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Covid-19, the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is recognised as one of the most challenging global events of the twenty-first Century. The detrimental impact of the pandemic resulted in high rates of infection, morbidity, and mortality, with health-care workers firmly positioned on the frontline of this unparalleled international crisis. An emerging literature detailing the impact of COVID-19 on health-care practitioners identifies high levels of depression, anxiety, and distress. Accordingly, there are calls for the implementation of effective interventions to tackle the impending spectre of psychological morbidities and staff burnout. While it is important to explore new approaches, it is also valuable to examine how existing strategies, such as reflective practice, can be repurposed to specifically address practitioner well-being. This requires a reimagining of reflective practice and a reimagining of the reflective practice contexts in which reflective activity occurs. This paper presents The Reflective Practice Integrative Framework, which illustrates how reflective practice can be used to address the complex aims of supporting effective patient care, while also facilitating practitioner well-being. The Reflective Organisational Learning Framework is also presented which can be used to develop effective reflective practice environments through single, double, and/or triple loop learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence against nurses is a disturbing trend in healthcare that has reached epidemic proportions globally. These violent incidents can result in physical and psychological injury, exacerbating already elevated levels of stress and burnout among nurses, further contributing to absenteeism, turnover, and intent to leave the profession. To ensure the physical and mental well-being of nurses and patients, attention to the development of strategies to reduce violence against nurses must be a priority. Caring knowledge—rooted in the philosophy of care—is a potential strategy for mitigating violence against nurses in healthcare settings. We present what caring knowledge is, analyze its barriers to implementation at the health system and education levels and explore potential solutions to navigate those barriers. We conclude how the application of models of caring knowledge to the nurse-patient relationship has the potential to generate improved patient safety and increased satisfaction for both nurses and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interventions to improve mental health can target individuals, working groups, their leaders, or organisations, also known as the Individual, Group, Leader, and Organisational (IGLO) levels of intervention. Evaluating such interventions in organisational settings is complex and requires sophisticated evaluation designs taking into account the intervention process. In the present systematic literature review, we present state of the-art of quantitative measures of process evaluation. We identified 39 papers. We found that measures had been developed to explore the organisational context, the intervention design, and the mental models of the intervention and its activities. Quantitative process measures are often poorly validated, and only around half of the studies linked the process to intervention outcomes. Fifteen studies used mixed methods for process evaluation. Most often, a qualitative process evaluation was used to understand unexpected intervention outcomes. Despite the existence of theoretical process evaluation frameworks, these were not often employed, and even when included, frameworks were rarely acknowledged, and only selected elements were included. Based on our synthesis, we propose a new framework for evaluating interventions, the Integrative Process Evaluation Framework (IPEF), together with reflections on how we may optimise the use of quantitative process evaluation in conjunction with a qualitative process evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta-synthesis aimed to synthesise qualitative evidence on experiences of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in receiving a diagnosis, to derive a conceptual understanding of adjustment to MS diagnosis. Five electronic databases were systematically searched to identify qualitative studies that explored views and experiences around MS diagnosis. Papers were quality-appraised using a standardised checklist. Data synthesis was guided by principles of meta-ethnography, a well-established interpretive method for synthesising qualitative evidence. Thirty-seven papers were selected (with 874 people with MS). Synthesis demonstrated that around the point of MS diagnosis people experienced considerable emotional upheaval (e.g., shock, denial, anger, fear) and difficulties (e.g., lengthy diagnosis process) that limited their ability to make sense of their diagnosis, leading to adjustment difficulties. However, support resources (e.g., support from clinicians) and adaptive coping strategies (e.g., acceptance) facilitated the adjustment process. Additionally, several unmet emotional and informational support needs (e.g., need for personalised information and tailored emotional support) were identified that, if addressed, could improve adjustment to diagnosis. Our synthesis highlights the need for providing person-centred support and advice at the time of diagnosis and presents a conceptual map of adjustment for designing interventions to improve adjustment following MS diagnosis. The period surrounding Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis can be stressful and psychologically demanding. Challenges and disruptions at diagnosis can threaten sense of self, resulting in negative emotions. Adaptive coping skills and support resources could contribute to better adjustment following diagnosis. Support interventions should be tailored to the needs of newly diagnosed people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper interrogates two different perspectives on