Support Group Discussions Research Articles

Integrity hour and the mental health continuum

Supporting academic integrity across the institution is an involved process that includes integrating proactive education, designing effective learning spaces, identifying potential academic integrity breaches, and finding resolutions to support student learning. Through published literature as well as anecdotal experiences, we know that upholding the spectrum of academic integrity can take a toll on everyone – including students, instructors, administrators, and support staff. Rapid transitions and isolation brought on by responses to COVID-19 have only intensified this challenge. Using the Integrity Hour model developed by Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton at the University of Calgary, RRC Polytech has established a community of practice to support staff and grow the institutional culture of academic integrity. In this session, participants will learn more about the Integrity Hour community at RRC Polytech and how the mental health continuum resource has been used to support group discussion. This session will include a demonstration of the Integrity Hour process with an invitation to participate in a circle discussion.

Kinship carers' complaints about birth parents' Facebook posts: Mediated evidentiality and identity construction

Popular discourse contends that social media interactions are somehow less valid than face-to-face exchanges. Complaining about the impact of online activities can construct identity-linked cultural and moral norms. One such identity is that of ‘kinship carer’ - family members who step in to parent a relative's child when the birth parent is unable. From a corpus of video recordings of 10 support group discussions, we identified two ways that participants constructed family identities in topicalising Facebook use: by a) negotiating social media norms for this sensitive family context, and b) supporting their epistemic status with reference to ‘mediated’ properties of Facebook posts. We discuss how ‘mediated evidentiality’ works as a participant's resource in constructing 'what's real’, thus validating speakers' identity.

International Dynamic Marketing Capabilities of Emerging-Market Small Business on E-Commerce

For better export marketing strategies (EMS), companies mobilize their internal resources, which are managerial commitment, firm experience, and product uniqueness. However, Small businesses with constrained resources cannot be well explained with this view. So, more research on how small businesses come up with EMS has been called for. To explain how resource-restricted firms rely heavily on entrepreneurs, this study adopted the concept of dynamic managerial capabilities (DMCs) and resource versatility to better explain small business exports. We analyzed small businesses in Mongolia with qualitative research methods, including interviews with entrepreneurs and support organizations, site visits, and group discussions. We suggest international dynamic marketing capabilities (IDMCs), which are entrepreneurial orientation, networking capability, and versatile dynamic capability for small businesses. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

The prevalence of sexual compulsivity and its correlates among adults living with HIV/AIDS attending antiretroviral therapy clinic in Gambella town, Southwest Ethiopia, 2020

IntroductionSexual compulsivity is a concealed psychiatric disease marked by intrusive thoughts followed by ritualized sexual acts. In Ethiopia, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS has recently increased. Furthermore, sexual compulsivity among adults living with HIV/AIDS receives less attention, particularly in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of sexual compulsivity and its correlates among adults living with HIV/AIDS attending ART clinic in Gambella town, Southwest Ethiopia, 2020.MethodA hospital-based study employing cross-sectional design and simple random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were collected by using interview technique. A 10 item Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS) questionnaire was used to assess sexual compulsivity. The translated version of the questionnaire was used for data collection. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine factors associated with the outcome variable at p-value < 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval.ResultOut of 300 respondents, 27% (24.3, 29.2) of them were scored above the mean score of the Sexual Compulsivity Scale. Age less than 31 years old, widowed, involving in risky sexual behaviors, current substance use, not received any skill training about safer sex behaviors, and not attending support group discussion on HIV prevention were significantly associated with sexual compulsivity.ConclusionAlmost one fourth of the respondents have high score for Sexual Compulsivity Scale score. Therefore, there is a need of routine sexual behavior screening program and collaboration with mental health workers for addressing the problem. Furthermore, the emphasis should be given on the identified high-risk categories.

Burnout Among Healthcare Workers in the COVID 19 Era: A Review of the Existing Literature.

In the current period of global public health crisis due to the COVID-19, healthcare workers are more exposed to physical and mental exhaustion – burnout – for the torment of difficult decisions, the pain of losing patients and colleagues, and the risk of infection, for themselves and their families. The very high number of cases and deaths, and the probable future “waves” raise awareness of these challenging working conditions and the need to address burnout by identifying possible solutions. Measures have been suggested to prevent or reduce burnout at individual level (physical activity, balanced diet, good sleep hygiene, family support, meaningful relationships, reflective practices and small group discussions), organizational level (blame-free environments for sharing experiences and advices, broad involvement in management decisions, multi-disciplinary psychosocial support teams, safe areas to withdraw quickly from stressful situations, adequate time planning, social support), and cultural level (involvement of healthcare workers in the development, implementation, testing, and evaluation of measures against burnout). Although some progress has been made in removing the barrier to psychological support to cope with work-related stress, a cultural change is still needed for the stigma associated with mental illness. The key recommendation is to address the challenges that the emergency poses and to aggregate health, well-being and behavioral science expertise through long term researches with rigorous planning and reporting to drive the necessary cultural change and the improvement of public health systems.

