What matters: Factors impacting the recovery process among outpatient mental health service users

Racial Disparity of Mental Health Service Utilization Among Low-Income Head Start Eligible Parents

Based on the Head Start Impact Study, 1706 parents who had mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms were selected to examine the following questions: (1) Are there racial disparities in mental health service utilization among low-income parents? (2) Does Head Start have an impact on mental health service utilization across white, African American, and Hispanic parents? The present research found that, compared to white parents, African American and Hispanic parents are significantly less likely to utilize mental health services. Head Start impact was found for white parents but not for African American and Hispanic parents. Furthermore, parents who spoke a language other than English had higher household risk factors, and reside in rural areas are less likely to utilize mental health services. Mental health providers should deliver patient-centered services that consider cultural and linguistic competency as well as the personal life context of their patients to remove any barriers to accessing mental health services.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadian Social Connections: A Thematic Analysis

Background

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic. Responses to the pandemic response disrupted Canadian social connections in complex ways; because social connections are determinants of health and well-being, their disruption could adversely affect health and well-being. Moreover, understanding how pandemics and public health responses affect social connections could inform pandemic recovery strategy and public health approaches designed for future pandemics. The purpose of this study is to understand experiences of pandemic impact on social connections over the pandemic.

Methods

A sample of 343 Canadian adults was recruited through Athabasca University and social media. Participants were predominantly White (81%) and female (88%). After the pandemic onset, participants responded to open-ended questions about the impact of the pandemic on and any changes to social connections at three time points (baseline, and three- and 6 months from study entry). Responses were categorized into epochs by date (April-June 2020 [Spring]; July-August 2020 [Summer]; September 2020-January 2021 [Fall/Winter]). Qualitative thematic analysis was used to code themes for each epoch.

Results

Negative impact of the pandemic (37-45%), loss of social connections (32-36%), and alternative means of connection (26-32%) were prominent themes across the epochs. Restrictions to face-to-face connections were largest in spring (9%) and lowest in the Summer (4%). Conversely, participants increasingly reported limited contact or communication into the Fall and Winter (6-12%) as pandemic restrictions in Canada were reinstated.

Conclusions

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens social connections, with negative impacts that fluctuated with COVID-19 case rates and subsequent pandemic restrictions. These findings could be used to identify targets for social supports during the pandemic recovery, and to adjust public health strategies for future pandemics that minimize impact on social connections.

Ethnic identity, stress, and personal recovery outcomes among young adults with serious mental health conditions

OBJECTIVE

Serious mental illnesses (SMI) often occur during early adulthood, just as young people are developing important aspects of their identity that can affect their recovery. Positive ethnic identity development is associated with stress coping and psychological well-being in young people. But, there is limited research to indicate how individual experiences of belonging and attachment to one's ethnic group influence personal recovery processes among young adults living with SMI.

METHOD

Young adults living with SMI (95% identified as ethnic/racial minorities) were recruited from four outpatient psychiatric rehabilitation programs (N = 83). Multivariate regressions were used to examine relationships between predictors (demographics, psychiatric symptomatology, ethnic identity) and the dependent variables (perceived stress and personal recovery).

RESULTS

A stronger, more developed ethnic identity and fewer depressive symptoms were associated with higher ratings of personal recovery. Increases in psychiatric symptoms predicted increased perceived stress. Post hoc analyses showed that Black, Latino/a, and multiracial study participants' ethnic identity ratings were similar to those of same ethnic/racial group of young adults without SMI.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Ethnic identity development could be a significant psychosocial factor shaping mental health recovery among minority young people living with SMI. Several factors associated with psychological well-being among ethnic and racial minority youth may account for this, including adaptive coping, social support, and a buffering effect against racism. Our findings indicate that assessing and developing a young person's ethnic identity-related strengths and resources as a means for improving the personalization of recovery services and enhancing the quality of care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

From darkness to light: Barriers and facilitators to mental health recovery in the South African context

BACKGROUND

South Africa is a low and middle income country facing many challenges in public mental health care and implementation of recovery.

AIMS

To contribute to what barriers and facilitators to recovery might be for service users in South Africa, from the perspective of service users, carers and service providers from three psychiatric hospitals in the Western Cape province.

METHOD

Interviews and focus groups were conducted with service users, carers and service providers. Interviews and focus groups were transcribed and analysed using atlas.ti software and reflexive thematic analysis, from the bottom up.

RESULTS

The barriers, environment, family, public mental health services, stigma and service users' attitude or behaviour generated, were found to be the most salient. The facilitators to recovery generated were support, family or friends, service providers, structure and empowerment. The need for support was identified as an underlying component to all these themes.

CONCLUSION

Barriers and facilitators to recovery seemed to have both intrapersonal and external sources that intersect at times. Recovery needs to be supported at an individual level, especially through an under-utilised resource such as peer support work, but in conjunction with the development of recovery-enabling environments in services and communities in South Africa.