music and wellbeing. The first positions musical practice as being beneficial for emotional wellbeing and mental health, whilst the second positions musical work – building a career as a musician – as potentially detrimental. This apparent paradox matters because the clinical findings which establish a causal link between music and wellbeing are being disembedded from the contexts in which those links are manifesting by charities, social enterprises, advocacy organisations, educational institutions, governments and international bodies, and fuelling normative sociological prescriptions which encourage participation in music making. For those who go on to develop career ambitions, wellbeing outcomes are far less clear. Therefore, a more sophisticated appreciation of the uses of music and its impact on wellbeing is required. This paper provides a more balanced view of the connections between music, wellbeing and health and reflects on how this paradox might be resolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of primary school aged children in the UK, through the perspectives of teachers and parents through surveys and interviews. Results highlighted the heterogeneity within children's experiences and the detrimental impacts of the lockdowns on social development. Importantly, many participants also drew attention to the benefits of the less pressurised schooling, which were perceived as having a positive impact on behaviour, wellbeing and academic progress. The paper applies insights from the findings to the reimagining of primary education to support children's flourishing post-pandemic. It contends that prioritising children's social and emotional development is key to supporting children's flourishing in the recovery period and is a prerequisite for effective learning more widely. However, the paper argues for a critical ecological approach to wellbeing in schools: while individualised interventions such as counselling may be part of the solution, what is needed is a deeper and longer-term transformation of the system in which time and capacity for fostering strong relationships and children's active engagement are placed at the heart of primary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a lack of existing comprehensive reviews, the aim of this mixed-method systematic review was to synthesise the evidence on the early impacts of the pandemic on unpaid dementia carers across the globe. This review was registered on PROSPERO [CDR42021248050]. PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were searched from 2020 to July 2021. Studies were included if they reported on the different impacts of the pandemic on unpaid dementia carers aged 18+, with papers published in English, German, Polish, or Spanish. A number of research team members were involved in the selection of studies following PRISMA guidance. Thirty-six studies (43 papers) from 18 countries reported on the early impact of the pandemic on unpaid dementia carers. Impacts were noted on accessing care and support; carer burden; and well-being. Studies found that carers had limited access to care and support services, increased workload, enhanced feelings of social isolation, and reduced wellbeing. Specifically, reductions in access to care and support increased carer's unpaid caring tasks, removing any opportunities for temporary respite, and thus further increasing carer burden and reducing mental well-being in many. The needs of unpaid dementia carers appear to have increased during the pandemic, without adequate support provided. Policy initiatives need to enable better mental health support and formal care provision for unpaid carers and their relatives with dementia, whilst future research needs to explore the long-term implications of carer needs in light of care home restrictions and care delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that contemporary Western societies' fixation on different elements of capitalist production, consumption and distribution lies at the heart of the crisis in mental health and wellbeing increasingly experienced by individuals within key state institutions. The paper weaves together Lefebvre's and Marcuse's theoretical insights to explore the generation of (time-)spaces in contemporary societies, focussing on higher education and specifically on the lived experiences of postgraduate researchers. The insistence that welfare states, turned into workfare states, treat the symptoms through drugs and sedation, shows the reach of consumption and distribution as a means to address the problems caused by production. Against this backdrop, the paper draws on empirical data from a recent study undertaken by the authors examining the challenges to mental and physical health that postgraduate study posed at a university in the English Midlands. The obliteration of the social, cultural and political determinants of this malaise is expedient to place the onus of corrective measures on the individual through a series of self-help strategies, which again, privatise the atomised self to its lowest common denominator: the cerebral, emotional self. If the body becomes sick in industrialisation, is it any wonder the mind becomes sick in cognitive capitalism? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2010, government policy in England has positioned further education almost exclusively as employment-orientated training for school leavers whilst also imposing severe budget cuts. During this period, values-based pedagogies that foreground social justice for students, many of whom come from low-income households, have been undermined. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there is evidence that the mental health and well-being of further education students has suffered but little is known about the pandemic's effects on teachers.This paper presents analysis of primary research data drawn from interviews with a small sample of further education teachers and managers in the English West Midlands about their mental health and well-being during the pandemic. The paper frames the research data by acknowledging that both mental health nursing and further education teaching are currently riven by contradictions with an epistemological basis anchored in meritocratic and neoliberal policy. Using Lefebvrian theory, our analysis suggests that for further education staff, the pandemic has sharpened the tensions experienced in an already precarious professional role. Key findings were that the further education funding regime drove a 'business as usual' management attitude during the pandemic, and an intensification of work and the erosion of pedagogical practice negatively affected staff's mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on improving emotional well-being in older adults. Topics include seeking to understand mental health needs of veterans across mental health conditions; and examining innovative interventions using novel approaches such as mindfulness, meditation, nature, performance art, and visual art.

A significant, if relatively small, body of literature provides a picture of PGR mental health and wellbeing, and key factors influencing this. However, little has been written on interventions, practices and changes to institutional support for PGRs, how these impact on wellbeing, and what factors influence their success. This paper summarises and synthesises research that has evaluated interventions or institutional changes aimed at supporting PGR mental health and wellbeing. A rapid systematic review methodology identified 21 papers, which evaluated interventions or practices to support PGR wellbeing, gathering data from 1066 students, 33 staff members (mainly supervisors) and 11 recent graduates. The papers included were diverse but limited and therefore did not offer strong evidence for the effectiveness of specific approaches. However, they provided valuable insight, which we conceptualise in a model of approaches to enhancing PGR wellbeing before exploring barriers to implementation of interventions, and recommendations for research, policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building upon two previously published research papers exploring Canadian media reporting of childhood in the first wave of the pandemic, this paper investigates how constructions of childhood evolved from the first wave to the fourth wave of the pandemic. This qualitative research is guided by the central research question: Over the span of 2 years, from 2020 to 2022, what changes are evident in discourses reported within media focused on the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on Canadians under the age of 18 years? Findings from this study suggest that in the fourth wave young people were constructed as innocent victims of pandemic restrictions framed through an adult-centric lens; noticeably absent were representations of young people under the age of 18 in their voices. A key recommendation emerged from this study: any future research investigating the impact of the pandemic on young people under aged 18 years must include their full participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feelings and hopes of young people around the world are often neglected in policymaking and research, with consequences for both their wellbeing and the effectiveness of humanity's response to the climate crisis. Many of them are distressed by climate change's impacts, the inaction of political and corporate leaders, the ways other people respond to their feelings, and the lack of support they have to share their feelings or get involved in meaningful climate-related work. This paper is written by a group of twenty-three concerned young people from fifteen countries. It provides a first-hand account of our deepest feelings, how these feelings affect our daily lives, the support we want to help us cope, and our hopes for a radically more compassionate future. The results are particularly relevant to policymakers, mental health professionals, journalists, educators, and people working with young people more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a wave of interest in UK academic libraries in developing services to support student well-being. This paper identifies three fundamental and interrelated issues that need to be addressed to make such initiatives effective and sustainable. Firstly, well-being has to be defined and the impacts of interventions must be measured in appropriate ways. Secondly, there is a need to identify the true nature of the underlying social problem around well-being. Thirdly, relevant approaches to the issue need to be located within the professional knowledge base of librarianship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health is a significant area for social work education and practice as the profession focuses on enhancing the social functioning and well-being of individuals, groups and communities. The field of mental health requires professionals from multidisciplinary fields who undergo rigorous training to acquire the necessary professional knowledge and equip themselves with specific skills. The current paper attempts to situate and reflect the author's experiences of working with post-graduate social work students in University of Delhi. Through case vignettes, the author presents diverse mental health challenges faced by the students and analyses wide-ranging psychosocial factors that play a significant role in this context. The paper also discusses the implications posed by such challenges on social work education while attempting to make number of suggestions to promote positive mental health among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite legislative and policy mechanisms that promote inclusion in education for children with disabilities, many students still experience exclusion from the education setting. For example, autistic children are more likely than their neurotypical counterparts to be expelled or suspended from school or to refuse to attend school on an ongoing basis. This situation gives rise to various challenges for their parents. This discursive paper synthesizes current knowledge on