Reducing the “cost of caring” in animal-care professionals: Social work contribution in a pilot education program to address burnout and compassion fatigue

ABSTRACT Professionals who choose to work in animal-care-related fields often have deep connections to animals, their well-being, and a strong commitment to service. The work is sometimes profoundly challenging which may lead them to experience burnout or compassion fatigue. While self-care practices are common preventative measures to enhance psychological wellbeing, more emphasis is now on using concrete, discrete skills to develop resilience. The Caring for the Carers course was developed to provide knowledge, skills, and tools to animal-care professionals to address stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue effectively. The course also provided participants an experiential opportunity to learn and understand how to utilize two tools, namely low-impact debriefing and peer supervision, to help address the effects of burnout and compassion fatigue. The objective of this article is to provide the rationale, structure, and reflection from the course. Twenty staff participated in both parts of the course and 14 completed evaluation forms. Overall, over 70% of the participants reported to have found the course content useful, enhancing their personal and professional development to improve their psychological wellbeing. The study adds constructive evidence for instilling reflective practice approaches in communication skills and facilitated support group discussions to mitigate burnout and compassion fatigue.

Investigating How Bowel Cancer Survivors Discuss Exercise and Physical Activity Within Web-Based Discussion Forums: Qualitative Analysis.

BackgroundOnline cancer support group discussions enable patients to share their illness experience with others. The sharing of technical and emotional support information and the ability to ask for advice are some of the primary discussions shared online. People with bowel cancer can also use these forums to support each other by sharing information based on personal experiences. This type of support provides newly diagnosed patients with advice about several topics, including exercise from those who have been there. Information gathered from online discussion boards may complement the advice received by health professionals.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the nature of information related to exercise and physical activity exchanged online for cancer survivors.MethodsA public open access bowel cancer discussion board was searched for threads containing information related to physical activity or exercise. Keywords such as exercise, physical activity, moving, walking, lifting, weights training, and resistance were used to search for threads (online conversations) related to exercise or physical activity. Only threads initiated by bowel cancer patients or survivors were included. From more than 6000 posts, the inclusion criteria yielded 75 threads for analysis. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted across all included threads.ResultsAnalysis yielded 3 main themes: level of exercise competence, beneficial dimensions of exercise, and faith in the knowledge. Level of exercise competence illustrated the varying definitions of exercise that members of the forum discussed in the forum. Beneficial dimensions of exercise revealed that forum members shared both the spiritual benefits associated with exercise as well as the physical benefits or goodness that they feel exercise or physical activity provides them. Faith in the knowledge of exercise demonstrated that forum members were aware of the general benefits of exercise but felt disappointed that it did not keep the cancer at bay. However, members also had faith that exercise would keep them healthy after diagnosis and treatment.ConclusionsThe analysis revealed that people with bowel cancer discuss exercise and physical activity online and that they view exercise as having a mostly positive influence on their cancer journey. However, personal definitions of exercise became a source of conflict within the group. People with bowel cancer seeking information about exercise may benefit from participating in online support groups as it appears that there are many similar others willing to share their personal experiences with exercise. In addition, health care professionals responsible for caring for people with bowel cancer may use these findings to discuss exercise with their patients while being mindful of how they may view exercise.

The Patient-Reported Information Multidimensional Exploration (PRIME) Framework for Investigating Emotions and Other Factors of Prostate Cancer Patients with Low Intermediate Risk Based on Online Cancer Support Group Discussions.

This study aimed to use the Patient Reported Information Multidimensional Exploration (PRIME) framework, a novel ensemble of machine-learning and deep-learning algorithms, to extract, analyze, and correlate self-reported information from Online Cancer Support Groups (OCSG) by patients (and partners of patients) with low intermediate-risk prostate cancer (PCa) undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP), external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), and active surveillance (AS), and to investigate its efficacy in quality-of-life (QoL) and emotion measures. From patient-reported information on 10 OCSG, the PRIME framework automatically filtered and extracted conversations on low intermediate-risk PCa with active user participation. Side effects as well as emotional and QoL outcomes for 6084 patients were analyzed. Side-effect profiles differed between the methods analyzed, with men after RP having more urinary and sexual side effects and men after EBRT having more bowel symptoms. Key findings from the analysis of emotional expressions showed that PCa patients younger than 40years expressed significantly high positive and negative emotions compared with other age groups, that partners of patients expressed more negative emotions than the patients, and that selected cohorts (<40years, >70years, partners of patients) have frequently used the same terms to express their emotions, which is indicative of QoL issues specific to those cohorts. Despite recent advances in patient-centerd care, patient emotions are largely overlooked, especially in younger men with a diagnosis of PCa and their partners. The authors present a novel approach, the PRIME framework, to extract, analyze, and correlate key patient factors. This framework improves understanding of QoL and identifies low intermediate-risk PCa patients who require additional support.

