Financial Coping Strategies of Mental Health Consumers: Managing Social Benefits

Mental health consumers depend on social benefits in the forms of supplemental security income and social security disability insurance for their livelihood. Although these programs pay meager benefits, little research has been undertaken into how this population makes ends meet. Using a qualitative approach, this study asks what are the financial coping strategies of mental health consumers? Seven approaches were identified: subsidies, cost-effective shopping, budgeting, prioritizing, technology, debt management, and saving money. Results illustrate the resourcefulness of mental health consumers in managing meager social benefits and highlight the need to strengthen community mental health efforts with financial capabilities education.     

Social Support and Social Adjustment: Implications for Mental Health Professionals

The general importance of an individual's support network has been recognized in the field of community mental health; yet a more detailed understanding of how a client's available social ties may contribute to his or her adjustment is presently lacking. This study used network analysis to examine differences in the social networks of mental health clients to identify factors associated with positive social adjustment. Subjects were selected from three different types of mental health programs as well as from the general population of Marion County, Oregon. Results generally revealed that subjects from the community sample more often would look to immediate family members for support. Better functioning chronic clients emphasized professional contacts, whereas more poorly adjusted chronic clients would look to friends for support. The results have implications both for understanding the nature of the support available to a client and mobilizing the support resources of the existing network of relationships to aid adjustment to community living.     

Presentation of Coping Strategies Associated with Physical and Mental Health During Health Check-ups

We identified coping behaviors during regular health check-ups and examined whether they were related to physical and mental health. We assessed coping strategies with the Brief COPE scale in 201 people who underwent a regular health check-up in a clinic. We found several significant relationships between coping and physical/psychological conditions presented in health check-up: Humor and systolic blood pressure, Substance use and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, Venting and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, Self-blame and depression, and Behavioral disengagement and sleep disorder. By evaluating coping strategies and screening depression as part of a regular health check-up, General practitioner can provide psychological intervention such as cognitive behavioral therapy which may improve both mental and physical health of the people.     

Caught by Connections: The Mediating Roles of Social and Community Support after Interpersonal Violence

Community Mental Health Journal - The purpose of the present study was to examine the potential mediating roles of different sources of social support and sense of community on the relationship...     

Social Isolation and Mental Health: The Role of Nondirective and Directive Social Support

Social isolation is a powerful predictor of poor mental and physical health, while social support has been shown to be protective. The ways in which social support is provided may confer differential benefits. This research examines relationships among types of social support (nondirective, directive, emotional and instrumental), social isolation, and mental health outcomes (anxiety and depression) in a convenience sample of adults with common health problems recruited from all email accounts of a university. A survey distributed to a university-wide listserv that included faculty, staff, and students yielded an analyzable sample of 65. T-tests compared levels of anxiety and depression between socially isolated and non-socially isolated people. Regression models tested main effects of type of support as well as their interaction with social isolation. Levels of anxiety and depression were significantly higher among socially isolated people. When social support was factored in, the relationship between social isolation and anxiety was reduced, as was the relationship between social isolation and depression, suggesting that social support mediates these relationships. Furthermore, social isolation moderated relationships between some types of support and mental health outcomes. The association between greater nondirective emotional support and decreased anxiety was more pronounced among those who were socially isolated. Greater nondirective emotional support was significantly associated with decreased depression among socially isolated people, but the relationship was nonsignificant for those who were not socially isolated. Likewise, greater directive instrumental support was associated with lower depression only among those who were socially isolated. These results suggest that in addition to social support itself, the type of support may be important in reducing anxiety and depression among people who are socially isolated.

     

Demoralization in Mental Health Organizations: Leadership and Social Support Help

Demoralization is a commonly observed feeling state that is characterized by a sense of loss of or threat to one??s personal values or goals and a perceived inability to overcome obstacles toward achieving these goals. Demoralization has features in common with burnout and may precede or accompany it. Psychiatrists working in many mental health care organizational settings, be they in the public or private sectors, may be at particular risk for demoralization. This is due partly to stressors that threaten their own professional values because of factors such as programmatic cut backs, budgetary reductions and changing social emphases on the value of mental health treatments. They also may be at risk for demoralization because of the effects on them of the governance styles of the agencies in which they are employed. The leadership or governance style in large organizational settings often is authoritarian, hierarchical and bureaucratic, approaches that are antithetical to the more participative leadership styles favored by many mental health professionals in their clinical activities. Clinical leaders in mental health organizations must exhibit various competencies to successfully address demoralization in clinical staff and to provide a counterbalance to the effects of the governance style of many agencies in which they are employed. Appropriate leadership skills, sometimes too simplistically termed ??social support??, have been found to reduce burnout in various populations and are likely to lessen demoralization as well. This paper reviews these important leadership issues and the relationship of social support to recognized leadership competencies.     

