Exploring Mental Health and Well-Being Among University Faculty Members: A Qualitative Study.

The current exploratory qualitative study describes how environmental factors, social interactions, personal experiences, and stigma affect mental health and help-seeking. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine university faculty members who self-identified as having mental illness-related concerns. Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems framework and thematic analysis, four domains were determined: (1) macrosystem (i.e., influences of academic culture); (2) mesosystem (i.e., influences of faculty leadership and interpersonal dynamics); (3) microsystem (i.e., influences of individual mental health experiences); and (4) exosystem (i.e., influences of stigma across structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal levels). These domains included barriers to and facilitators of mental health and help-seeking. Findings suggest that competitiveness and individualism may perpetuate stereotypes that mental illnesses are inherent weaknesses, and that seeking help is a barrier to academic success. Recommendations for future research are provided. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 60(11), 17-25.].

The Relationship Between Psychological Distress and Perception of Emotional Support in Medical Students and Residents and Implications for Educational Institutions.

OBJECTIVE: Psychological distress is pervasive among medical students and residents (MSR) and is associated with academic under-performance, decreased empathy, burnout, and suicidal ideation. To date, there has been little examination of how demographic and socioeconomic factors influence trainee's psychological distress levels, despite suggestion that financial concerns are a common source of stress. Recent Canadian studies examining the prevalence of distress, burnout, and resilience in MSR are limited. METHODS: Undergraduate and postgraduate medical trainees attending a Canadian university were surveyed. The questionnaire included standardized instruments to evaluate psychological distress, burnout, and resilience. Additional items explored MSR living and domestic circumstances, and anticipated debt upon training completion. Ordinary least squares regression models determined predictors of psychological distress, risk for burnout, and resiliency. Logistic regression of psychological distress predicted risk of MSR contemplating dropping out of their training program. RESULTS: Feeling emotionally/psychologically unsupported while attending university was a key predictor of psychological distress and burnout, while feeling supported reduces this risk. Risk for burnout increased with each year of medical training. Psychologically distressed MSR were at significantly greater odds of contemplating dropping out of their medical training program. CONCLUSIONS: Our results point to the important opportunity universities and medical schools have promoting MSR well-being by reducing institutional stressors, as well as teaching and promoting self-care and burnout avoidance techniques, instituting wellness interventions, and developing programs to identify and support at risk and distressed students.

Experiences of Psychological Distress and Sources of Stress and Support During Medical Training: a Survey of Medical Students.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examine the prevalence of psychological distress, the stressors experienced, and the supports used by medical students and residents during their medical training at a Canadian university. METHOD: This study used an online survey that included a standardized instrument to evaluate psychological distress (Kessler-10) and Likert-based survey items that examined stress levels related to family relationships, living accommodations, commuting, finances, and program requirements. Depressive symptoms, substance use, and suicidal ideation were also measured, as were supports accessed (e.g., counseling) and students' perceptions of the overall supportiveness of the university. Non-parametric descriptive statistics were used to examine the prevalence of psychological distress, sources of stress, and supports accessed. RESULTS: Surveys were received from 381 students (37% response). Most students (60%) reported normal levels of psychological distress on the K10 (M = 19.5, SD = 6.25), and a subgroup reported high to very high levels of psychological distress. A small number also reported substance use, symptoms of depression, and/or suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that students experience psychological distress from a number of stressors and suggest that medical schools should act as key partners in supporting student well-being by promoting self-care, educating students on the risks of burnout, and developing programs to support at-risk students.

Sustained improvements in students' mental health literacy with use of a mental health curriculum in Canadian schools.

BACKGROUND: Enhancement of mental health literacy for youth is a focus of increasing interest for mental health professionals and educators alike. Schools are an ideal site for addressing mental health literacy in young people. Currently, there is limited evidence regarding the impact of curriculum-based interventions within high school settings. We examined the effect of a high-school mental health curriculum (The Guide) in enhancing mental health literacy in Canadian schools. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis on surveys of students who participated in a classroom mental health course taught by their usual teachers. Evaluation of students' mental health literacy (knowledge/attitudes) was completed before and after classroom implementation and at 2-month follow-up. We used paired-samples t-tests and Cohen's d value to determine the significance and impact of change. RESULTS: There were 265 students who completed all surveys. Students' knowledge significantly improved between pre- and post-tests (p < 0.001; d = 0.90) and was maintained at follow-up (p < 0.001; d = 0.73). Similarly, attitude significantly improved between pre- and post-tests (p < 0.001; d = 0.25) and was significantly higher at follow-up than base-line (p < 0.007; d = 0.18) CONCLUSIONS: The Guide, applied by usual teachers in usual classroom curriculum, may help improve student knowledge and attitudes regarding mental health. This is the first study to demonstrate the positive impact of a curriculum-based mental health literacy program in a Canadian high school population.

