This study makes an original contribution to the evidence base for service user involvement in the teaching of interpersonal skills. The study is a synthesis of three different types of research activity. Firstly a systematic review which reviews the evidence base for service user involvement in interpersonal skills teaching. This review used inclusion criteria that restricted its scope to research that included elements that used outcomes, either qualitative or quantitative related to mental health service users involvement in teaching interpersonal skills. Four quantitative and eight qualitative studies met the criteria for inclusion. All the quantitative studies were methodologically weak. Qualitative studies lacked clear statements of qualitative methods used. Overall the studies reviewed provided some evidence of the efficacy of service user involvement. Qualitative findings included some negative effects of involvement. The second research approach used was reliability and validity testing of the Observed Assessment of Interpersonal Skills Scale (OAISS) using Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s Alpha. The OAISS is an observational instrument intended to measure an observer’s impression of another’s interpersonal skills during simulated interviews. Two factors were retained that accounted for 34% of the variance within the scale. Internal consistency of the scale was good. Two factors were interpreted to produce subscales called feedback and collaborative reflection and listening. The final study used mixed methods including a quasi-experiment and interview based qualitative data gathering. The quasi-experimental part of the study examined the effects on the student nurses (n = 75) interpersonal skills of a teaching intervention run by mental health service users. The experiment used a pre-test post-test design with a teaching as normal control group compared with the service user-teaching group. No significant difference was found between the two groups on measures of interpersonal skills. Qualitative results indicated that students had been affected by the service user teaching. Evidence was found of changes in empathic responses, attitudes and deep reflection on practice. Some polarization of views was also found particularly regarding the shocking nature of some of the personal accounts used in service user teaching and student concerns related to the representativeness of service users involved in teaching.

<p> Aim &amp; Objective: The aim of this project is to review the background literature and discuss the PICOt question as follows: In adult nursing students, age 30+, who are experiencing anxiety in the clinical setting, does peer dyad mentoring support in the clinical setting enable these students to decrease their anxiety level and pass their clinical effectively over a 90 day period of time?</p><p> Background: Clinical experience is an integral part of nursing education and prepares students nurses to integrate knowing with doing. Anxiety can cause a disruption in the learning and professional functioning of the student, and subsequently of the graduate nurse. Further to this, many non-traditional mature nursing students are adults entering the college or university setting with life experience unrelated to their new nursing career. They are attempting to balance work, home and school responsibilities. This anxiety has a variety of causes and also appears to have a variety of solutions.</p><p> Design: This project is a mixed method analysis, which contains both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Participants in the project were a convenience sample of Nursing students age 30+, in the BSN program at California State University Sacramento, willing to partake in this intervention, to assist in reducing their anxiety level during clinical. The project engages the use of true peer dyads (students at the same level of education) for the purpose of collaborative learning in the clinical setting. All subjects were given pre- and post-tests consisting of the State form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults&trade; (STAI-AD) is the definitive instrument for measuring anxiety in adults. The participants also completed a written qualitative interview guide at the end of the semester. </p><p> Results: The mean score of the STAI Anxiety Scale shows a definite decrease in anxiety after the peer dyad intervention in clinical. Of interest is the fact that the trait anxiety level also decreased in the final measurement. All sixteen mature students completed the peer dyad experience. The overall quantitative response to the peer dyad experience in clinical was a positive one according to the mature students involved.</p><p> Conclusions: Nursing students, are stressed and anxious in both the clinical setting (State anxiety) and appear to be more anxious in general (Trait anxiety). Formalized peer learning can decrease anxiety, help students learn effectively and is an important addition to the repertoire of learning activities that can enhance the quality of nursing education. Meeting the present and future challenges of educating nurses will require innovative models of clinical instruction, such as collaborative learning using student peer dyads.</p>

<p> Children who show signs of depression are at greater risk of having depression as adults as well as developing comorbid conditions. A multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) approach is currently the best evidence-based method for addressing behavioral and mental health concerns in a school setting. At this time, few research-based interventions exist that adequately address internalizing behaviors such as those associated with depression. <i> Strong Kids</i> is an evidence-based social-emotional learning curriculum that can be used at both the universal and secondary levels of prevention. It is designed to address internalizing behaviors; however, it has only been tested as one chronological series of lessons. This makes immediate response to a student&rsquo;s need &ndash; a hallmark of secondary prevention in MTSS &ndash; challenging because the Strong Kids program can take a minimum of 6 weeks for delivery. The current single-case design research evaluated the delivery of <i>Strong Kids</i> in an elementary school on a continuously rotating 4-week basis, such that students referred for the intervention began at the beginning of any given week and continued to receive the intervention until all lessons were received. Three hypotheses were tested: (a) Students at risk for developing depressive disorders would show reduced risk of depression following the <i>Strong Kids</i> intervention; (b) this intervention would be effective for students regardless of the lesson on which they begin the intervention; and, (c) any differential effects among students beginning the intervention during different weeks would be small and not reach the level of clinical significance. The obtained findings and implications for school practices are discussed.</p>