Social Support and Religion: Mental Health Service Use and Treatment of Schizophrenia

The perceptions and religious beliefs held by family members, mental health and health care professionals, and the community may affect the treatment of individuals with schizophrenia. To better identify and understand the influence of families, professionals and community members on individual’s treatment for schizophrenia, this review paper examines: (1) the religious perceptions of families, professionals, and the public towards schizophrenia; (2) religious perceptions of the etiology of schizophrenia; (3) how others perceive religion as a coping mechanism; and (4) how religion influences treatment engagement and help-seeking behaviors. MEDLINE and PsycInfo databases were systematically searched from 1980 to 2010 using the terms schizophrenia, schizoaffective, schizophreniform, psychotic disorder not otherwise specified and religion, religiosity, spirituality, and faith. Forty-three (n = 43) original research studies met the inclusion criteria. This study found that religious beliefs influence the treatment of schizophrenia in the following ways: Religious themes were positively associated with coping, treatment engagement and help-seeking behavior. Evidence of religious underpinnings was found in perceptions of etiology. The findings also indicate that there is often both a preference among family members and caregivers to utilize religious-based professionals and caution toward mental health professionals. Researchers and professionals may find avenues for improving treatment through examining the interaction of religious and schizophrenia at the social support level.     

Family Functioning and Adolescent Psychological Maladjustment: The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies

This study aims to analyze the mediating role of coping strategies in the relationship between family functioning and youth maladjustment. A community sample of 341 adolescents (M = 15.11 years old; SD = 1.71) completed self-report measures about such variables. Results showed that a perception of an inadequate family functioning was associated with the use of maladaptive coping strategies, as well as with youth psychological maladjustment. The results also revealed that rumination and support-seeking mediated the relationship between family functioning and internalizing behavior, and hostile expression of feelings played a mediating role between family functioning and externalizing behavior. No gender differences were found in the relationship between variables. This study emphasizes the importance of coping strategies used by adolescents to understand the relationship between family functioning and youth psychological maladjustment.     

The Relationship between Mental Health Literacy and Subjective Well-Being of Young and Middle-Aged Residents: Perceived the Mediating Role of Social Support and Its Urban-Rural Differences

This study investigates mental health literacy among young and middle-aged urban and rural residents and thedifferences in mental health literacy, perceived social support and subjective well-being. From January to February2022, 620 participants (320 rural and 300 urban residents) from three provinces of China were selected by convenience sampling. A general data questionnaire, mental health literacy scale, perceived social support scale andsubjective well-being scale were administered. The mental health literacy scores of urban residents were 3.34 ±0.57 and those of rural residents were 2.73 ± 0.79. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that themental health literacy scores of rural residents were more significant than those of urban residents in terms ofsex and age, while urban residents’ mental health literacy scores were more significant than those of rural residents in terms of monthly income. Mental health literacy, perceived social support and subjective well-beingof young and middle-aged urban and rural residents were all positively correlated (P < 0.01). While the levelof mental health literacy is better among urban residents than rural residents, perceived social support plays apartial mediating role between mental health literacy and subjective well-being of both urban and rural residents,and should be the focus of researchers seeking to improve the level of well-being of residents.     

Mindful Coping and Mental Health among Adolescents

The aim of the research described here is to provide knowledge of adolescents and their coping strategies through the construct of mindful coping. Little is known about the contributions of mindfulness to the enhancement of mental health in adolescents. Inspired by dialectical behaviour therapy (Linehan, 1993a, b), we discuss the mindful coping process and investigate how different aspects of this process are related to mental health in a non-clinical adolescent sample. The empirical approach consisted of a cross-sectional study of 652 high-school students from two high schools, covering all streams. The relations between the four proposed mindful coping aspectsawareness, distraction, preventing negative emotions and constructive self-assertionwith psychological symptoms (PS), as well as how these four aspects moderated the relationship of perceived life strains (LS) with PS, were studied. The results show that coping by preventing negative emotions and constructive self-assertion were associated with fewer PS and/or weaker association between LS and PS, whereas coping by use of distraction was related to more PS and did not moderate the association between LS and PS. Finally, coping by use of awareness was related to a stronger association of LS with PS. The results only partly supported our expectations, providing challenging and important knowledge for future research on mindful coping in adolescents.     

Perceived Social Support, Coping Strategies and Alcohol Use among Rural Adolescents/USA Sample

Purpose Rural adolescents are under-researched in substance use studies. The purpose of this study was to determine whether perceived social support and coping strategies predict rural adolescents’ alcohol use. Materials and Methods Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the relationship among alcohol use levels, coping strategies, and perceived social support. A total of 376 females and 248 males (average age 16 years) recruited from four rural high schools. Results Perceived family social support was a strong protective factor against alcohol use (OR=1.05, p _Wald=0.002) while avoidance coping strategy was a strong risk factor of alcohol use (OR=1.022, p _Wald=0.008). Female and male rural adolescents were significantly different in alcohol use level (χ ²=15.77, df=2/623, p=<0.001). Conclusion Avoidance coping strategies and perception of social support from family are strong predictors of alcohol level among rural adolescents.     

