Mental Health Care Workers Research Articles

The first 1000 days, connecting the dots. Integration of mental health care in maternal healthcare and pediatrics/young families.

An increasing body of evidence points towards the crucial impact of the first thousand days of the human life, starting as from conception. The transition from young adult to mother of father might encompass excitement and joy, but also turmoil and arousal. Especially in those endorsing a socio-economic and/or mental vulnerability, the pre- and perinatal period might induce or increase psychiatric problems, which often remains under the radar due to lack of knowledge, embarrassment for ‘not being happy’ to become parent, or overlap with symptoms accompanying pregnancy. Postnatal mental problems such as depression and anxiety undoubtedly affect the parent-child interaction, attachment and mental development of the newborn. Since the profound impact of this crucial period, a population-based screening for socio- economic and mental health issues in expectant parents is of uttmost importance.
 The disconnect between somatic and mental health makes it more difficult to detect and treat these problems , as non-mental health staff have less knowledge of mental health symptoms, ways to address them and offer adequate help or refer ptn to appropiate care.
 Building on an existing care pathway (UZ Gent) and in order to meet the aforementioned needs during the perinatal period, we created a taskforce including mental health care workers, obstetrics and gynaecology (OBGYN) workers, social workers, midwifes, community services, Kind&Gezin and generalists. The team encompassed 1 full time equivalent (FTE) psychologist , 0.1 FTE psychiatrist (trainee) and 0.5 social worker embedded in het OBGYN service.
 Teammembers are trained in mental health issues so they become able to recognice and handle mental health issues, making them much more comfortable with comorbid psychiatric problems and optimizing workflows.
 Expecting mothers are invited to complete screening questionnaires (EPDS-GAD2-7) during routine prenatal follow-up (psychosocial at 12, EPDS at 18 w with follow-up) with a gynaecologist or midwife, who are supported and trained by mental health care workers. When such screening/assessement indicates mental health issues, mothers at risk are offered a low-cost psychological treatment trajectory, which occured in close consultation with primary care workers and the OBGYN team, preferably in their offices. Upon indication, psychiatric support can be foreseen.
 To make the program equitable the psychologists works as a firstline psychologist keeping the assessement and treatement within the financial reach of everyone.
 
 In future, we aim to overcome IT-issues that have hindered thus far the implementation of this care path, which we hope can be smoothly integrated into existing of newly developing digital care systems, encompassing medical records of both mother and child during the first 1000 days.
 Due to COVID the expansion of the care pathway to external partners was hindered. It is top of our agenda to involve ambulatory midwifes, pediatricians, familiy/child services ... so we can screen/assess and support mothers/children from conception to the age of 2.
 Besides mothers, expecting fathers also should be involved in this screening program, as well as non-Dutch speaking expecting parents, who were not involved in this pilot project.

Implementing peer support work in mental health care in Germany: The methodological framework of the collaborative, participatory, mixed-methods study (ImpPeer-Psy5).

Starting in the 1990s in the United States, individuals with lived experience of mental health crises and recovery have been employed as peer support workers (PSWs) internationally. However, the implementation of PSW in clinical contexts remains challenging. This manuscript presents and discusses the methodological framework of the ImpPeer-Psy5 study on the PSWimplementation in the German mental healthcare sector. This study used a mixed-methods and collaborative research approach, as well as participatory research strategies. After describing the study design, populations, teamworkand assessments, the epistemic challenges of its methodological framework will be critically discussedand how it has iteratively shaped the object of study. The healthcare, policyand funding context of PSW implementation as well as the study's methodological framework have differently influenced the ways in which the implementation of PSW has been conceived in this study. The choice of a collaborative or participatory methodological framework is advised to better align research questions and procedures to the specific needs and challenges of PSWs and other stakeholders concerned with PSW implementation. The research team of the ImpPeer-Psy5 study was collaboratively staffed by a portion of researchers who also identify as users or survivors of psychiatric services. A nonprofit organization for the training of PSWs served as a practice partner throughout the research process. Different participatory formats involve a significant number of diverse stakeholders relevant to PSW implementation.