Are Parent- and Teacher-Reported Executive Function Difficulties Associated With Parenting Stress for Children Diagnosed With ADHD?

Objective: To examine the relationship between parenting stress and parent- and teacher-reported executive function difficulties (EFDs) for childhood ADHD. Method: A secondary analysis using linear regression was conducted on parent- and teacher-completed Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and Parenting Stress Indexes for 5- to 12-year-olds (n = 243) with ADHD. Results: The linear combination of teacher- and parent-reported EFDs accounted for 49% of the variance in child-related parenting stress. Teacher-reported school-based EFDs were relatively inconsequential, having accounted for only 3% of this variance. This stress is best explained by EFDs with emotional control in the school environment and parent-reported EFDs with emotional control, inhibit, monitor, and shift. Conclusion: Parent-reported EFDs, and less so school-based EFDs, are related to parenting stress, but only in regard to EFDs likely underpinning behavioral outbursts and those likely underpinning the daily hassles of providing specialized care to children with ADHD.

A scoping review of mental health prevention and intervention initiatives for infants and preschoolers at risk for socio-emotional difficulties.

BACKGROUND: Infant mental health has emerged as a unique area of practice and research distinguished from child and youth sub-specialties by its advocacy for a relational practice framework with an emphasis on parents/caregivers being integral to assessment, treatment, and prevention initiatives. A diverse array of initiatives offered across a broad spectrum of delivery methods is available to clinicians. However, to date, a large-scale mapping of the research evidence regarding these interventions has yet to be completed to help inform clinician's decisions regarding the best approaches for their clients. To address this knowledge gap, this study aimed to report on the landscape of research pertaining to mental health interventions for infants and preschoolers (0-5 years), and their families at risk for socio-emotional difficulties and negative developmental outcomes. METHOD: A scoping review methodology was used to conduct a large-scale mapping of the intervention research pertaining to infants and preschoolers (0-5) at risk for socio-emotional difficulties. We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, LILACS, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source, World Cat, and ClinicalTrials.gov , from inception to December 31, 2012. We extracted information regarding publication date, geographical location, study design, level of risk, population, key intervention mechanism, and outcome measures. RESULTS: We identified 533 potential studies from 1233 title and abstracts after the first round of screening. Full text article review in the second round of screening resulted in a total of 162 included articles for the final analysis. Results indicated that over 50% of interventions evaluated were randomized controlled trials conducted in Westernized countries. Most studies could be subdivided by level of risk within a preventative public health framework including universal, selected, indicated, and direct treatment for children formally diagnosed with a mental disorder. Risk factors experienced by children and their families were heterogeneously defined and numerous outcome measures across included studies. The results of this study are limited to the last search date of 2012. CONCLUSIONS: Key intervention mechanisms spanned a range of approaches including parenting groups, dyadic, in-home, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and day care-based interventions. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for broad trends and gaps in research and policy for this population.

A scoping review of evidence-based interventions available to parents of maltreated children ages 0-5 involved with child welfare services.

Parents referred to child welfare services for child maltreatment often struggle against chronic risk factors including violence, substance abuse, mental health concerns, and poverty, which impinge upon their ability to be sensitive caregivers. The first line of intervention within the child welfare context is to modify parenting behavior. This scoping review comprehensively surveyed all available literature to map the extent and range of research activity around the types of interventions available within a child welfare context to parents of infants and toddlers (0-5 years of age), to identify the facilitators and/or barriers to the uptake of interventions, and to check that interventions match the risk factors faced by parents. This scoping review engaged in stringent screening of studies based upon inclusion/exclusion criteria. Sixty-five articles involving forty-two interventions met inclusion criteria. Interventions generally aimed to improve parenting practices, the relationship between parent and child, and/or attachment security, along with reducing child abuse and/or neglect. A notable finding of this scoping review is that at present, interventions for parents of children ages 0-5 involved with the child welfare system are most frequently measured via case study and quasi-experimental designs, with randomized control trials making up 26.2% of included study designs.

Structural violence against Kothi-identified men who have sex with men in Chennai, India: a qualitative investigation.

