Formal Help Research Articles

The Role of Extracurricular Activities within Children's Palaces and Clubs in the Development Of Key Competences

The extracurricular educational activities within the Children’s Palaces and Clubs are carried out on the basis of goals that are implemented through a student-centred educational strategy. The content, methods and tools used are studentcentred, differentiated according to the abilities and interests of the children. The activities are flexible, optional, and complementary to formal education and help to develop personality, creativity and competencies. The extracurricular activities are student-centred and focus on the formative side of learning by identifying effective ways of organizing and guiding student activity. The teacher must become a facilitator, a mentor – through his activities students will acquire knowledge, develop competencies and skills, aptitudes, attitudes through which the theoretical knowledge can be transposed into practical knowledge and helps in the integration into contemporary society. This questionnaire investigates the role, importance and complementarity of extracurricular activities. It studies the factors that influence the participation of the students in the extra-curricular activities offered by the Children’s Palaces and Clubs. The study was conducted on a national level among children, an online questionnaire with 19 questions was applied (N = 3945). The results show us the important role of non-formal activities, activities that together with formal education help to improve results and are complementary in the development of competencies. The study helps to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of extracurricular education, the results shed light on the children’s needs children, and to what extent the use of the student-centred educational strategy will help to achieve better results in education, and probably to reduce school dropout.

Jamaican adolescents' receptiveness to digital mental health services: A cross-sectional survey from rural and urban communities

BackgroundImproving access to mental health resources for young people is an urgent healthcare challenge. As the majority of youth live in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) mental ill health can exert substantial adverse impacts on societies that can least afford it. Digital mental health technologies might help close the treatment gap but we need to understand barriers to implementing these strategies, especially in resource constrained contexts such as LMICs. MethodsWe surveyed adolescents (N = 107; aged 10–19 years) from Jamaican communities using questionnaires adopted from previous studies conducted in LMICs. The questions addressed mental health help-seeking preferences, expectations of help-seeking effectiveness, and practical and attitudinal barriers to using mobile-phone-based mental health resources. We present descriptive data alongside exploratory analyses of differences in attitudes and preferences expressed by subgroups of respondents. ResultsAdolescents reported very few practical or infrastructure barriers to accessing digital mental health resources. >90% of the sample had access to a smartphone, 78% expected that digital solutions could benefit adolescents with symptoms of mental distress, and 56% were interested in using mental health apps to monitor their own mental health. Stigma, shame, and embarrassment were major barriers to help-seeking and formal professional help was only preferred for more severe conditions such as psychosis and substance abuse. ConclusionsPractical barriers are unlikely to impede the uptake of digital mental health resources by Jamaican adolescents. Our data suggest that mental health literacy, stigma, and embarrassment pose more serious blocks to help-seeking.

A Matched Control Trial of a Mental Health Literacy Intervention for Parents in Community Sports Clubs.

This controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a mental health literacy intervention for parents delivered through community sport clubs. In total, 540 parents (321 females, 219 males) of adolescent athletes participated in a brief educational workshop on youth mental health (n = 352) or a community-matched control group (n = 188). Generalised linear mixed models revealed no significant improvements in the intervention group compared to control in the primary mental health literacy outcomes, at 1month follow-up. However, parents in the intervention group were more likely to seek formal help for themselves, had increased confidence and knowledge to help someone experiencing a mental health disorder, experienced reduced psychological distress, and perceived more support from other parents in their sport club, relative to the control group. Overall, the findings suggest that a brief educational intervention delivered through community sports clubs can positively affect some components of parents' mental health literacy.

Digital conversations about suicide among teenagers and adults with epilepsy: A big-data, machine learning analysis.