Bayesian Network Models for PTSD Screening in Veterans

The prediction of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has gained a lot of interest in clinical studies. Identifying patients with a high risk of PTSD can guide mental healthcare workers when making treatment decisions. The main goal of this paper is to propose several Bayesian network (BN) models to assess the probability that a veteran has PTSD when first visiting a U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) facility seeking medical care. The current practice is to use a five-question test called PC-PTSD-5. We aim to use the PC-PTSD-5 test, which is currently administered to most incoming new patients, and demographic information, military service history, and medical history. We construct a Bayes information criterion score-based BN, a group L2-regularized BN (GL2-regularized BN), and a naïve Bayes BN to assess the probability that a patient has PTSD. The GL2-regularized BN is a new method for constructing a BN motivated by some of the challenges of analyzing this data set. A secondary goal is to identify which features are important in predicting PTSD. We discover that the following features help compute the probability of PTSD: PC-PTSD-5, service-connected flag, combat flag, agent orange flag, military sexual trauma flag, traumatic brain injury, and age. History: Accepted by Ram Ramesh, Area Editor for Data Science & Machine Learning. Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its Supplemental Information ( https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2021.0174 ) as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2021.0174 ). The complete IJOC Software and Data Repository is available at https://informsjoc.github.io/ .

Investigating Attraction and Retention of Staff Within Public Mental Health Services in Victoria, Australia: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.

A large proportion of Australians are affected by mental illness each year, and treatment gaps are well known. To meet current and future demands and enable access to treatment that is safe, effective, and acceptable, a robust and sustainable mental health workforce is required. Factors reported to attract people to work within the mental health sector include aspiring to help others, having an interest in mental health and human behavior, the desire to make a difference and do something worthwhile, personal lived experience, recognition, and value of discipline-specific roles. However, despite the various reasons people enter the public mental health workforce, recruitment and retention continue to be ongoing challenges. To date, there has been limited investigation into understanding which factors are most relevant to the current Victorian workforce. Furthermore, a comparison to health care workers outside of mental health is also needed to better understand the specific needs of staff within the mental health sector. This study aims to explore factors related to attraction, recruitment, and retention of the public mental health workforce in Victoria, Australia. The study is a multisite, mixed methods cross-sectional study to be conducted at 4 public hospital services within Victoria, Australia: 2 in metropolitan and 2 in regional or rural locations. Current, previous, and nonmental health workers will be asked to complete a 20-25-minute web-based survey, which is developed based on previous research and offered participation in an optional 30-60-minute semistructured interview to examine personal experiences and perceptions. Both aspects of the project will examine factors related to attraction, recruitment, and retention in the public mental health workforce. Differences between groups (ie, current, past, and nonmental health workers), as well as location, discipline, and health setting will be examined. Regression analyses will be performed to determine the factors most strongly associated with retention (ie, job satisfaction) and turnover intention. Qualitative data will be transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed to identify common themes. As of May 2023, we enrolled 539 participants in the web-based survey and 27 participants in the qualitative interview. This project seeks to build on current knowledge from within Australia and internationally to understand role and service/system-related issues of attraction, recruitment, and retention specifically within Victoria, Australia. Seeking up-to-date information from across the health workforce may provide factors specific to mental health by illuminating any differences between mental health workers and health care workers outside of mental health. Furthermore, exploring motivators across health care disciplines and locations to enter, stay in, or leave a role in public mental health settings will provide valuable information to support how the sector plans and develops strategies that are fit for purpose. DERR1-10.2196/48855.

Mental Healthcare workers' experiences in managing psychiatric patients' aggression in Maseru.

