs. Implications: Future research should focus on implementing experiential learning courses that provide opportunities in the mental health field for undergraduate psychology students to facilitate post-graduate student success.

Understanding the burden of mental and physical health disorders on families: findings from the Saudi National Mental Health Survey

ObjectiveTo assess prevalence and correlation of factors of family burden associated with mental and physical disorders in the general population of Saudi Arabia.Setting and participantsA secondary analysis of data from...

Human is a Social Being: Socializing in Pandemic Times

Objective: It was aimed to evaluate the news of national television that revealed the ways people socialize during the first year of the pandemic in Turkey.
 Methods: According to the ethnographic qualitative research design, the news showed between 11 March 2020 and 11 March 2021 in the news of six national channels in Turkey and containing the forms of socialization were analyzed by content analysis.
 Results: Life did not fit at home, the form of socialization changed and this new form of socialization evolved in the direction of digitalization. Those who have kept up with the digital age have realized their socialization experiences by spending time on social media. Neighbors began communicating by gathering on balconies, rather than being guests in one another's homes. Society have made an effort to cope with uncertainty and obscurity by returning to localness and living its traditions. Coping with challenges in the belief that they would be resolved together has enabled Turkish society to cope more successfully with the pandemic process.
 Conclusions: This study will be a precursor to support multidisciplinary studies in community mental health studies in times of crisis, will provide important data for community mental health promotion practices.

Task sharing and stepped referral model for community mental health promotion in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC): insights from a feasibility study in India

BackgroundThis study is a low-cost community mental health task-sharing model driven by university students to strengthen the mental health workforce in poor resource settings. This article presents the feasibility of a stepped referral model using the community health workforce and university students. The primary feasibility objective is to detect and refer people with mental illness from the community using a task-sharing approach.MethodsWe tested the model using a cross-sectional, one-phase door-knock survey in three geographically defined locations in Kerala, India, between May and July 2019. Students surveyed 549 residents above 18 years of age who consented to participate in the study to detect depressive symptoms and suicidality. The feasibility of the current model was evaluated based on four criteria: (a) identification and deployment of untapped human resources, (b) coordination of community health resources, (c) the acceptability of stepped referral pathways, and (d) identification of implementation challenges.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 38.8, and more than 62% of the respondents were women. The results showed that 11.29%, 8.38%, and 4.91% of people reported mild, moderate, and severe levels of depression, respectively, and suicidal thoughts were found in 6.9% and suicidal ideation in 1.8%. The odds of depression were higher among females compared to males (OR: 1.64 (0.75–2.52), poor people (OR: 2.01 (1.14–2.88), and people with chronic illnesses (OR: 2.03 (1.24–2.81). The agreement of the findings with professional-administered research validated the strategy’s efficiency. Twenty-seven patients with severe/extreme degrees of depression were sent for high-intensity interventions led by the mental health team, whereas 135 individuals with mild and above depression were referred for low-intensity interventions.ConclusionsThe newly recruited mental health workforce-driven screenings were acceptable and effective in detecting mental illness in the community population. We tested the care coordination systems and processes in creating referral pathways for the detected patients. Further, task-sharing stepped referral model will be tested in five panchayats (the lowest tier of local self-government) before replicating the model across India through Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) scheme.

A qualitative study of the perceptions of mental health among the Traveller community in Ireland.

Irish Travellers are a minority ethnic group who experience a high prevalence of mental health problems and a rate of suicide six times higher compared to the general Irish population. This study explores Travellers' perceptions of mental health and its determinants. It also identifies the most relevant factors for promoting positive mental health and wellbeing among this socially excluded group. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed to explore participants' perceptions of mental health and mental health needs. Four focus groups were conducted with a total of 25 adult members of the Travelling community. Inductive thematic analysis was undertaken to identify and interpret the main themes emerging from the participants' responses. Travellers conceptualize mental health mostly in negative terms and showed a lack of awareness of the concept of positive mental health. Travellers showed a strong awareness of the social determinants of mental health identifying employment, better education, suitable accommodation, a reduction of discrimination and improved trust and social cohesion as important determinants that need to be addressed to improve their mental health status. The centrality of cultural identity and social-emotional skills emerged as key factors in promoting positive mental health among Travellers. The findings suggest that Travellers' mental health is multidimensional and requires a socio-ecological approach that addresses the wider determinants of health. Community mental health promotion initiatives should focus on reducing discrimination, enhancing social and emotional wellbeing and self-esteem, improvement of living conditions, reduced mental health stigma, and the promotion of Traveller culture and positive self-identity.

The Effects of Emotional Labor and Job Stress on Job Burnout in Community Mental Health Promotion Center Workers

The Effects of Emotional Labor and Job Stress on Job Burnout in Community Mental Health Promotion Center Workers

Reducing Preventable Hospitalization and Disparity: Association With Local Health Department Mental Health Promotion Activities.