A novel framework for automated, intelligent extraction and analysis of online support group discussions for cancer related outcomes.

A novel framework for automated, intelligent extraction and analysis of online support group discussions for cancer related outcomes.

298 - Improving Decision Support Tools for LVAD Recipients via Computational Analyses of Online Support Group Discussions

298 - Improving Decision Support Tools for LVAD Recipients via Computational Analyses of Online Support Group Discussions

P.033 Experiences with epilepsy treatments: a qualitative content analysis of online patient support group discussions

Background: To promote patient-centred care in epilepsy, it is essential to understand the issues most important to patients. Literature on patient perceptions of epilepsy treatments is sparse. One source of data is online patient support groups. Patients turn to social media for support from other patients and often express viewpoints not shared with healthcare providers. Methods: Using a qualitative content analysis approach, we analyzed major online epilepsy patient support groups. We initially selected a month-long discussion text across these forums, and further threads were sampled with maximum variation until theme saturation was reached. For data coding and analysis, we employed a combination of a priori codes and emergent codes, using NVivo 11 for data analysis. Results: In our preliminary analysis, we identified topics and categorized them into themes: 1) differential perceptions and understandings of epilepsy; (2) understanding treatment options; (3) experiences of physiological and psychological treatment side effects; (4) concerns about healthcare providers’ knowledge and communication regarding treatments. Conclusions: Preliminary results indicate a variety of patient perceptions and understandings of epilepsy and its treatments. Our findings also suggest that patient educational needs should be addressed by incorporating their understanding and concerns. Shared-decision making tools informed by patient perceptions could help healthcare providers better communicate treatment options with patients.

English

The purpose of this interpretive inquiry was to gain understanding about how women cope with the interpersonal stresses associated with bariatric surgery. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 women who had undergone bariatric surgery. Data were analyzed using constant comparison processes. Analyses revealed that participants managed stress associated with bariatric surgery using five forms of coping, including: seeking and providing social support; opting not to disclose the fact of their surgery to others (“voluntary nondisclosure”), “screening,” reframing the problem, and educating others about bariatric surgery. Insomuch as participants adopted diverse forms of coping and fitted the form of coping to the situation at hand, their approach to tolerating the interpersonal stresses arising from their surgeries reflected “coping flexibility.” Although several of the coping strategies adopted helped participants to manage interpersonal stresses associated with bariatric surgery, others created additional stresses in their lives or left them feeling ambivalent. Findings can inform bariatric support group discussion content or individual psychological interventions with patients who are struggling to manage interpersonal stresses confronted during the bariatric journey. Key words: bariatric surgery, coping, interpersonal stresses, women, qualitative.

A qualitative investigation of the impact of peer to peer online support for women living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

BackgroundPolycystic Ovary Syndrome is a common, chronic condition which affects women living with the condition both physically and psychologically. Social support may be beneficial to sufferers in coping with chronic conditions and the Internet is becoming a common place for accessing social support and information. The aim of this study was to consider the experiences of women living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome who access and participate in an online support group discussion forum dedicated to issues surrounding this condition.MethodsFifty participants responded to a series of open-ended questions via an online survey.ResultsThematic analysis revealed a number of empowering and disempowering experiences associated with online support group participation. The empowering processes reported by members of the group included: Connecting with others who understand; Access to information and advice; Interaction with healthcare professionals; Treatment-related decision making; Improved adjustment and management. In terms disempowering processes, only two were described by group participants: Reading about the negative experiences of others and Feeling like an outsider.ConclusionsFor women living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, participation within an online support group may help to empower them in a range of important ways however, there may be some disempowering consequences.