Aggression and violence in psychiatric clinical facilities are a common case, and mental healthcare workers utilise various management strategies to combat it. It is therefore crucial for mental healthcare workers to acquire skills for the management strategies of aggressive behaviour of psychiatric patients. The aim of the study was to describe mental healthcare workers' experiences in the management strategies of aggressive and violent behaviour by psychiatric patients in Maseru district. A psychiatric hospital situated to the south in Maseru in the rural countryside and general hospital located in the western lowlands of Lesotho in the village of Morija were used. This study adopted a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design. There were two focus group interviews conducted per clinical facility, which consisted of six members in each group. There were four participants for individual interviews from psychiatric clinical facility and three individual interviews from general clinical facility. Thematic analysis of the data resulted in themes and sub-themes. These were psychological intervention strategy, physical strategy, chemical strategy, empowerment strategy and policy strategy. Participants viewed various management strategies of aggressive and violent behaviour of psychiatric patients they utilise in clinical facilities as effective. The mental healthcare workers' experiences in managing aggression and violent behaviour of psychiatric patients were expression of psychological, physical, chemical, empowerment and policy strategies. The study will enhance the knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding management strategies that mental healthcare workers can utilise in managing aggressive and violent behaviour of psychiatric patients.

Post-traumatic stress symptoms in mental healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the context of disease outbreaks, healthcare workers are exposed to multiple physical and psychological stressors, which may result in severe mental health outcomes. Although existing literature explores this impact, it is focused on frontline workers, with limited evidence exploring the mental well-being of mental healthcare workers (MHCWs). To explore post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and associated factors among MHCWs within the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Four academic hospitals in the Gauteng province, South Africa, with specialised psychiatric units. A cross-sectional study design was used. Participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique and invited to participate in structured interviews. Measurement tools included a demographic questionnaire, the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. A total of 120 MHCWs participated. The prevalence of PTSS was 11.7%. The MHCWs' profession was a significant predictor of the occurrence of PTSS (p = 0.046), with nurses being the most affected. Other socio-demographic, employment, COVID-19-related factors and coping skills were not predictors of PTSS. An elevated prevalence of PTSS has been found and was significantly associated with the profession of the MHCW. It is recommended that existing employee wellness programmes be strengthened to promote mental well-being and improve resilience among MHCWs, particularly vulnerable employee groups. This study provides insight into the prevalence of PTSS among MHCWs following the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as associated factors.

Manipal model of telepsychiatry.

Telepsychiatry can be understood as an interactive mental health service providing mode using information and communication technology. In recent decades, services provided under the umbrella term of telepsychiatry expanded to cater clinical services, diagnostic services, interventions, therapies, education, and research. Since telepsychiatry has been practiced in India for two decades, various models have emerged to meet the country's demands and the logistics that are available. Both synchronous and asynchronous modes of telepsychiatry had been in practice in India depending on the availability of logistics. Most of the telepsychiatry services in India had focused on providing clinical care to reach the unreached population. Furthermore, telepsychiatry had been used to train mental health professionals and healthcare workers from other disciplines. However, not many models had incorporated the idea of hands-on training of the postgraduates/trainees of psychiatric social work (PSW) in telepsychiatry under supervision. This was addressed in the Manipal model of telepsychiatry. Manipal model of telepsychiatry has begun in 2016 with a novel idea to train mental health profession trainees in addition to cover other clinical services, research, and education. In the last eight years, four centers of Karnataka state have been covered under this model with progressive growth in a number of patients and this acted as a hands-on training model for the postgraduate trainees in starting telepsychiatry services independently. Furthermore, it provided an opportunity to develop the organization skills of trainees, improved their oratory skills, and improved their expertise in using information technology for mental healthcare delivery.

A Market of Lived Experience-User Involvement and the Commodification of Personal Experiences of Mental Illness.