ObjectiveDigital media conversations can provide important insight into the concerns and struggles of people with epilepsy (PWE) outside of formal clinical settings and help generate useful information for treatment planning. Our study aimed to explore the big data from open‐source digital conversations among PWE with regard to suicidality, specifically comparing teenagers and adults, using machine learning technology.MethodsAdvanced machine‐learning empowered methodology was used to mine and structure open‐source digital conversations of self‐identifying teenagers and adults who endorsed suffering from epilepsy and engaged in conversation about suicide. The search was limited to 12 months and included only conversations originating from US internet protocol (IP) addresses. Natural language processing and text analytics were employed to develop a thematic analysis.ResultsA total of 222 000 unique conversations about epilepsy, including 9000 (4%) related to suicide, were posted during the study period. The suicide‐related conversations were posted by 7.8% of teenagers and 3.2% of adults in the study. Several critical differences were noted between teenagers and adults. A higher percentage of teenagers are: fearful of “the unknown” due to seizures (63% vs 12% adults), concerned about social consequences of seizures (30% vs 21%), and seek emotional support (29% vs 19%). In contrast, a significantly higher percentage of adults show a defeatist (“given up”) attitude compared to teenagers (42% vs 4%). There were important differences in the author's determined sentiments behind the conversations among teenagers and adults.SignificanceIn this first of its kind big data analysis of nearly a quarter‐million digital conversations about epilepsy using machine learning, we found that teenagers engage in an online conversation about suicide more often than adults. There are some key differences in the attitudes and concerns, which may have implications for the treatment of younger patients with epilepsy.

Między tłumaczeniem słów a tłumaczeniem sensu

Is it necessary to refer literally to all the words in order to translate a text faithfully? The ancient Syriac-speaking church already lived this dilemma. In no ancient language can we have access to a series of translations from different centuries in order to follow the diachronic development of the translation technique so closely. This paper presents for the first time to a Polish reader the process of transformation of the New Testament translations into Syriac from reader-oriented to source-oriented type. Contemporary categories of dynamic and formal equivalence help us to describe the characteristic features of particular translations, in which different assumptions and goals lead to a new reception of the text. The translation technique is analyzed on the example of John 3:1.2.16.17 in three Syriac translations from different epochs: Vetus Syra, Peshitta, Harklean. A broader supplementary bibliography on the topics discussed is also presented.

Outcomes of reducing stigma towards alcohol misuse during adolescence: results of a randomized controlled trial of the MAKINGtheLINK intervention

BackgroundWhile it is well-recognized that the stigma associated with alcohol use problems can prevent or delay help-seeking, there is limited research examining stigmatising attitudes towards alcohol misuse, or their consequences, during adolescence. The current study examined the results of a school-based intervention on adolescents’ stigmatising attitudes towards alcohol misuse among their peers, and how changes in attitudes influenced intentions to encourage help-seeking, as well as participants’ personal use and misuse of alcohol.MethodsParticipants (n = 463) were a subset of a larger sample participating in a randomized controlled trial of the MAKINGtheLINK intervention. Of the included participants, 287 (62%) were allocated to the intervention group and 176 (38%) to the control group. Assessments were conducted at baseline and 6-weeks, 6-months, and 12-months post-baseline. At each assessment, participants were presented with a vignette describing a peer experiencing alcohol misuse and completed the General Help Seeking Questionnaire as well as a 10-item scale measuring stigmatising attitudes. Alcohol use was also assessed.ResultsThe intervention was associated with a greater reduction in ‘weak-not-sick’ attitudes over time, which in turn predicted stronger intentions to encourage help-seeking from family members and formal help sources at the 12-month follow-up. Perceptions of dangerousness did not change significantly as a result of the intervention, however overall perceptions of dangerousness demonstrated a trend towards encouraging help-seeking from formal sources. Changes in stigma were not associated with past-year alcohol use or problems.ConclusionsSchool-based interventions such as MAKINGtheLINK can decrease some stigmatising attitudes towards alcohol misuse during adolescence, and increase adolescents’ intentions to encourage help-seeking from both formal and informal help sources. However, results varied depending on both the dimension of stigma examined and the type of help source, highlighting a complex relationship between stigma, intentions, and sources of help that requires further investigation. Importantly, reducing stigma did not appear to result in negative effects due to greater acceptance of drinking (e.g., heavier alcohol use), supporting continued efforts to reduce alcohol-related stigma during adolescence.Trial registration: Registered with the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR) on the 27th of February 2013 (ACTRN12613000235707)