school exclusion involving autistic children, including the causes and consequences of exclusionary practices. The paper also considers the negative impacts of these exclusionary practices on the emotional and psychological well-being of parents and caregivers. Mental health nurses who understand the issues related to school exclusion can better support the educational, social, and developmental needs of autistic children and the mental health needs of parents or caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools have been identified as well placed to support students' wellbeing and encouraging the active participation of children and young people in school life is in line with current English legislation. Student-led research has the potential to create a positive, long-lasting impact. This evaluative systematic literature review (SLR) sought to identify the features of effective student participation in the co-production of whole-school wellbeing strategies, with a focus on Participatory Action Research (PAR) projects. Ten papers published between 2011 and 2021 were identified using the PRISMA framework and evaluated for methodological quality and appropriateness of focus. Several factors were identified as impacting on the success of PAR, including group composition, power balance, and sustainability. The paper concludes that carefully planned PAR projects can result in successful collaboration with students to develop whole-school strategies for a range of issues/topic areas. Further research evaluating the long-term impact of such projects on whole-school practice is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review examines research on Sufi spirituality and mental well-being. Earlier investigations have focused on general spiritual practice in mental health care and found a connection between spirituality and mental health. In this systematic review, we aimed to explore existing research specifically considering the relationship between Sufi spirituality and mental well-being and examine the quality of this research. We identified 49 papers published between the years 2007–2022. Our findings revealed a positive connection between Sufi spirituality and reducing anxiety and depression in patients. However, most studies were of low quality. This review highlights the need to provide more comprehensive and higher quality research to redress the methodological limitations of the current evidence base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uncovers the complexity of the term "Jian kang/health 健康" and "Fu/wellbeing (福)" by analysing their etymological origins and cultural connotations in the context of China. The paper introduces a Taoist philosophy of tradition to understand health and wellbeing. This paper argues that in Chinese cultural connotations, "Jian kang" (health) and "Fu" (wellbeing) entail the integration of human beings' physical and mental status and beyond. Notwithstanding the contextual and culturally specific philosophy and traditions of understanding health and wellbeing, this paper initiates intercultural epistemological dialogue, engages with contemporary psychotherapy, and argues that health and wellbeing is regarded and understood as a concept across cultural boundaries, while emphasising its pivotal features of being holistic, comprised of multifaceted and interrelated components of body, mind, and spirit, focusing on lifestyle behaviours, and recognising the interweaving relationship between human and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, accessibility – i.e. the ease of reaching destinations – has been an important concept in transport planning, resulting in many studies trying to measure it and put it into practice. Also walkability, a mode-specific type of accessibility referring to how easy it is to walk (to destinations) received increased attention in the last two decades. In recent years, a new focus has been on how people perceive their accessibility as this may be a stronger predictor of travel behaviour than objective elements of accessibility (such as built environment characteristics). Perceived walkability, i.e. how walk-friendly people experience a certain area, however, has only been explored by a limited number of studies. In this review paper, we give an overview of existing studies analysing perceived walkability, which mostly have focused on its effects on walking frequency/duration, physical activity and various aspects of mental well-being. Based on this literature review, a conceptual model is created, emphasising the determinants and effects of perceived walkability and how it is related to objective walkability. We end this paper by providing avenues for further research, including the introduction of a Short Perceived Walkability Scale (SPWS) and recommendations for data collection and analysis. Doing so can create new insights into perceived walkability and links with related elements, and therefore can contribute to stimulating walking trips and improving the experience of these trips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Aims Methods Results Conclusions Evidence suggests that financial crises and poor mental health are reciprocally related, but no systematic review has been conducted to synthesise the existing literature on the impact of national and international financial crises on population-level mental health and well-being.The aim of this study was to systematically review the available literature on the global impact of financial crises on mental health and well-being outcomes.After registration on PROSPERO, a systematic search was conducted in PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Wiley, and Web of Science for papers published until 21 November 2022. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement, 98 papers were identified as meeting eligibility criteria. Included studies were assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and results were presented in a formal narrative synthesis.Our findings show that financial crises are significantly associated with well-being and occurrence of psychological conditions. Several socio-demographic, cultural, and country-specific characteristics played a crucial role in the prevention of population mental health decline in periods of financial crises.Based on the findings of this review, evidence-based recommendations were developed to guide the design of policy actions that protect population mental health during and after financial crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs the therapeutic landscape theory to explore how online religious services during lockdown restrictions shape experiences of well-being and intergenerational learning. We used qualitative data from in depth interviews and focus groups with older adults and pastors in five churches in Ghana to explore how online religious places are conceptualized as therapeutic landscapes for sustaining wellbeing goals amidst a global pandemic. We identified multiple pathways of meaning through which online religious services shape the lives of people in a faith community to sustain the experience of well-being in a difficult time. In addition, this paper reflects on the broader implications of COVID-19 in shaping a paradigm shift in digital religion and intergenerational learning experiences through a changing religious landscape precipitated by lockdown restrictions that have drastically altered traditional religious places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The findings presented here derive from a wider study that sought to establish a baseline understanding of mental health and wellbeing among the agricultural community in England and Wales. This paper focuses on selected questions that investigated levels of anxiety and associated stress factors among farm women, a group which has been relatively neglected within previous research on farming mental health in the United Kingdom. A questionnaire survey was widely distributed to members of the agricultural community in England and Wales (n = 15,296) in both paper and online formats. The survey included a number of standardised instruments to assess mental health and wellbeing, including the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7). Focusing on a sub-sample of female respondents (n = 3487), this paper details the findings from the GAD-7, alongside those from a selection of other questions investigating sources of stress, loneliness and perceived business viability. A significant proportion of female respondents were experiencing anxiety at the time of survey completion, with 23.3% reaching the threshold for clinically relevant anxiety based on their GAD-7 scores (medium or severe anxiety, scores≥10). A further 34.6% were classified as experiencing mild anxiety (scores 5–9) whilst 42.1% were not suffering from anxiety (scores 0–4). Medium/severe anxiety was identified as being associated with a number of stress factors, feelings of loneliness and pessimistic perceptions of farm business viability. There were important age-based differences, with working-aged women identified as more likely to suffer from anxiety, loneliness and certain stressors than older women. The findings reported here indicate concerning levels of anxiety among farming women and this should be seen as a call to action. There are clear associations between anxiety and a range of stressors and, although we cannot ascertain causality, these point to issues that demand attention in efforts to improve mental health within this social group. The factors contributing to anxiety are, however, multiple and complex and farm women may be affected by particular gender-based challenges that have not yet been explicitly explored in relation to mental health. Further research is needed to investigate and understand these issues in greater depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to engage critically with debates surrounding the mental health and wellbeing agenda for adult community learning (ACL), with particular consideration of creative arts provision. It draws on a qualitative research project involving five creative arts ACL groups in the English West Midlands and two mental health participatory arts organisations based in London. Of the ACL groups, one was targeted for mental health recovery, two were targeted for wellbeing, and two were mainstream. Fieldwork involved participant observation, interviews and group discussions with attendees, and interviews with volunteers, ACL and art therapy practitioners, ACL project organisers, and managers working in the organisations taking part in the research and other adult learning settings. The article outlines key critical debates. It then interrogates three related themes, drawing on a range of evidence from the study: (1.) the discourse of confidence and self-esteem; (2.) interactions between educational and mental health and wellbeing-related goals and outcomes; and (3) the role of creative arts subjects in the mental health and wellbeing agenda for ACL. Implications for policy and practice are set out in conclusion, including consideration of ACL curricula and pedagogical approaches in the area of mental health and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The broad, contested notion of vulnerability is one of the areas of education in which concerns with the mental health and wellbeing of young people come together. This paper examines the theoretical and socio-political development of the 'vulnerability Zeitgeist' in recent years and the extent to which it has been applied to both young people and teachers in schools. We outline how the instrumental and negative views of vulnerability, which dominate policy discourse, run counter to the more expansive and ambivalent understandings familiar from sociological and psychoanalytic theory and use two cases drawn from studies undertaken in England and Germany to highlight their deleterious effects. Our analysis suggests that a more relational and collaborative approach, which explores vulnerability from the perspectives of both teachers and students, is necessary to improve support for the most