Clinical Social Work Practice with Former System Youth with Mental Health Needs: Perspective of Those in Need

The purpose of this study is to describe the types of programs and mental health services former system youth with mental health histories would be inclined to engage in to manage their mental health difficulties, along with the factors that might hinder them from engaging in these services. A series of closed and open-ended questions on potential programs and services were asked, as part of a larger study. Participants were former system youth; specifically 18–30 year olds who were diagnosed with a mood disorder and were involved with public mental health and social services (e.g., public welfare, child welfare, juvenile justice) during childhood. Responses to the open-ended questions were categorized and percentages are reported from the yes/no items. Eighty-three percent and 76% reported that they would be enticed to come to a support group and panel discussion on mood disorders, respectively, while only 46% reported that they would attend a family support group. Talking with others who have had similar experiences, material possessions and creative expression were the most common responses regarding what would entice them to get involved. Further, peer disrespect, transportation, and daycare were common barriers to potential participation. As the field continues to build knowledge on system-wide strategies to improve agency-based mental health care for transitioning youth and young adults, new evidence-based approaches may benefit from listening to the specific needs, preferences, and suggestions of these youth themselves.

P4-14-03: Support Groups in Breast Cancer: An Evidence Based Assessment of 1606 Patients with Concerning Topics for Support Group Discussion and Presentation.

Abstract Background Cancer support groups are conducted at most cancer centers. Although there is increasing demand among patients and families for support groups, little data exist outlining which topics patients and caregivers consider as most important for support group discussion and presentation. We conducted a large web-based anonymous survey to determine preferences of patients and caregivers for cancer support groups, including 1606 individuals with breast cancer and 3723 with other malignancies. Methods: The established patient base of NexCura®, a web-based information resource, was used to survey registered patients and caregivers in this on-line assessment. Participants ranked 26 topics on a 5-point Likert scale which evaluated the importance of each item. Demographic characteristics, clinical factors, and support group content preferences were assessed. Results: There were 4402 respondents to the invitation to participate, and 3723 patients and caregivers elected to participate (85%). Characteristics included for all 3723 patients: 70% women, mean age 58 (range 20–89). For the 1606 patients with breast cancer, 99.8% were women, the mean age was 56 (range 27–88); 53% were free of cancer. For the whole group, the four most common cancers were breast 45%, prostate 15%, lung 6%, and colorectal 5%. 90% of participants were patients and 10% were caregivers. 80% of participants rated all 26 topics. The table below shows rankings by the top 2 categories (the percent ranking each topic as “Very Important” or “Important”) of the 10 highest rated topics (and the rank order for each item) for patients with breast cancer and for all patients. Conclusions: 1) This is the largest survey of patients and caregivers concerning support groups for patients with breast cancer and for a general cancer population. 2) Patients with breast cancer ranked most topics similarly to the general cancer population; however, topics dealing with fatigue and stress management were somewhat more highly ranked by those with breast cancer. 3) Physical, psychological, and communication issues were the most highly ranked issues by breast cancer patients and families. 4) These results should guide the content of support groups to meet the needs of patients and caregivers. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-14-03.

A thematic analysis of patient communication in Parkinson’s disease online support group discussion forums

Online support groups have become a popular source of information, advice and support for individuals living with a range of health conditions. However, research has not commonly focused on patients living with Parkinson’s disease and their use of online support groups. Thus, the aim of this study was to gain an insight into the positive and negative aspects of online communication through an analysis of messages exchanged within Parkinson’s disease discussion forums. Data was collected from four forums and analysed using data-driven thematic analysis. The results revealed that participation in the forums allowed patients to share experiences and knowledge, form friendships, as well as helping them cope with the challenges of living with Parkinson’s disease. Conversely, a lack of replies, the experience of Parkinson’s disease symptoms, a lack of personal information, fragility of online relationships, misunderstandings and disagreements, all appeared to compromise the online experience. Practical implications and future research recommendations are proposed.

A Pilot Intervention for Promoting Multiethnic Adult Refugee Groups’ Mental Health: A Descriptive Article

The purpose of this article is to describe a 1-year (2008−2009) pilot intervention “Happy, Happy Community,” which aimed to understand and model an approach to promote mental health with a multiethnic adult refugee population. Refugee participants living in two local resettlement communities in a southeastern city of the United States received the intervention. The intervention activities included educational workshops, support group discussions, and small-scale depression screening with referrals. In total, 12 workshops and 12 support group discussions were implemented. In all, 55 refugees from the multicultural groups participated in these two types of activities. About 50% of them received the depression screening. Six of them needed a follow-up referral. Each participant was provided access to professional psychological counseling. The lessons learned from the implementation are organized into the following categories: translation from models and theory to practice; participant recruitment; incentives for maintaining the attendance; the use of interpreters; collaboration with similar programs; and collaboration between practitioners in public health education and social workers. Positive feedback was received from the participants for supporting the continuity and expansion of this intervention. However, sustainable funding and policy supports for a future intervention may be key to resolving the refugees’ mental health needs.