Serving as the center of community-engaged health programs, local health departments can play a critical role in promoting community mental health. The objectives of this study were to explore the association between local health department activities and (1) preventable hospitalizations for individuals with mental disorders, and (2) associated racial disparities in preventable hospitalizations. Employing the linked data sets of the 2012-2013 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project state inpatient discharge file of the State of Maryland, the National Association of County and City Health Officials Profiles Survey, the Area Resource File, and U.S. Census data, the authors estimated the association between local health department activities (i.e., provision of mental health preventive care and community mental health promotion) and the reduction of the preventable hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions and coexisting mental disorders. All the data analyses were conducted during September 2016-August 2017. Multilevel regression showed that local health departments' provision of mental health preventive care (OR=0.76, 95% CI=0.63, 0.92) and mental health promotion activities (OR=0.77, 95% CI=0.62, 0.94) were significantly associated with lower rates of preventable hospitalizations for individuals with ambulatory care-sensitive conditions and coexisting mental disorders. Decomposition results suggested that local health departments' direct provision of mental health preventive care could reduce 9% of the racial disparities. Improving care coordination and integration are essential to meeting the growing demands for healthcare access, while controlling costs and improving quality of service delivery. These results suggest that it will be effective to engage local health departments in the integrated behavioral health system.

Demonstrating the methodology of a pilot programme for establishing a system for mental health promotion in Hungary

IntroductionA 12 month long mental health promotion pilot programme in Hungary, funded by the Norway Grants, will finish on 30th April 2017.AimsTo launch six community mental health promotion centers (MHPCs) located in various economic environments, supervised by one Methodological Center plus expert teams and carrying out studies on the effectiveness of the launch of the system. The final recommendations will constitute a basis for setting up a national network for mental health promotion.ObjectivesTo develop a sustainable model for establishing a national network of MHPCs; to map and record the mental health problems and the stakeholders of the area; to find and assess the local best practices; and to raise public awareness in the following mental health problems: depression, suicide, stress and dementia.Methods(1) Models for inducing changes in the knowledge and attitudes upon mental health in the communities were reviewed in a systematic literature search. (2) Based on the results, a model of mental health promotion centers was outlined for problem identification, stakeholder mapping, assessing local best practices, organizing and supporting local networking activities for synergistic effects. (3) In the new MHPCs, on-site TTT education programme and organisational development have been in place. (4) The activities of the MHPCs have been monitored for knowledge transfer and attitude changes in the local networks. (5) Based on the results, recommendations are being made for the national extension of the model.Results and conclusionsThe first data ready for analysis will be available by April 2017.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

A Review of Taiwan's Community Mental Health Policies: Current Developments and Future Prospect

Community mental health is an important area of public health. This study initially elaborates from the perspective of community psychology the concept and basis of the practice of community mental health work, including the importance of prevention over treatment, of valuing personal advantages and capabilities, and of adopting an ecological perspective, a respect for diversity, empowerment, and scientific cooperation and integration. Subsequently, this paper reviews the history of the development of community mental health work in Taiwan and of the operations, developmental issues, and difficulties currently faced by community mental health centers. Finally, this paper addresses the future prospects for community mental health work in Taiwan in hopes that the government will attach greater importance to related policies and implementation plans, optimize the service and delivery systems of community mental health organizations, reinforce community mental health education, develop effective community mental health promotion strategies, provide accessible and continuous direct services, integrate community mental health resources, and support the families of mental health patients in order to consolidate and better promote community-based mental health work.

The new mentality: Youth–adult partnerships in community mental health promotion

Youth–adult partnerships (Y-APs) engage young people in meaningful community activity and in the institutions and decisions that affect their lives. The current study is an examination of the process of The New Mentality, a multi-site pilot program intended to mobilize Y-APs to raise community awareness of child and youth mental health, reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness, and advocate for a mental health service system that is more responsive to the needs of children and youth. Data were gathered through individual interviews, focus groups, observations, and questionnaires with youth and adult stakeholders at various levels of the project. A number of themes emerged from the data. These included the critical nature of relationships youth experienced, the cultural differences and advocacy opportunities presented in the child and youth mental health system, the program's level of structure, and individual learning and knowledge sharing.