Online help for people with suicidal thoughts provided by charities and healthcare organisations: a qualitative study of users\u2019 perceptions

PurposeInternet use is common among people with suicidal feelings and a considerable amount of suicide help material is available online. Despite attempts to promote formal help sites (e.g. governmental and charity sector) in internet search results, users’ evaluation of these sites is lacking. This study, therefore, aimed to explore distressed users’ perceptions of formal online help and their experiences of using this in times of crisis.MethodsIn-depth interview study of 53 adults reporting suicide-related internet use.ResultsWhile highly valued in relation to general mental health problems, formal sites were not perceived to meet the different needs of those experiencing suicidal thoughts, and did not engage individuals in crisis. Sites were criticised for being impersonal, dispassionate, too focused on information-giving, and lacking solutions that were novel or sensitive to reasons why an individual may choose to seek help online. Most participants criticised the tendency for sites to signpost to offline services as their primary response. Participants desired immediacy and responsive online help incorporating ‘live chat’, self-help tools, opportunities to interact with others and lived-experience content. Positive accounts of seeking online help described sites incorporating these features.ConclusionsFormal online help services should be reappraised to ensure they meet users’ needs for immediacy and responsive help to capitalise upon the opportunity available for suicide prevention.

Factors Associated with Help-Seeking among Women Affected by Intimate Partner Violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

According to a published report by the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics in 2011, 37% of ever-married women in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) reported having experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) by their husband at least once in the previous year. However, less than 1% of women who had experienced IPV sought formal help. Thus, this study sought to identify factors associated with help-seeking among women in the oPt. We used linear probability regression to investigate factors associated with formal and informal help-seeking among survivors of IPV, using data from the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics’ 2011 Violence Survey. Our results showed women in Gaza were more likely to seek formal help than those in the West Bank. Employed women were more likely to seek informal help, and higher education was inversely associated with informal help-seeking. Findings suggest both political and sociocultural barriers to help-seeking. We recommend policies that decrease barriers to IPV help-seeking, such as harmful gender norms, and support organizations that provide valuable services to women in the oPt.

An examination of help-seeking preferences via best-worst scaling.

This study utilized best-worst scaling and latent class analysis to assess mental health treatment preferences and identify subgroups of college student help seekers. College students (N = 504; age: M = 20.3, 79.2% female) completed assessments of mental health treatment preferences, self-stigma, and distress. Students preferred utilizing friends and family, followed by professional mental health providers, self-help, keeping concerns to themselves, physicians, and lastly religious leaders. Latent class analyses identified four classes of respondents. Subgroups of student help seekers include Formal Help Seekers who prefer professional mental health providers, Informal Help Seekers who prefer friends and family, Ambivalent Help Seekers who prefer family and friends but also keeping concerns to themselves, and Help Avoiders who prefer keeping concerns to themselves. Assessing treatment preferences among different student subgroups may constitute an initial step in identifying effective ways to address university-wide mental health concerns.

Barriers to help seeking and provider preferences for sexual functioning concerns among undergraduates

Objective Researchers who have studied help-seeking for sexual health concerns have consistently documented that individuals, couples, and families underutilize sexual health services. Additionally, research has demonstrated that individuals endorse myriad barriers to seeking informal and formal help, especially for sexual health concerns. This study examined past, present, and future provider preferences for sexual functioning concerns. Participants: A sample of 347 undergraduate students at a large university in the Northeast United States. Methods: Participants responded to questionnaires about their help-seeking behaviors for formal and informal help sources. Results: Despite the occurrence of sexual functioning concerns in the current study, services that address sexual concerns were largely underutilized. However, barriers to seeking help and negative attitudes toward seeking help did not seem to be primary reasons for the underutilization of services for the current sample. Results also indicated that providers that focus specifically on the treatment of sexual functioning concerns are among the most underutilized services. Discussion: Implications for sexual health providers based on results are provided.