vulnerable young people. We suggest that there are benefits to focusing on the vulnerability of young people and teachers, which research has until now examined separately, together conceptually and in practice to help to build trust and change attitudes to mental health and wellbeing in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper explores the mental health and wellbeing outcomes of a massed community choir program in Australia. Methods: This study employed a mixed methods approach. Data were collected via a survey of choir participants (N = 305), four qualitative interviews and focus groups with facilitators and participants (N = 22), and two workshops with organising staff (N = 5). Questions were derived from a co-designed program logic, and data were triangulated and analysed thematically. Results: Participants reported feeling a sense of connectedness (psychological), but also experiencing connection (social) with their fellow singers. Psychological outcomes included the sensations of affect, arousal, and affirmation. Social outcomes included experiencing belonging, inclusion, and sharing. These positive psycho- social experiences promoted positive mental health and wellbeing outcomes in the large group of participating singers. Conclusions: This paper addresses gaps in our understanding about the mental health and wellbeing outcomes fostered by community choirs at scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency situations such as pandemics typically widen inequities, and Australian children and young people with disability already face significant inequities in the education system. In this paper we draw on survey data from over 700 respondents exploring education experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many families reported being left behind, finding it difficult to access education remotely, and that this was having a significant impact on wellbeing and mental health. We find that of all support offered by schools, social supports have a stronger association with learner engagement than educational interventions. This finding indicates the importance of social and emotional supports in learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted education for most learners; There is good evidence to suggest this impact is felt more keenly by students with disability, because there is disability discrimination in the Australian education system; This paper reports survey responses from over 700 families of students with disability exploring the impact of COVID-19 on education; Many families report being left behind and that students found it difficult to learn away from the school campus, which for many students and families led to poorer wellbeing and mental health; Our results suggest that supporting students to have social contact with peers made the biggest impact on students with disability feeling engaged with learning during this time. This shows it is important for teachers and schools to pay attention to social as well as educational aspects of school life when thinking about how to educate students with disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a recognised need internationally to reduce depression and anxiety among adolescents. As a population particularly sensitive to the amount and quality of social interaction, challenges for young people became magnified during COVID-19, particularly for students from under-represented and marginalised communities across the globe. This paper reports on a study conducted in Washington State, USA, that sought, via an alliance with students, parents, educators and community leaders, to gain insight into students' lived experiences during the pandemic. It aimed to better comprehend how experiences affected social emotional learning and use this understanding to explore ways of reducing students' mental health concerns. We created a diverse consortium, drawn from six schools. It comprised 13 students, predominantly students of colour, across the age range 11–18 years. Also participating were five other stakeholders: parents, educators and community leaders. The consortium's involvement in five online discussion sessions led to the collection of rich data, as participants shared perspectives on pandemic experiences and learning. Additionally, we administered a survey about group collaboration. Data were analysed thematically. The formation of the consortium represented a significant outcome in itself, providing a meaningful way of gaining understanding of the mental health and social emotional concerns of the students, their families and the other collaborators. Another outcome was the opportunity for students and parents to be at the same table and voice concerns about remote learning, sharing views on how changes affected students' learning and mental health. The consortium allowed for all voices to be heard. This research highlights the need for more attention and resources to be directed towards students of colour, not only across schools within the research setting but also elsewhere internationally. The connection of students with educators, parents and community stakeholders, by means of a consortium, can build a foundation through which the mental health needs of students in school may be addressed in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive psychology approaches have been shown to play a vital role in protecting mental health in times of challenge and are, therefore, important to include when studying the psychological outcomes of COVID-19. While existing research has focused on individual psychological health, this paper focuses on collective wellbeing and collective posttraumatic growth, with the aim of more clearly identifying the positive experiences and potential for positive growth for key institutions in our society during the pandemic. A range of positive psychology interventions for families, schools, workplaces, and clinical psychology are presented. The paper then considers how three broad-reaching phenomena existing in our wider society (i.e., arts and culture, eco-connection, and wellbeing literacy) can be used to boost collective wellbeing. A positive systems approach to understand civilian responses to the pandemic together with an examination of the role that positive psychology can play in supporting marginalized groups are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on impact of COVID on high-stakes assessment. Topics include underestimating the impact having COVID for physically and emotionally on educational experiences and the mental health and wellbeing of everyone in the education system; and highlighting the different approaches taken to high-stakes assessment across a variety of country contexts during the pandemic.