This paper provides preliminary information on consumer opinions and perceptions on various mental health issues. Recognizing that citizen in-put is an essential marketing tool for responsive and accountable program planning, the Canadian Mental Health Association - B.C. Division, is in the process of acquiring consumer data as part of its information bank. This pilot study has provided a 'dry run' of what is expected for future research projects. Through telephone interviews with 46 Vancouver City telephone subscribers and mail-out questionnaires to 46 community service: personnel, the Canadian Mental Health Association was able to acquire some relevant information to aid in its decision-making process for planning mental health educational programs. The majority of survey respondents, for example, feel that information on coping with stress is the most important to them while information on the more serious, mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, is least important. This has important implications for program planning if the organization is to enlist public support and market its services to a broader clientele. Focusing on promoting mental health and functional competence versus mental illness focused is recommended if the Canadian Mental Health Association hopes to attract normal population groups as its consumers. Furthermore, learning through friendship and familial support is the most desirable, and helping professionals should not place too much emphasis on pamphlets alone as an educational tool. Other implications arising from the consumer data are discussed in this paper. For the most part, the consumer data has served to verify assumptions about what decision-makers already know ... but the research process is able to ground such assumptions into fact ... and this helps to further legitimize and speed up action. This pilot study serves as an initial starting point for the organization in its attempt to incorporate consumer research as part of its overall planning process. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

<p> According to the Centers for Disease Control (2013), every year an estimated 13 to 20% of children in the United States suffer from mental health disorders. School mental health services developed to address the learning barriers experienced by these children achieve variable rates of success (Adelman &amp; Taylor, 2011; Center for School Mental Health, 2011). Reasons for this variability include lack of integration of these initiatives into comprehensive school reform efforts (Adelman &amp; Taylor, 2011), lack of inclusion of school mental health staff in the school improvement planning process (Nastasi, Varjas &amp; Moore, 2004), and lack of consideration of the local school context in their selection and implementation (Ringeisen, Hendersen &amp; Hoagwood, 2003). A group of 15 school teachers and mental health staff of a small Texas school district conducted this action research study about the status of its school mental health services. Individual interviews of the participants served as the initial basis for group meetings during which participants identified weaknesses in their mental health services, prioritized issues to be addressed, and developed an action plan to be presented to school administrators, and the Board of Education. Consistent with the findings of other research studies on school mental health (Center for School Mental Health, 2011), the three main areas of concern identified by the group included poor role clarification among school personnel responsible for mental health functions, lack of teacher training about mental health disorders and related classroom management strategies, and unclear policies and procedures. The process and outcome of the study support the use of participant action research as a method to aid in the development of locally relevant school mental health programs.</p>

The study sought acceptance of an inventory of program objectives for a community college mental health technology program within the social and behavioral science structure. It adapted a set of program objectives, using an inventory from the Southern Regional Education Board, and provided composite list stated in competency or performance levels and a list of academic requirements showing what fundamental areas of competency or performance would be most germane for a mental health technology candidate.