"I did not know it was a medical condition": Predictors, severity and help seeking behaviors of women with female sexual dysfunction in the Volta region of Ghana.

The study's main objective was to describe the prevalence and severity of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) amongst a group of Ghanaian women in the outpatient setting of the predominantly rural Volta region of Ghana. Additionally we determine the predictors of FSD severity and care seeking behaviors of women with the condition. This was a cross sectional study conducted in the outpatient setting of the Ho Teaching Hospital in the rural-savannah, agro-ecological zone of Volta Region, Ghana. FSD was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. FSD was defined with a cutoff of ≤23 so as not to under-estimate the prevalence in this conservative setting. FSFI score >23 was designated "no FSD". We further categorized women with FSD as having mild (FSFI Total score 18-23), moderate (FSFI Total score <18 to >10) or severe (FSFI Total score ≤10) FSD. Due to sample size restrictions, we combined the moderate and severe FSD groups in our analyses and defined "moderate/severe FSD" as an FSFI Total score < 18. Participants with FSD were further asked to indicate whether or not they sought help for their conditions, the reasons they sought help, and the types of help they sought. We used p<0.05 to determine statistical significance for all analyses and logistic regression models were used to determine crude and age-adjusted effect estimates. FSD Prevalence: Out of 407 women approached, 300 (83.8%) agreed and consented to participate in the study. The prevalence of FSD was 48.3% (n = 145). Compared to those without FSD, over a third of the FSD women resided in rural settings (37.90% vs 20.60%; p = 0.001) and tended to be multiparous, with a significantly greater proportion having at least three children (31.70% vs 18.10%; p = 0.033). FSD Severity: Over a quarter of the sample (27.6%, n = 40) met the cut-off for moderate to severe FSD. In age-adjusted models, lubrication disorder was associated with 45 times the odds of moderate/severe FSD (age-adj. OR: 45.38, 95% CI: 8.37, 246.00; p<0.001), pain with 17times the odds (age-adj. OR: 17.18, 95% CI: 4.50, 65.50; p<0.001) and satisfaction almost 5times the odds (age-adj. OR: 4.69, 95% CI: 1.09, 20.2; p = 0.04). Compared to those with 1-3 children, nulliparous women had 3.5 times higher odds of moderate/severe sexual dysfunction as well (age-adj. OR:3.51, 95% CI:1.37,8.98; p = 0.009). FSD-related Health Seeking Behaviors: Statistically significant predictors of FSD-related care seeking included having FSD of pain disorder (age-adj. OR: 5.91, 95% CI:1.29, 27.15; p = 0.02), having ≥4 children (age-adj. OR: 6.29, 95%CI: 1.53, 25.76; p = 0.01). Of those who sought help, seven in 10 sought formal help from a healthcare provider, with General Practitioners preferred over Gynecologist. About one in 3 (31.3%) who did not seek help indicated that they did not know their sexual dysfunction was a medical condition, over a quarter (28.9%) "thought it was normal" to have FSD, and interestingly, 14.1% did not think a medical provider would be able to provide them with assistance. Sexual dysfunctions are prevalent yet taboo subjects in many countries, including Ghana. Awareness raising and efforts to feminize the physician workforce are necessary to meet the healthcare needs of vulnerable members of Ghanaian society.

Untreated pathological gamblers: who recovers and who does not?