This qualitative investigation explored the experiences and contexts of stigma and discrimination among HIV-positive and high-risk kothi-identified men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chennai, India, and ramifications for HIV prevention. MSM were recruited through community agencies (n = 10) and public sex environments (n = 8), along with three key informants. In-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted, audiotaped, and transcribed. Narrative thematic analysis and a constant comparative method were used to identify themes. Findings revealed multiple intersecting social and institutional contexts and experiences of stigmatization, discrimination, and violence across police, community, family, and health care systems, as well as illuminating consequences for MSM. Multisystemic structural violence places kothis at extreme vulnerability for HIV infection and AIDS. Public mass media antidiscrimination campaigns, education and training of health care providers and police, funding of indigenous MSM community organizations, and decriminalization of consensual sex between same-sex adults may help to combat stigma, discrimination, and violence against MSM, which is fundamental to effective HIV prevention.

Embedding mental health interventions in early childhood education systems for at-risk preschoolers: an evidence to policy realist review.

BACKGROUND: Current early childhood systems of care are not geared to respond to the complex needs of preschoolers at risk for mental health problems in a timely, coordinated, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive fashion. Evidence-informed policy represents an opportunity for implementing prevention, promotion, and early intervention at the population or at-risk level. Exposure to risk factors as well as the presence of clinical disorders can derail the developmental trajectories of preschoolers, and problems may persist if left untreated. One way to address these multiple research-to-policy gaps are systematic reviews sensitive to context and knowledge user needs, such as the realist review. The realist review is an iterative process between research teams and knowledge users to build mid-level program theories in order to understand which interventions work best for whom and under what context. METHODS/DESIGN: The realist review employs five 'iterative' steps: (1) clarify scope, (2) search for evidence, (3) appraise primary studies and extract data, (4) synthesize the evidence, and (5) disseminate, implement, and evaluate evidence, to answer two research questions: What interventions improve mental health outcomes for preschoolers at risk for socio-emotional difficulties and under what circumstances do they work? and what are the best models of care for integrating mental health interventions within pre-existing early childhood education (ECE) services for at-risk children? Knowledge users and researchers will work together through each stage of the review starting with refining the questions through to decisions regarding program theory building, data extraction, analysis, and design of a policy dissemination plan. The initial questions will guide preliminary literature reviews, but subsequent more focused searches will be informed by knowledge users familiar with local needs and further building of explanatory program theories. DISCUSSION: Policy makers want to know what works best for whom, but are faced with a wide and disparate intervention literature for at-risk children. Applying evidence-based standards is a good start, but the chain of implementation between research results and how to match interventions sensitive to local context are ongoing challenges. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Prospero registration number: CRD42014007301.

Evergreen: creating a child and youth mental health framework for Canada.

Mental disorders affect many young Canadians, and most do not access care, partly because of lack of health policy-driven programs and services. Recognizing this policy need, the Child and Youth Advisory Committee of the Mental Health Commission of Canada created Evergreen: A Child and Youth Mental Health Framework for Canada. Evergreen was designed as a framework to guide development, implementation, and review of child and youth mental health policies, plans, and services across Canada. This Open Forum report describes the framework and the innovative features used to create Evergreen, including the advisory committee structure, application of qualitative research methods and tools, informed public input, and use of online collaborative writing technologies.

Executive function impairments in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: do they differ between school and home environments?

OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this study was to compare parent and teacher reports of executive function (EF), as measured by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), on a sample of children who had been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). If differences were found, the secondary purpose was to explore these differences by determining which of the 8 BRIEF scales, each representing a different EF, would best predict symptoms of ADHD by the 2 proxy reporters. METHOD: We performed a secondary data analysis on the assessment information pertaining to 240 children, aged 5 to 15 years, accessing services at an urban Toronto psychiatric program specializing in ADHD. We compared parent and teacher ratings and applied logistical binary regressions to predict the probability of a child's meeting the criteria for clinically significant inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity on the ADHD Rating Scale-IV. RESULTS: As expected, teachers reported more variety and severity of EF impairments than did parents. In addition, teachers used inhibition, organization of materials, and planning and organizing as predictors of ADHD symptoms, whereas parents relied predominantly on inhibition, working memory, and planning and organizing as the risk factors. CONCLUSION: Consistent with the current theory, EF impairments, particularly in inhibition, appear to underlie the behavioural manifestation of ADHD. However, parents and teachers do not always agree when reporting EF impairments at home and in school. Thus information from both types of informants is essential for understanding and treating children with this disorder.