What topics do patients and caregivers consider most important for support groups? An evidence-based analysis of 3,728 participants.

9107 Background: Cancer support groups are conducted at nearly all cancer centers. Yet little data exist concerning what topics patients and their caregivers consider to be most important for support group discussion and presentation. We conducted a large web-based anonymous survey to determine preferences of patients and caregivers for cancer support groups to improve the ability to meet their needs. Methods: We used the established patient database of NexCura, a web-based information resource, to survey registered patients and caregivers. Demographic characteristics, clinical factors, and support group content preferences were assessed. Participants ranked 26 topics on a 5-point Likert scale weighing the importance of each item in this anonymous survey. Results: 4,402 respondents resulted in 3,728 participants (85%). Characteristics: 70% women, mean age 58 (range 20-89); the four most frequently occurring cancers in participants were breast 45%, prostate 15%, lung 6%, colorectal 5%. 90% of participants were patients and 10% caregivers; 80% of participants rated all 26 topics. The table below shows rankings by the top 2 categories (Very Important + Important) of the 10 highest rated topics (total of 26 topics). Conclusions: 1) These results represent by far the largest survey of patient and caregiver preferences for topics for support groups; such preferences should guide the content of support groups; 2)patients and caregivers ranked most topics in a fairly similar manner; 3) interestingly, decision making was rated in the top 5 most important topics; and 4) patients and caregivers rated cancer educational information more highly than social supportive issues. Topics (Top 10 rated of 26) Patients: Very Important + Important Caregivers: Very Important + Important Cancer treatment choices 95.0% 95.1% Side effects and their prevention 93.3% 95.1% Living with a cancer diagnosis 91.3% 92.3% Making decisions about care 89.9% 91.9% Talking with medical professionals 88.6% 89.5% Dealing with anxiety/depression 85.2% 92.5% Uncertainty of cancer 84.7% 86.6% Stress and stress management 84.6% 90.1% Navigating the health system 84.2% 88.2% Nutrition, appetite, and weight 83.1% 87.9%

QChain – integrating social, environmental and economic value: a tool to support innovation in production chains

Today's consumers increasingly demand products that are produced sustainably and ethically. As a result, businesses need to address sustainability and social responsibility issues and find a proper balance between people, planet and profit (PPP) aspects of their production chains. Software tools can play an important role in mapping out the current state of PPP aspects along the production chain, and in the design and evaluation of improvement options. There are indeed many tools that are claimed to be useful for sustainability and social responsibility considerations. Yet, a tool that addresses all three aspects of value creation holistically and facilitates discussion is missing. In this paper we present the development of such a tool, called QChain. The development of this tool was based on ideas from soft systems methodology and inputs from a multidisciplinary team of experts and managers. The tool is intended to support group discussions, particularly during the early stages of innovation processes aimed at improving PPP aspects of production chains. It enables users to visualize the essential elements of the current production chain showing the current PPP values, and explore and compare possible future production chain scenarios and the corresponding PPP values. QChain's visualization helps discussants get a rich appreciation of the current and future scenarios, while the semi-quantitative 'what-if' analysis and scenario comparison enables them to hold objective discussions.

Perception of Barriers to Self-care Management Among Diabetic Patients

The purpose of this study was to explore individual, educational, and system barriers that limit low-income diabetes patients' ability to achieve optimal diabetes self-management. Economically disadvantaged patients with diabetes who used the Diabetes Clinic of Grady Health System in Atlanta, Georgia, participated in 3 focus group discussions. The discussions were held with mostly African Americans (n = 35) to explore barriers to achieving optimal diabetes self-management. Most participants were not married, approximately one-third had less than high school level reading skills, and 40% were not currently working. In terms of individual barriers, the emotional toll from the diagnosis of and lifestyle changes to treat diabetes was a recurrent theme, and included stress, frustration, social isolation, interpersonal conflicts, depression, and fear. Denial was often mentioned as the key factor that inhibited adherence to a healthy mode of living. The educational barriers were failure to recognize the risks and consequences of an asymptomatic condition. Many participants did not understand A1C. Finally, several system barriers were identified. The participants identified needed services, including follow-up and refresher courses, support group discussions, nutrition and medication education, availability of different education modalities, and expanded clinic hours. The focus group discussions identified both barriers to diabetes management and opportunities for improving care for underserved patients with diabetes. The results are useful to improve the delivery of care and to develop quantitative studies to explore particular areas of interest. Based on these results, the current system needs to provide more support and education to patients with diabetes.