An Innovative Mental Health Outreach Program in Southern Sri Lanka: Successes and Lessons Learnt

Psychiatric illnesses has emerged as an important disease category as prevalence of mental disorders is being rising sharply. The disease burden due to mental illnesses is rising in Sri Lanka as well. Provision of care for those who are psychiatrically ill poses a significant challenge to health care systems. In this circumstances a community based our reach program becomes an important and effective strategy to improve psychiatric services provided for patients. Community support officers (CSO) program was launched in 2006 in district of Hambantota, Southern Sri Lanka to serve this purpose. Objective of this article is to describe the program in relation to its objectives, initiation, main activities, coordination, technical guidance, funding, monitoring and evaluation. Then we intended to evaluate the success by analyzing performance data and impact made. Finally we critically analyzed the program to discuss strengths and weaknesses in view of providing a guidance to replicate it in other settings. Program documents were reviewed and key informant interviews were done with leading characters of the program. Periodical progress reports and reports on performance review meetings also retrieved. Recruitment of CSO’s was done according to set criteria. They were given a special training and skills were developed on identification of common psychiatric illnesses at field level, communication skills and crisis intervention. Lecture discussions and role plays were used as teaching methods and consultant psychiatrists conducted the program. Organizational structure of the program was laid down within the existing administrative framework of primary health care system in the country. Main functions of CSO’s were Surveying the community to detect mentally ill people, Guiding and directing patients to seek psychiatric care, following up those patients, Conducting, contributing and participating in community mental health promotion programs. Supervision and monitoring was done at various levels and periodical progress review meetings were held. It was based on inbuilt information system. This program was concluded by the end of 2010. Follow up responsibilities were handed over to primary health staff at MOH offices. CSO program is a classic example for how community level workers can be empowered and utilized as an effective workforce to deliver mental health services at grass root level where existing system can’t penetrate. Carefully planned recruitment criteria, training given by technical experts, linking with existing primary health care system and monitoring done by regional health authorities were responsible for the success of this program.

Promoción de la salud y prevención en tiempos de crisis: el rol del sector sanitario. Informe SESPAS 2014

This article reviews trends in lifestyle factors and identifies priorities in the fields of prevention and health promotion in the current economic recession. Several information sources were used, including a survey of 30 public health and primary care experts. Between 2006 and 2012, no significant changes in lifestyle factors were detected except for a decrease in habitual alcohol drinking. There was a slight decrease in the use of illegal drugs and a significant increase in the use of psychoactive drugs. Most experts believe that decision-making about new mass screening programs and changes in vaccination schedules needs to be improved by including opportunity cost analysis and increasing the transparency and independence of the professionals involved. Preventive health services are contributing to medicalization, but experts’ opinions are divided on the need for some preventive activities.Priorities in preventive services are mental health and HIV infection in vulnerable populations. Most experts trust in the potential of health promotion to mitigate the health effects of the economic crisis. Priority groups are children, unemployed people and other vulnerable groups. Priority interventions are community health activities (working in partnership with local governments and other sectors), advocacy, and mental health promotion. Effective tools for health promotion that are currently underused are legislation and mass media. There is a need to clarify the role of the healthcare sector in intersectorial activities, as well as to acknowledge that social determinants of health depend on other sectors. Experts also warn of the consequences of austerity and of policies that negatively impact on living conditions.

Neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation, perceived neighborhood factors, and cortisol responses to induced stress among healthy adults

Associations between measures of neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and health have been identified, yet work is needed to uncover explanatory mechanisms. One hypothesized pathway is through stress, yet the few studies that have evaluated associations between characteristics of deprived neighborhoods and biomarkers of stress are mixed. This study evaluated whether objectively measured neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and individual perceived neighborhood characteristics (i.e. social control and fear of crime) impacted cortisol responses to an induced stressor among older healthy adults. Data from Heart Scan, a sub-study of the Whitehall II cohort, were used to generate multilevel piecewise growth-curve models of cortisol trajectories after a laboratory stressor accounting for neighborhood and demographic characteristics. Neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation was significantly associated with individual perceptions of social control and fear of crime in the neighborhood while an association with blunted cortisol reactivity was only evidence among women. Social control was significantly associated with greater cortisol reactivity and mediation between neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and cortisol reactivity was suggested among women. These findings support a gender-dependent role of neighborhood in stress process models of health.

Recess Activity and General Health Status among Iranian Elementary Schools' Pupils.

Regular and daily physical activity during childhood and at school is one of the important part of requirements of normal growth, development and well-being. To achieve physical activity promotion among school child aged population recess as outside of class time efforts is scheduled and allows students to engage in physical and social activities. The purpose of the present study was to assess recess activities as well as status of physical activities among a sample of Iranian students at the primary schools. This cross-sectional study was performed in four randomly selected schools from a list of 26 elementary schools in March, 2012 in the city of Shahindej, located in North-west of Iran. Participants were 439 (10-12 years) elementary schools'. Physical activity level by self-reporting, mental health using the parent-completed Child Health Questionnaire, and happiness was assessed using a Persian translated version of the Subjective Happiness Scale. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was applied in two steps using the enter method to analyze data in the SPSS version 17. Backward logistic regression analysis showed that gender of the parent who answered the study questions, father's education, educational grade of children, BMI, physical function, physical health, health status of the children and family function were significantly related to the children's physical activity level. Promoting parents' awareness and schools' staff about importance of physical activities especially in recess times must be an important part of school and community mental health promotion programs.

