Miss B Pursues Death and Miss P Life in the Light of V. E. Frankl's Existential Analysis/Logotherapy

Effect of group-based logotherapy on imprisoned women’s level of hope: a randomized controlled trial (RCT)

Purpose

Female prisoners are a vulnerable group in society, often exposed to emotional deprivation and violent experiences and in need of support and attention due to mental health problems. The purpose of this study is to find out whether logotherapy, as an existential approach that emphasizes finding the true meaning in life, can affect imprisoned women’s level of hope, as well as investigating the relationship between participants’ criminological and demographic factors.

Design/methodology/approach

This study comprised a clinical trial with pre-test and post-test, carried out in two groups of intervention and control. The research environment for the study was the Prison Training Center of Shiraz. In total, 90 imprisoned women participated in the study, with the intervention group attending 10 sessions of group logotherapy. Two questionnaires, the Miller Hope scale and demographic and criminological information questionnaires were used for assessment. Participants were evaluated in three periods before, immediately after and one month after the intervention.

Findings

The results showed that logotherapy had a significant effect on increasing the feeling of hopefulness (p = 0.001). Therefore, using the logotherapy approach in other vulnerable groups is recommended.

Originality/value

This study can be a basis for further research due to limited studies on the mental health of women prisoners in the country.

"It was like nobody cared about what I said?" Iranian women committed self-immolation: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Suicide-attempts have increased across the world and have become higher among females. There has been a high prevalence of self-immolation in Iran, mostly young married women admitted to the burn centers. This study aimed to explore the factors and experiences of self-immolation in Iranian married women to develop prevention strategies to prevent the personal, social, and economic impacts of suicide and suicide attempts.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive approach using open-ended, in-depth, face-to-face interviews was conducted in a purposive sample of 16 married Iranian women aged 16-40 years in the burn centers in Urmia city, a place in northwest Iran. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Three themes emerged from the data, including (1) antecedents of self-immolation, (2) suicidal ideation method, and (3) pathway to recovery. Each of these themes is supported by sub-themes.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlights the demand for health professionals to support self-immolation survivors to continue their normal lives. According to survivors' needs, a comprehensive supportive program is recommended to support their pathways to recovery in all its complexities. Health professionals should also not forget that the survivors' family also will need help to overcome this trauma. A family counseling program may also be provided.

Logotherapy to Mitigate the Harmful Psychological Effects of Current Events: A Tool for Nurses

Evidence suggests that political or current events can have adverse effects on mental health. Since the 2016 election, many mental health professionals have also noted a surge among Americans who associate their mental health symptoms with current events. It is therefore possible that when nurses speak with patients, discussions of current events will arise. Logotherapy is introduced as a tool that can help facilitate these discussions and a way that nurses might assist patients who are adversely affected by current events. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 58(4), 38-42.].

Interparental Conflict Relative to Suicidal Ideation in Chinese Adolescents: The Roles of Coping Strategies and Meaning in Life

The aim of this study was to explore the paths between interparental conflict and Chinese adolescents’ suicidal ideation. Altogether 931 adolescents (M_age = 17.84, SD = 0.77, females = 531) completed the Dyadic Consensus Scale, Self-Report Coping Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation questionnaires. Mediation analyses were conducted, focusing on the relations between interparental conflict and suicidal ideation along with coping styles and a sense of meaning in life. The results showed that interparental conflict indirectly predicted adolescents’ suicidal ideation via three mediators: coping-approach strategies, presence of meaning, and the joint serial effects of coping-approach strategies and presence of meaning in Chinese adolescents. In addition, boys were more likely to be at risk for suicidal ideation than girls, so were 10th graders compared to 11th graders. These findings supported a combined distress-to-meaninglessness line of thinking along with the use of coping-approach strategies to depress self-harm ideation. Generally, interparental conflict should be kept out of youngsters’ immediate vicinity as a preventive measure of suicidal ideation.