Working actively to engage service users in participatory practices is both a policy expectation and a moral imperative for mental health social workers in contemporary Western mental health care. Recent research suggests that such practices of service user involvement are becoming increasingly individualised and driven by market logic. Based on an ethnographic study within a Swedish public psychiatric organisation, this article applies the concept of commodification to examine this trend. By showing how the practice of user involvement takes the form of a market where personal narratives and experiences of mental health problems are bought and sold as commodities, the analysis illuminates how market logic permeates the everyday practice of user involvement. One consequence of this commodification is that user organisations, as well as individual service users, are restricted in their role as independent actors pursuing their own agenda, and instead increasingly act on behalf of the public and as providers of personal experiences. While it is vital that service user perspectives are heard and recognised within mental health services, mental health social workers need to be aware of the risks of commodifying lived experience. When attention is directed to individual experiences and narratives, there is a risk that opportunities to advocate on behalf of the user collective as a whole and speak from a more principled and socio-political standpoint are lost. In addition, the commodification of personal experience tends to rationalise and privilege user narratives that conform to the dominant institutional logic of the mental health organisation, while excluding more uncomfortable and challenging voices, thereby undermining the ability of service users to raise critical issues that do not align with the interests of the mental health organisation.

Fear, loss and disconnection: the emotional impact of the Covid-19 pandemic upon staff working in mental health services and how the organization can help – a psychoanalytic perspective

ABSTRACT This paper describes the work of a psychoanalyst working within NHS mental health services in the UK . The central contribution of a psychoanalytic approach within psychiatric care in offering a committed attempt towards understanding the patients’ presentation, rather than treatment primarily aimed at symptom control, is described. Beyond this, the specific contribution of psychoanalytic ideas in establishing a containing framework for staff, and how this strengthens the capacity of the organisation as a whole to contain anxiety and to metabolize complex projective processes is outlined. Examples are given with clinical illustrations of activities which enhance this capacity in ordinary times. The author then turns to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic upon staff and patients, describing how fear, threat and experiences of multiple losses have permeated all areas of our lives and activated primitive defences. The pandemic starkly revealed profoundly disturbing questions about our assumptions and habits, adding to the intensity and multi-layered quality of the anxieties evoked . Urgent attention has been drawn to our deeply problematic relationship with the natural world, our own habitat, and indefensible social inequities have been crudely exposed. Staff have been caught between their own fear, the need to contain increased disturbance in their patients, already struggling with fragmented and disordered states of mind, and pressures from an organisation under intense strain. The capacity of mental health staff to act as containers for their patient’s distress has been profoundly challenged and compromised. This paper outlines how the pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of the organisation as a container for anxiety and in supporting staff to do their work in mental health care. In order to strengthen this capacity during the crisis, the author describes how ideas derived from psychoanalytic principles were developed into guidance for NHS Mental Health Trusts during the early days of the pandemic . This guidance was adopted nationally by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and is summarised in this paper.

Effectiveness of a Lifestyle Intervention for People With a Severe Mental Illness in Dutch Outpatient Mental Health Care

People with a severe mental illness (SMI) have a life expectancy reduced by 10 to 20 years compared with the general population, primarily attributable to cardiometabolic disorders. Lifestyle interventions for people with SMI can improve health and reduce cardiometabolic risk. To evaluate the effectiveness of a group-based lifestyle intervention among people with SMI in outpatient treatment settings compared with treatment as usual (TAU). The Severe Mental Illness Lifestyle Evaluation (SMILE) study is a pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial performed in 8 mental health care centers with 21 flexible assertive community treatment teams in the Netherlands. Inclusion criteria were SMI, age of 18 years or older, and body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of 27 or greater. Data were collected from January 2018 to February 2020, and data were analyzed from September 2020 to February 2023. Weekly 2-hour group sessions for 6 months followed by monthly 2-hour group sessions for another 6 months, delivered by trained mental health care workers. The intervention targeted overall lifestyle changes, emphasizing establishing a healthy diet and promoting physical activity. TAU (control) did not include structured interventions or advice on lifestyle. Crude and adjusted linear mixed models and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. The main outcome was body weight change. Secondary outcomes included changes in body mass index, blood pressure, lipid profiles, fasting glucose level, quality of life, self-management ability, and lifestyle behaviors (physical activity and health, mental health, nutrition, and sleep). The study population included 11 lifestyle intervention teams (126 participants) and 10 TAU teams (98 participants). Of 224 included patients, 137 (61.2%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 47.6 (11.1) years. From baseline to 12 months, participants in the lifestyle intervention group lost 3.3 kg (95% CI, -6.2 to -0.4) more than those in the control group. In the lifestyle intervention group, people with high attendance rates lost more weight than participants with medium and low rates (mean [SD] weight loss: high, -4.9 [8.1] kg; medium, -0.2 [7.8] kg; low, 0.8 [8.3] kg). Only small or no changes were found for secondary outcomes. In this trial, the lifestyle intervention significantly reduced weight from baseline to 12 months in overweight and obese adults with SMI. Tailoring lifestyle interventions and increasing attendance rates might be beneficial for people with SMI. Netherlands Trial Register Identifier: NTR6837.