Religion-Based Emotional Social Support Mediates the Relationship between Intrinsic Religiosity and Mental Health

Although previous research suggests that increased religiosity is associated with better mental health and many authors have conjectured that religion-based social support may help explain this connection, scant research has directly examined whether religion-based support mediates religiosity and mental health. The present study examined whether various dimensions of religion-based support (social interaction, instrumental, and emotional) mediated the relationship between religiosity and mental health in college students in the Midwest United States. As expected, of the support dimensions, perceived emotional support was the strongest predictor of decreased hopelessness, depression, and suicide behaviors; and the relationships among intrinsic religiosity and the mental health variables were fully mediated by emotional support. These findings provide strong support to the notion that the relationship between religiosity and mental health can be reduced to mediators such as social support. Research and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Investigating the Relationship between Perceived Discrimination, Social Status, and Mental Health

A growing body of evidence suggests that experiences with discrimination have implications for mental health and that these associations may vary by social status. We use data from the Chicago Community Adult Health Study (CCAHS) to examine how two types of perceived discrimination, chronic everyday discrimination and major lifetime discrimination, are linked to mental health, and how this association varies by race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Results indicate that everyday discrimination is generally independently linked to greater depressive symptoms, loneliness, and hostility across all social status groups. Major discrimination is not associated with depressive symptoms or loneliness after adjusting for a host of covariates, but is associated with hostility, especially for certain groups. These findings highlight the need to examine multiple indicators of discrimination and mental health, and to pay attention to both differences and similarities in these associations by social status.     

Readiness for Employment: Perceptions of Mental Health Service Users

Work is good for both physical and mental health, and access to work is a basic human right. People with mental health conditions want to work and with the right support can work but are often excluded from the workplace. We explored factors influencing individual’s perceptions of their readiness for employment. Participants’ narratives focused particularly on personal causation and it’s inter-reactions with other aspects of volition, habituation and the environment and highlight a number of key areas, which are discussed in relation to service provision. Sheltered workshops offer support and some structure and routine but may limit an individual’s readiness for employment. Services should be evidence based and focused on real work opportunities which fit with individual’s interests and values. Occupational therapy theory offers a unique and valuable perspective in understanding perceptions of readiness for employment and occupational therapists offer valid and useful assessments and interventions for vocational rehabilitation.     

Why Hospital Mental Health Staff Terminate Employment

topic . How hospital mental health staff make the decision to terminate employment
methods . Subjects (N = 30) included mental health professionals formerly employed at a large Canadian psychiatric hospital. They were interviewed using Ebaugh's model of the role exit process to determine different dimensions of the existing process.
findings . The role exit process tended to cover a considerable time span, with notable potential for reversing the decisions.
conclusion . staff who terminate employment due to job-related circumstances could be retained if active problem-solving measures were undertaken by the staff member and appropriate administrative personnel.     

The Mediating Roles of Perceived Stress and Health Behaviors in the Relation Between Objective,Subjective, and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Perceived Health

Background

Objective, subjective, and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with perceived health, morbidity, and mortality.

Purpose

We investigated whether perceived stress and health behaviors mediated the relation between the three types of SES and perceived health.

Methods

Participants (N?=?508) attending a public clinic completed a computerized survey assessing objective SES (income, education, employment); health behaviors; perceived stress; and perceived health. They also indicated their social standing relative to others (subjective SES) and provided their current address to determine neighborhood SES.

Results

In a structural equation model including all three SES types, lower objective and subjective SES were related to poorer perceived health. When mediators were included in the model, there were significant indirect effects of (a) SES on health through stress and (b) SES on health through stress and health-compromising behaviors.

Conclusions

Interventions to reduce the impact of stressors could improve the health of socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals.     

Social Support and Sense of Coherence: Independent,Shared and Interaction Relationships with Life Stress and Mental Health

Both perceived social support and sense of coherence are used extensively as intervening factors to predict and explain the relationship of external factors to individuals' state of mental health. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the present operational definitions of these concepts measure the same or different dimensions of the intervening process and/or have a distinct interaction effect on mental health. A survey was carried out in seven local communities in Lofoten, a series of islands in Northern Norway. The questionnaires were constructed for self-completion and delivered to all households (people 18 years and above) in the selected communities. Sixty-seven per cent of the universe responded (N = 1062). By factor analysis, the items were subdivided for perceived social support and sense of coherence. The two concepts make both significant independent and shared contributions to explained variance on the mental health index. All second-order terms (any combination of two of the indexes, sense of coherence, perceived social support or negative life events) show modification effects with regard to mental health. The combination of sense of coherence, perceived social support and negative life events showed a thirdorder effect modification with regard to mental health. The interaction between social support and sense of coherence increases with the number of experienced negative life events. Thus all three factors need to be considered to maximise the efficiency of health promotion projects.