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Taghva A, Noorbala AA, Khademi M, Shahriari A, Nasr Esfahani M, Asadi A, Mohsenifar J, Yousefifard A, Abolhassani M, Bolhari J, Hajebi A, Rahnejat AM, Shahed-Haghghadam H. Clergy's Viewpoint Change Toward Mental Health and Stigma on Mental Illness: A Short Course Training. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:864806. [PMID: 35432029 PMCID: PMC9010651 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.864806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As stigma is one of the main barriers in promoting the mental health, the present study was designed with the purpose of reviewing clergy's viewpoint regarding the effect of mental health workshops on these barriers. METHODS For this study, by order of Iran's Health Ministry, a questionnaire was designed to examine the clergy's viewpoint related to mental illnesses and the consequent stigma. Ten faculty members and psychiatrists confirmed the questionnaire's validity after some modifications. In this research, 30 members of the clergy from the main religious city in Iran's "Qom" Seminary attended the training workshops for 2 days. The data obtained from the clergy's responses were analyzed using the SPSS software (ver.16) and descriptive and analytical tests. Also, the significance level was considered p < 0.05 in all tests. The results exhibited that the mean and standard deviation (Mean ± SD) of the clergy's attitude domain and awareness before the workshop was 1.90 ± 26.30 and 8.31 ± 1.64, respectively. Also, average and standard deviation (Mean ± SD) of their attitude domain and awareness after the workshop was 1.95 ± 29.73 and 1.18 ± 10.70, respectively. DISCUSSION The present study, which was designed to examine the clergy's viewpoint toward mental illnesses and the consequent stigma in the most considerable religious base in the country, illustrated that one strategy for reducing mental illness stigma in religious communities can be by holding training sessions to promote the clergy's awareness of and attitude toward mental health. CONCLUSION There was a significant statistical difference between their awareness and attitude scores before and after the workshop (p < 0.01). In the present research, the awareness and attitude of clergy toward mental health and stigma due to mental illness was relatively good and significantly increased by holding the workshop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arsia Taghva
- Department of Psychiatry, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Ali Noorbala
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mojgan Khademi
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Shahriari
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Ali Asadi
- Deputy Mental Health Office, Social Addiction Ministry of Health, Tehran, Iran
| | - Jafar Mohsenifar
- Department of Psychology, Disaster and Trauma Research Center, 505 Hospital, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Moussa Abolhassani
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Jafar Bolhari
- Department of Psychiatry, Spiritual Health Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Hajebi
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Research Center for Addiction and Risky Behaviors, Social Injury Prevention Research Institute, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Mohsen Rahnejat
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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DeFoster R, Swalve N. Guns, Culture or Mental Health? Framing Mass Shootings as a Public Health Crisis. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2018; 33:1211-1222. [PMID: 28841045 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2017.1350907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, public health scholars and policymakers have been calling for increased research on the public health implications of gun violence. However, scientific research on this issue has been stifled by a 1996 budget rider that eliminated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) funding for gun research. In this study, we examined newspaper coverage of three mass shootings that took place over a 20-year period before and after the passage of this budget rider. We found that sources and frames provided by news media to contextualize gun violence shifted markedly over time, progressing from episodic and individual-level frames to broader thematic societal-level concerns, with increased discussion of mental health but limited discourse explicitly related to public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth DeFoster
- a Department of Communication Studies , St. Catherine University
- b Department of Psychology , Alma College
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Atanasova D, Koteyko N, Brown B, Crawford P. Representations of mental health and arts participation in the national and local British press, 2007–2015. Health (London) 2017; 23:3-20. [DOI: 10.1177/1363459317708823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
We analysed news articles published in national and local British newspapers between 2007 and 2015 to understand (1) how mental health and arts participation were framed and (2) how the relationships between participants in arts initiatives were conceptualised. Using corpus-assisted qualitative frame analysis, we identified frames of recovery, stigma and economy. The recovery frame, which emphasised that mental illness can be treated similarly to physical illness, positioned arts participation as a form of therapy that can complement or substitute medication. The stigma frame presented arts participation as a mechanism for challenging social conceptions that mentally ill individuals are incapable of productive work. The economy frame discussed the economic burden of mentally ill individuals and portrayed arts participation as facilitating their return to employment. Using thematic analysis, which paid attention to the representation of social actors, we found that service users were identified as the prime beneficiaries of arts initiatives, and arts participation was conceptualised as a way to bring people with mental health issues together. We discuss these findings against existing research on media representations of mental health and the concept of ‘mutual recovery’ and suggest what wider concurrent developments in the areas of mental health and the media may account for the uncovered frames and themes.
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