Validation of the Malay-Version of Recovery Knowledge Inventory among mental health providers in Malaysia.

The Recovery Knowledge Inventory (RKI) is a widely used self-report instrument that assesses recovery-oriented knowledge among mental health professionals. The purpose of this study is to translate the RKI into the Malay language (RKI-M) and to examine its psychometric properties among Malaysian health care workers. A cross-sectional study involving 143 participants was conducted at an urban teaching hospital, an urban government hospital, and a rural government hospital. Following the translation of the RKI, its internal reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was also determined using confirmatory factor analysis. The Malay-Version RKI (RKI-M) has good internal reliability with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.83. However, the Malay-version RKI failed to replicate the original four-factor structure. The final model only achieved the best model fit after the removal of 9 items with two-factor loadings: (GFI = 0.92; AGFI = 0 0.87; CFI = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.074). The 20-item RKI-M is reliable but has poor construct validity. However, the modified 11-item Malay-version RKI is a more reliable measure as it has good construct validity, with room for future studies to examine the psychometric properties of the modified 11-item RKI among mental health care workers. More training on recovery knowledge should be done, and a simple worded questionnaire should be developed in keeping with local practitioners.

The effects of stress on healthcare workers

This paper discusses stress in healthcare, particularly in the mental healthcare profession, and its impact on the employees, the patients, and organizational performance. The paper will address the different theories and models of stress, various types of stress, and evidence-based approaches to stress management. A particular group of healthcare workers, mental healthcare workers, is the target of this paper. The paper will describe the effects of stress on the targeted mental health workers and the role the leaders and managers must have in providing a safe and stress-free environment for them. However, the conclusion of this paper applies to all healthcare worker groups.

Operationalizing antiracism in health systems: Strategies state government administrative organizations use towards racial and ethnic mental health equity

Although a growing body of literature recommends strategies for improving racial equity in organizations and populations, little is known about how racial equity goals are operationalized in actuality, particularly in the context of state health and mental health authorities (SH/MHAs) attempting to promote population wellness while navigating bureaucratic and political constraints. This article seeks to examine the number of states engaging in racial equity work in mental health care, what strategies SH/MHAs use to improve their state's racial equity in mental health care, and how the workforce understands these strategies. A brief survey of 47 states found that all but one state (98%) is enacting racial equity interventions in mental health care. Through qualitative interviews with 58 SH/MHA employees in 31 states, I created a taxonomy of activities within six overarching strategies: 1) running a racial equity group; 2) gathering information and data about racial equity; 3) facilitating training and learning for staff and providers; 4) collaborating with partners and engaging with communities; 5) offering information or services to communities and organizations of color; and 6) promoting workforce diversity. I describe specific tactics within each of the strategies as well as the perceived benefits and challenges of the strategies. I argue that strategies bifurcate into development activities, which are activities creating higher-quality racial equity plans, and equity-advancing activities, which are actions directly impacting racial equity. The results have implications for how government reform efforts can impact mental health equity.