ABSTRACT Most individuals with a lifetime history of pathological gambling (PGs) overcome their gambling problems without formal help. Little is known about factors associated with recovery in gamblers without treatment. The aim of this study was to examine associations of psychiatric comorbidity and social conditions with remission among untreated PGs. Two recruitment channels (population-based and self-referred) were used to obtain a nation-wide sample from Germany. The sample included 118 PGs with no prior experience of help-seeking for gambling problems who received a clinical interview to assess psychiatric comorbidity, severity of disorder, social pressure, social support, and life satisfaction. Of the 118 PGs, 46.6% were recovered. Compared to current PGs, recovered PGs were older and had suffered from significantly more adverse consequences prior to recovery (OR: 1.18, CI: 1.04–1.33, p = .008). Additionally, they had experienced less social support (OR: 0.97, CI: 0.94–1.00, p = .027). No differences in terms of the number of DSM-IV criteria, financial loss, gambling intensity, and duration were found. Moreover, psychiatric disorders did not differ between groups. Untreated recovery from gambling may be independent of the severity of PG and psychiatric comorbidity. Social support might have an attenuating effect on the consequences of PG and therefore might reduce the perceived need for change.

Factors for Formal Help-Seeking among Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) results in numerous negative physical and mental health consequences. Research shows that many factors affect survivors’ help-seeking decisions. Previous studies were limited by small samples, and by excluding multiple forms of IPV consequences and multiple types of help sources. This study attempted to fill this gap by using a nationally representative dataset that collected data on multiple consequences of violence and formal sources of help. This study used the National Crime Victimization Survey to examine factors for female survivors’ help-seeking (n = 474). The main variables were formal help-seeking (medical, legal), types of victimization and consequences, and demographics. All were examined through logistic regression analyses. Black/African American survivors sought more formal help than their White counterparts. Sexually victimized survivors used less legal help than those victimized by physical violence. These results suggest that survivors’ formal help-seeking should be viewed in a broad health context, including their experienced victimization, subsequent medical needs, and the circumstances and conditions underlying their decision to seek a particular type of help. Future research needs to examine the circumstances and outcomes of both formal and informal help-seeking by racial/ethnic minorities. Law enforcement officers may be able to collaborate with medical care systems to ensure that survivors receive proper treatment. Future research is needed to better understand survivors’ help-seeking as navigating through complicated webs of their experienced victimization, subsequent medical needs, and the circumstances and conditions underlying their decision to seek which type of help.

TAPPING NATURAL NETWORKS TO ADDRESS DEMENTIA IN A LATINO COMMUNITY

The need for health education regarding Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), specifically designed for Latinos, has been well-documented. Many Latino older adults and their families delay seeking formal help for ADRD symptoms due to lack of information and access to culturally sensitive services. This paper presents preliminary findings of community-based participatory research to develop El Barrio SHARE, a culturally-tailored intervention tapping natural helpers (NHs) to address a need identified by community members in East Harlem, NY. It trains people who often interact with elders in the course of their work (e.g., hairdressers, bodega clerks), and are well-positioned to observe and detect ADRD-related problems and potentially link elders to relevant services. Findings from a process evaluation developing the 10-module NH training suggest that (a) participants seek information that debunks myths and stigma surrounding ADRD, and (b) the need for culturally-tailored, participant-centered interventions in marginalized communities is critical.

Forming Opportunities through Design Thinking

An interesting development in the entrepreneurial economy is the rise in both number and diversity of roles played by designers. Be it as consultants, contractors, educators, founders or funding decision-makers, design skills seem to be increasingly attractive to entrepreneurial teams, accelerator programs and venture capital. This exploratory study asks whether the practices, cognitive processes and mindsets prevalent in a formal design education help in the formation of entrepreneurial opportunities. Using a visual narrative approach, it compares the processes through which entrepreneurial opportunities were formed by 14 Chilean founders from design and non-design backgrounds, with the purpose of identifying how design thinking contributes to, hinders, or fails to support those processes. Findings suggest that collaborative work styles, thinking by doing and reflective reframing have the greatest positive impacts on opportunity formation, regardless of the disciplinary background of founders. Design thinking does not seem to provide a clear understanding of value creation and resource leveraging. The study finds parallels between design thinking and opportunity formation that can be drawn upon to improve development of entrepreneurial competencies among designers.