Background / Objectives: Mental diseases are perceived as one of the highest stigmatised conditions in our society. Public knowledge of mental illness does not come from professional journals or medical authorities, but largely from mass media as it is a major and most convenient source of information. Media tends to portray mental illness with negative attitude, focusing on bizarre and unexplainable behaviours of patients with mental illness, and exaggerating the linkage between mental illness and aggressive behaviours. However, few studies have been conducted in Hong Kong focusing on media perspective on this. This study focuses on the research of media’s role on psychosis from the perspective and experience of media professionals, and to identify media’s functional role of whether it is fostering public awareness and reducing stereotypes towards psychosis or on the contrary intensifying stigma conditions in the community of Hong Kong. Methodology: This is a qualitative study that purposive sampling method was used to recruit 22 media professionals from various media background including news media, entertainment and creative media, as well as public service broadcasting. All participants had up to one hour’s face-to-face in-depth interview based on pre-set theme of area of discussion. Results: Majority of subjects is able to recognise psychosis symptoms such as hallucination and (mainly persecutory) delusions, but unknown factors and myths about psychosis are still existed among the subjects. Confusion between psychosis, multiple personality disorders and even psychopath is commonly observed. Suggesting that media portrayal on psychosis and other mental illnesses is instilled with negative and stigmatised attitude is not prevalent. Most subjects believe that local news media can still perform with a neutral attitude when reporting the issues related to psychosis and mental illness. However, insufficient exposure of discussion about the topic across media platforms may affect public accessibility on the knowledge of psychosis and mental illness. Anti-stigma programs can contribute mostly positive messages and images about psychosis, but quality and quantity of those programs and promotions have to be designed and planned in delicate and persistent manners so as to maximise the effectiveness. Conclusion: Media plays a constructive role in educating the public about mental illness, and can also perpetuate stereotype and undermine the efforts of public campaigns. Suggesting that media practitioners are recommended to learn more about the well-round knowledge of psychosis and mental illness issue. Indeed, increased communication between media and mental health agencies can benefit the mutual understanding and lead to cooperative approach to tackle social stigma against psychosis. Though media professionals agree that media has its own limitation in terms of highly competitive broadcasting time and editorial space, most suggested that envisioned educational plan is an essential and influential method in removing public stigma and stereotype about psychosis. / published_or_final_version / Psychological Medicine / Master / Master of Psychological Medicine

<p> Clinical nursing practice requires intensive education, yet anxiety can interfere with student learning. A gap exists in the nursing literature on how nursing students can manage anxiety during clinical practice. Since the clinical portion of nursing education may be especially anxiety provoking for nursing students, a new teaching strategy has been developed to help reduce anxiety during clinical practice. In this quasi-experimental research study, a new teaching strategy known as mindfulness meditation intermixed with humor was used for four weeks with nursing students to examine whether there was a reduction in anxiety during clinical practice. A sample of 73 male and female junior and senior nursing students from a nursing program at a university in the southern region of the United States completed pretest and posttest questionnaires, which included the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale (MSHS). One-way ANOVA and correlation analysis were conducted to assess whether gender, race, and age were significantly related to the measures of STAI, MSHS, and MAAS scores. The findings indicated there was a significant reduction in STAI scores when participants were exposed to the new teaching strategy, which indicated a reduction in anxiety levels of junior and senior clinical nursing students. The results also signified a significant increase in the MAAS and MSHS scores, which revealed that participants became more mindful and humorous when exposed to the new teaching strategy. Implications include the use of mindfulness meditation intermixed with humor being implemented by nurse educators as a teaching strategy in clinical nursing courses to help reduce anxiety levels.</p>

<p> The current study sought to examine child life specialists' perspectives on supporting adolescents struggling with medical non-compliance. The intent of the study was to identify various factors involved in adolescent medical non-compliance and to examine the role of the child life specialist in supporting this population. Eighty-five certified child life specialists were surveyed regarding their work with adolescents and the strategies used to support adolescents struggling with medical non-compliance. The issues surrounding medical non-compliance were examined as well as child life specialist education and how capable child life specialists felt in their ability to support this population. Results support previous literature suggesting a negative impact of typical adolescent development on medical compliance. In addition, results revealed the multidisciplinary team approach and family dynamics as being barriers to supporting adolescents' struggle with medical non-compliance. These findings support the need for additional education to better equip child life specialists in their work with this population. </p><p> <i>Keywords: child life specialists, adolescents, medical non-compliance, medical non-adherence</i> </p>

<p> Schools currently do not have a well-designed and well-implemented prevention model to help students reduce their feelings of stress. This mixed methods study examined the relationship between practice of mindfulness, perceived stress, and student achievement among 165 seventh-grade students at a college preparatory high school. Using previously tested survey instruments Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Childhood and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM), the researcher trained, implemented, and tested the impact of a simple mindfulness practice universally as prevention model. Although the t-test did not detect an impact on the stress levels, which could be attributed to the limited time range of 12 weeks for the implementation of intervention, multiple regression analysis predicted mindfulness practice as a strong indicator of reduction in stress among the seventh-grade students. The qualitative analysis indicated a theme of situational awareness among the students who practiced mindfulness that led to regulation of their stress.</p>