Predictors of Post-Traumatic Growth in a Sample of United Kingdom Mental and Community Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Experiences of adversity can generate positive psychological effects alongside negative impacts. Little research to date has evaluated predictors of post-traumatic growth in mental or community healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a survey of 854 community and mental healthcare staff in the United Kingdom in July to September 2020, multiple linear regression was used to determine the association between hypothesised risk and protective factors (personal, organisational and environmental variables) and total scores on the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory-Short Version. Positive self-reflection activities, black and minority ethnic status, developing new healthcare knowledge and skills, connecting with friends and family, feeling supported by senior management, feeling supported by the UK people, and anxiety about the personal and work-related consequences of COVID-19 each significantly independently predicted greater post-traumatic growth. Working in a clinical role and in mental healthcare or community physical healthcare predicted lower post-traumatic growth. Our research supports the value of taking an organisational growth-focused approach to occupational health during times of adversity, by supporting staff to embrace opportunities for personal growth. Valuing staff's cultural and religious identity and encouraging self-reflective activities, such as mindfulness and meditation, may help to promote post-traumatic growth.

Utilizing a webinar to introduce an evidence-based trauma treatment in Chile: Results from a pilot study investigating clinician attitudes and needs

Objective: Scalable clinician training in evidence-based trauma treatments is important to increase the use and impact of these treatments in different countries. The aim of the current pilot investigation was to understand the attitudes of mental health care providers in Chile toward narrative exposure therapy (NET), an evidence-based treatment (EBT) for traumatic distress. Method: This study used a mixed-methods design and gathered demographic and questionnaire data as well as data from semi-structured qualitative interviews. A total of 31 clinicians completed the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS) following a webinar on NET, and among those participants 10 completed semi-structured interviews. Results: Findings from this study suggest mental healthcare workers reported overall satisfaction from the NET training and knowledge gained from the training. Both qualitative and quantitative findings indicated broadening understanding of trauma treatments as well as additional training and supervision are necessary in the process of learning to implement an EBT such as NET. Conclusions: A web-based training in NET may be a feasible method for introducing a trauma-focused EBT; however, additional training and supervision are necessary in follow-up trainings.

The Role of Work Engagement in Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic among Mental Healthcare Workers: An Italian Study to Improve Work Sustainability during Emergency Situations

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers faced an emergency that had significant psychological impacts on them. In this study, an investigation regarding work engagement as a protective factor for well-being was conducted on a sample of Italian healthcare workers in the field of mental health. Correlation and linear regression analyses were run on scores of standardized questionnaires about work engagement, burnout, resilience, stress, and coping strategies. Results indicate that work engagement is positively correlated with resilience, while it is negatively correlated with burnout and stress, particularly caused by personal attacks at work. As concerns the use of functional or dysfunctional coping strategies, negative correlations between work engagement and problem avoidance and emotional distress strategies were found. In conclusion, work engagement was confirmed to be an important protective factor that should be promoted among mental healthcare professionals to help them deal with health emergencies and to improve the psychological sustainability of the work.

Mobile Vaccine Clinics for Patients With Serious Mental Illness and Health Care Workers in Outpatient Mental Health Clinics.

People with serious mental illness are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 but face barriers to vaccinations. The authors describe the implementation of a mobile vaccine clinic at an outpatient mental health clinic for patients and health care workers to increase vaccination rates. In late 2021, mobile vaccine clinics were held in collaboration with a local pharmacy to provide COVID-19 and influenza vaccines to patients and health care workers. Participants in one clinic were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their experience. Of 69 individuals who completed the questionnaire, 96% received the COVID-19 booster and 17% received the seasonal flu vaccine. Most patients and health care workers reported that the mobile vaccine clinic was easily accessible and preferable and that they would recommend it. Moreover, the mobile vaccine clinic was cost-effective. Mobile vaccine clinics can improve vaccine access for patients and health care workers in community mental health settings and can be cost-effective.

Psychological impact of Covid-19 pandemic in mental healthcare workers: a cross-sectional study in an Italian Department of Mental Health.