Show your rare, handle with care: a knowledge brokers network to handle rare disease patients

Abstract Background In Rare diseases patients. difficult in diagnosis can produce inappropriate pathways of care. A correct diagnosis took almost 5 years in Europe and 7.3-7.6 y in US. The directive 2011/24/EU provides a legal regulatory asset for the European Reference Networks (ERNs). ERNs are designed to connect health care providers and centers of expertise for gaining appropriate pathways of high-quality care and to support sponsorship in order to make healthcare closer to the patients. Federico II University actually has 9 confirmed ERNs. Methods We connected the patient related activities inside the ERNs and we planned a project-based network that creates harmonization of diagnostic tools and widespread diffusion of screening activity able to drive diagnostic enrichment. The Hospital Chief Office together with the Public Health Department acts as “Knowledge brokers” (KB) defined as connectors who may crisscross the hierarchical boundaries. We scheduled interventions into the ERNs and future improvements. Interventions areas have been represented in a conceptual map. Results Brokers into the network are attended to allow better merged innovation rate and sharing data. Improvements could be directed toward: 1) sharing data and communication, 2) diagnostic enrichment 3) hospital services networking into the path. Including this model in the regional pathways may build a common platform to support appropriate care in disease-endemic regions. The designed model finally aimed at define how humanization and networking of care can be measured as gain in efficiency along the overall path. Conclusions Network potential may overload a simply specific hub focused approach. The “criss cross” knowledge brokering (could be a strategy able to support clinical and diagnostic activities. To proceed over, in orphan disease handling, we may progress from approaches centered on florid cases toward a balanced screening design, able to guarantee a diagnostic enrichment for a rare condition. Key messages Implicit and formal Networking cam help rare disease handling. Sharing data and diagnostic enrichment are the main issues.

Formal modeling and verification of software‐defined networks: A survey

SummaryUnlike traditional networking devices, control and management plane are decoupled from data plane in software‐defined networks (SDN). The logically centralized control and management plane facilitate dynamic orchestration of network resources, services, and policies by writing software programs. This provides much needed flexibility and programmability where networking rules and policies can be modified dynamically depending upon the application context. As the operation of network services entirely depends on a program, a small fault may induce several issues which can adversely affect the expected behavior of the network. Formal modeling and verification help in catching inconsistencies and existence of errors prior to the deployment of the programs that control the behavior of a network. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey of tools and techniques available in the literature for formal modeling and verification of SDN. These tools and techniques are classified based on their types, the components of SDN where they can be applied, and the design and development phase when they are utilized. In particular, their respective benefits and limitations are discussed in terms of ease of use, interfaces, and the ability to capture and verify intended network properties.

Work, Slums And Informal Settlements Traditions

Work, Slums And Informal Settlements Traditions

Islamic faith as a facilitator for accessing counselling: the experience of three Kuwaiti clients

ABSTRACT This paper draws upon qualitative research with three Kuwaiti counselling clients to explore how they negotiated accessing counselling in the context of their communities, culture and faith. Contrary to the prevailing view in the literature portraying Islamic faith as a barrier to help-seeking in mental health, these clients view their faith as an important facilitator for accessing formal help. In particular, participants distinguished faith from culture and appealed to sacred scriptures to demonstrate the convergence of Muslim values with help-seeking in relation to psychological distress. This paper offers an original and timely discussion of one aspect of the potential interface of Islamic faith and counselling, while acknowledging the limitations of the small self-selected sample from which the findings are drawn.

Every cloud has a silver lining but… “pathways to seeking formal-help and South-Asian immigrant women survivors of intimate partner violence”

It takes an inordinate amount of resiliency for South Asian (SA) immigrant women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV)/domestic violence (DV) to seek outside help. The purpose of authors of this study is to understand the process/pathways used by abused SA women to seek formal sources of help. A convenience sample of adult SA women (N = 9), who were survivors of IPV was recruited from a SA women's organization located in a large Southwestern metropolitan area in the United States. In-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed resulting in five themes. Despite seeking help, participants experienced barriers in accessing formal help and leaving an abusive relationship.