From Sociocultural Disintegration to Community Connectedness Dimensions of Local Community Concepts and Their Effects on Psychological Health of Its Residents

In a series of community mental health promotion studies in Lofoten, Norway, the concept of sociocultural integration is used to describe properties of a local community that are related to people's psychological health. Starting with Durkheim's description of a cohesive society, we compare different concepts that are related to sociocultural integration, for example, sense of community, social capital, and social cohesion. We then examine the relationship of various individual oriented social psychological concepts to sociocultural integration. These concepts often share theoretical and operational definitions. The concept of sociocultural integration in the Lofoten studies was proved to be very valuable in understanding how the properties of a community can affect people's mental health and their social psychological properties. It has also shown its value in the planning of mental health services and demonstrating its success in concrete community-based mental health promotion projects. Thus they could make important contributions to further studies and actions in local communities where the intersection between the individual, their social network, and their local community occurs.

Philosophical dialogues as paths to a more ‘positive psychology’

AbstractAlthough family support programmes have been in place for several decades in Greece very little attention has been paid to evaluating the effectiveness of such endeavours, the techniques that influence their outcomes and the receptiveness to their messages. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of research findings collected during the first qualitative research phase of a community mental health promotion project. The research was conducted in order to delineate programme outcomes and the characteristics that had an impact on the participants' lives. The 3‐month family support programme intended to introduce ‘philosophical dialogues’ as means to developing personal and communal understandings of what makes life worth living. The programme was developed and implemented on Crete under the auspices of a non‐profit community organization appropriately named ‘The Lyceum for Women’. The features of the programme that contributed and enhanced the participants' tendencies to become not passive targets but active partners and stakeholders in the process will be clarified, as will the conceptualization and approach. Of the 45 evaluation protocols that were analysed the following themes were most important for the participants: ‘Group as‐a‐whole process’—the sense of sharing and development understandings in a ‘parea’ (in‐group); ‘relational outcomes’—feeling of belonging, ‘reciprocated kindness’, and giving of self to others; personal and emotional outcomes‐self‐efficacy and empowerment; knowledge outcomes‐learning about positive emotions and enjoying the simple things in life; and group facilitator outcomes‐sharing stories, ‘gives of self to the community’. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Methodological contribution to effectivity studies of training programs in community mental health promotion

Methodological contribution to effectivity studies of training programs in community mental health promotion

Researching the implementation of community mental health promotion programs

Understanding the process of program implementation plays a critical role in advancing research, practice and policy in mental health promotion. This paper focuses on the implementation of community mental health promotion and considers the challenges presented in implementing and evaluating complex, multifaceted interventions carried out in the context of dynamic community settings. The Rural Mental Health Project1-3 is presented as a case study to illustrate the practical and research challenges encountered in implementing and evaluating a community mental health promotion initiative. This case study highlights the factors that contributed to the successful implementation and evaluation of a community-based intervention for rural communities on the border region in the Republic and Northern Ireland. Among the factors identified are: a partnership model of working; local co-ordinating structures and consultation mechanisms; use of a structured planning model to guide program planning and implementation; mobilisation of cross-community and inter-agency support; and a comprehensive logic evaluation framework to assess the input, process, impact and outcomes of the project as it unfolded.

Health Promotion Strategy and Primary Prevention Program at Semmelweis University

In contemporary societies, health is widely recognised as the most valuable personal asset. It has undergone significant reconceptualisation in recent decades, of which the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986) is a major document, advocating empowerment and community mental health thinking. Such concepts have fallen on fertile ground in East Central Europe, where a veritable community mental health promotion movement has sprung up, soon developing institutional means of disseminating the novel views. A discussion of the East Central European scene is introduced by an overview of the emergence and key elements of community mental health thinking and of the possible levels of corresponding intervention. An examination is offered of the deforming effects of dictatorship on community mental health, using the related notions of salutogenesis and Sense of Coherence to deepen the analysis. An exemplary graduate program was developed and established in Hungary even before the Ottawa Charter stated its directive on training. It is designed not so much to convey specialised knowledge as to impart a set of skills and competencies through which helping professionals are better equipped to practice their primary vocation and promote the mental health of the wider community. The program's goals, contents, structure and specific features are described in detail, emphasising knowledge of self and society, multidisciplinarity, a holistic approach and society building.