The Covid-19 pandemic is having a great impact on the lives of healthcare workers, but its psychological impact on Mental Healthcare Workers (MHWs) remains to be better explored. The aims of the present study were to assess the correlates and predictors of stress and adverse psychological effects in MHWs during the first waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 124 MHWs (psychiatrist/psychiatry resident, nurse, psychologist/psychotherapist, psychiatric rehabilitation therapist/educator, other mental health professional) working in public facilities of the ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Italy, was assessed between June 28, 2020 and August 10, 2020 with an online questionnaire that included sociodemographic, professional and Covid-19 exposure information, the Impact of Event Scale - Revised and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21. Multivariate linear regression models were designed to identify individual predictors of post-traumatic, depressive, anxiety and stress-symptoms. The professional role of nurse, having more years of professional experience and experiencing the death of a patient emerged as predictors of more severe post-traumatic symptoms. The professional role of nurse emerged as the only predictor of more severe depressive symptoms; the professional role of nurse and having more years of professional experience emerged as predictors of more severe anxiety symptoms; more years of professional experience, higher workloads, worse team relationships and experiencing the death of a loved one emerged as predictors of more severe stress symptoms. Alongside other stressful factors, the professional role of nurse and more years of professional experience emerged as predictors of adverse psychological events. Working as a MHW, particularly with high levels of contact with patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, may be considered strenuous work, requiring dedicated training and interventions to improve resilience. Anxiety, Covid-19, depression, mental healthcare workers, stress-related disorder, stressful life events.

Learning needs assessment among professional workers in community mental health centres in Slovenia: Study protocol

Aim: This article aims to present a study protocol that represents a tool developed for a learning needs assessment. With a pilot study, based on the presented concept of a model study, we will be able to assess what mental health learning content is not yet part of formal higher education for professionals working in community mental health centres, but has been identified as necessary for inclusion. The presented tool is transferable with appropriate modifications. The goal is to conduct multiple research with the same basic tool at all levels of the educational system and in continuing professional education for all professionals who work with people. Methods: The learning needs assessment study protocol presented uses both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. It is expected that the research will be conducted in several interrelated phases that holistically cover the needs assessment process. Results: The pilot study will provide insight into the advantages and disadvantages of the prepared learning needs assessment tool. Through the research study, the learning needs of professionals working in community mental health centres, will be identified. Conclusion: Professional mental health care workers must be equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to perform their work with quality. By implementing appropriate mental health learning content in educational processes from pre-school education to higher education and further to continuing professional education, we can impact the mental health of the entire population. Since this can lead to acquiring the competencies necessary to care of one’s own mental health and that of others, it can be considered an important public health intervention.

Development and validation of the Symptomatic Transdiagnostic Test (S2T)

IntroductionThe categorical approach in psychiatry has received many criticisms. Modern research tends to develop a transdiagnostic approach. However, transdiagnostic works lack an overall understanding and focus mainly on anxiety and depression. The aim of the present study was to develop an easy to use tool to evaluate multiple dimensions opening the way for further research in the transdiagnostic approach. This will allow researchers to quickly assess the efficacy of psychotherapeutic interventions on multiple psychopathological dimensions. MethodFirst, we identified the main symptoms of psychopathology in a sample of mental healthcare workers. Second, we developed the Symptomatic Transdiagnostic Test (S2T) to assess the main symptoms of psychopathology. Third, we evaluated its psychometric properties (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency) in three non-clinical samples and one clinical sample. ResultsThe 66-item S2T included eleven factors referring to: i) negative thoughts and mood; ii) psycho-traumatic and maladaptive symptoms; iii) addiction symptoms; iv) disturbed eating behavior; v) disturbed perception and behavior; vi) panic and agoraphobia; vii) emotional lability; viii) dejection; ix) neurodevelopmental manifestations; x) anxiety and xi) psychic hyperactivity. We found a high internal consistency for the general scale (α=0.96) and the subscales. We found a good concurrent validity. As expected, we found higher levels of symptoms within the clinical population as compared to the non-clinical samples, except for addiction symptoms and disrupted eating behavior. We found negative associations between the symptomatic dimensions and psychological skills. ConclusionThe S2T is a relevant tool for clinicians and researchers to assess the psychopathological profile. The main psychopathological symptoms are negatively related to the psychological skills.