Under the Victorian 2014 Mental Health Act (MHA14), Victorians have a right to advance statements. While there have been initiatives to support uptake, under 3% of consumers have done so. In March 2021, the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System (the Commission) released its report, including a call to repeal MHA14 and enact a new Act no later than mid-2022. In this paper, we discuss the role of advance planning documentation and instruments used in Australian legislation. Drawing on the Commission's recommendations, models of advance planning in Australia and the Victorian legislative context, this paper proposes a model of both binding and non-binding advance directives. This model would bring the rights of Victorian consumers into alignment with rights provided under the Medical Treatment, Planning and Decisions Act 2016 (Vic) and assist in bringing the new Act into compatibility with the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine experiences of care home staff to better understand how to support them during the ongoing pandemic and in the future. Method: A systematic review examining experiences of care staff over the last year (March 2020-2021). Results: Fourteen papers related to experiences of staff and one was an intervention study. Quantitatively there was evidence of anxiety, PTSD and depression amongst the staff. Qualitatively, seven themes were identified: Poor working conditions; Lack of skills and knowledge; Psychological/Mental health concerns; Feeling undervalued and abandoned; Fears of contagion; Support and the positive impacts of COVID. The intervention study recommended employing needs-based approaches, including educational and wellbeing components. Conclusion: Recommendations are made in terms of how to work with staff, both practically and clinically. There are also suggestions about how to deal with similar situations if they were to reoccur. It is evident that lessons need to be learned because errors were made. Indeed, from a UK perspective, discharging thousands back to care homes, without testing, cost lives. This may have been done to protect the NHS, but it unwittingly 'lockdown' the virus within the care sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, children have been put at greater risk of school drop-out, as well as food insecurity and emotional health deterioration. This paper considers these issues as they have occurred in South Africa. We use all waves of the National Income Dynamics Study–Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey to estimate non-return to school, access to school meals, and household well-being. The number of learners not attending school in 2021 is estimated to be close to quadruple pre-pandemic levels. Combined with estimates of learning lost, we can conclude that the pandemic has worn away at two decades of progress made in basic education. Evidence also indicates that school feeding has been slow to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Deepened levels of household hunger combined with a lack of access to free school meals is indicated to contribute to significantly greater levels of caregiver anxiety and psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bio-medical model of 'mental health' and 'mental illness' that relates to the relationship between wellbeing and distress informs psychopathology and dominates conceptualisation in many Western Educated Industrialised Rich Democratic (WEIRD) populations. This paper aims to critique the model, questioning the appropriateness of psychopathology as a conceptual framework when working as a Western trained clinician with populations such as in China, Japan, Asia, the Middle-East and Africa. The paper also considers the cultural appropriateness of western notions of psychopathology when working inter-culturally in relation to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, and the Review of the Implementation of the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combination of structural barriers, inadequate student welfare provision and the absence of psycho-social and academic support make higher education access for forcibly displaced students challenging. Many of these students will have experienced many stressful and potentially traumatic events that may have or may continue to impact their mental health and wellbeing. This article draws on reflections by educators and findings from eight interviews with students who participated in a twelve-week preparatory course for access to higher education for refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. The paper firstly problematizes trauma as an organizing concept and challenges the dominant deficit approaches in forced migration studies when working with displaced students. Then, based on qualitative data collected from students and educators, it explores how creative skills were integrated and the importance of the student's voice as a culturally sustaining pedagogical approach to strengthening trauma-informed teaching approaches. The programme was designed to strengthen individual agency and promote well-being and mental health. Finally, this paper argues that working collaboratively with forcibly displaced students from an asset-based stance appeared critical in creating and sustaining a welcoming higher education environment which could contribute to promoting mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present times, there is a high influence caused by social media platforms in case of body image issues faced by an individual. Pregnancy is a stage for women where they go through several mental and physical changes. Realizing the inseparable role played by social media in this aspect, it is an attempt here to determine the effect caused by social media on the body image of pregnant women as well for those in their post-partum stages. The PRISMA method is used by the authors to arrive at 55 research papers from the Scopus databases that are systematically reviewed. The authors' review reveals that social media can have both negative and positive effects on women's perception of body image during pregnancy and the postpartum period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health conditions are a significant global health concern. To address this concern, sport settings are increasingly being viewed as environments in which to support individual mental health and wellbeing. Not all sports settings are, however, conducive to supporting mental health. Efforts to improve mental health in sport settings are likely to be less effective if the club culture, policy, and environment do not promote behaviors known to support mental health. Understanding the extent to which sport clubs offer environments conducive to mental health and wellbeing is important for mental health initiatives targeting sport clubs. Currently and to our knowledge, there is no known instrument that captures member/participant perceptions of how supportive the sport setting is regarding mental health and wellbeing. This study explored the content validity, internal construct validity and external construct validity of the Supporting Mental Health in Sport Instrument (SMHSI) intended to measure the extent to which sport clubs provided a supportive environment for mental health promotion. A process of reliability analysis, principal component analysis and Rasch analysis was conducted confirming the psychometric fit of the items to the overall construct. The instrument could distinguish between two sport club environments providing different levels of mental health support, demonstrating external construct validity. The instrument can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the sport club context to support mental health, to identify suitable club targets for mental health programs, to better determine training needs, or to better understand the impact of mental health programs on wider club contexts. Lay summary: Mental health promotion in sport clubs is becoming increasingly popular. The effectiveness of these promotion efforts may be compromised by the contexts in which they are delivered. This paper describes the properties of the Supporting Mental Health in Sport Instrument designed to measure the contextual support for the promotion of mental health in sport clubs. This instrument can be used by sport organizations and researchers to measure the extent to which sport club environments are supportive of the mental wellbeing of members and identify suitable targets for mental health programs. Mental health organizations looking to use sport club settings to deliver mental health interventions can use the instrument to tailor their mental health programs and resources as well as better understand the context in which their intervention is being delivered. Organizations and researchers looking to promote mental health in sport club settings can use the instrument to determine the impact of programs on the wider sporting context. Organizations and researchers can direct scarce funding and resources toward supporting sport clubs that demonstrate greatest need in relation to improving their culture and environment to better support mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: Despite the importance of early care and education (ECE) for children's early learning and parents' labor force participation, workers average low pay with few benefits. The precarity of work and low compensation contribute to staff turnover and other problems, with potential implications for staff well-being, children's development, and parents' employment. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated problems relating to the supply of and staff recruitment and retention in ECE. This paper provides a brief background and then reviews the empirical research linking early ECE worker compensation with program quality, children's outcomes, and staff turnover. We identified a range of studies that examined pay or workplace benefits in ECE, the majority of which used nonexperimental methods. In general, most studies found small associations among low compensation, poor worker mental health or well-being, or turnover or intentions to leave their jobs or the early childhood field. Fewer studies examined associations between compensation and measures of quality or children's outcomes, finding small or nonsignificant associations. One study using experimental methods found evidence that financial bonuses reduced staff turnover. Practice or Policy: Together, evidence suggests that low worker compensation is linked with poorer worker outcomes and staff turnover in ECE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Pacific region stands at the forefront of climate change related impacts, we need to hear from those most affected especially in terms of the mental health and wellbeing impacts for our Pacific communities. This exploratory study is led and carried out by Pacific and Indigenous researchers with Pacific peoples and seeks to place Pacific voices front and centre of its practice and analysis. This multi-country study was undertaken with Pacific experts and knowledge holders in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Niuē. This paper foregrounds Pacific perspectives, and considers how western concepts, such as eco- and climate anxiety, can be best applied to understand the mental distress of climate change for Pacific peoples. We demonstrate that there is a deep interconnection between climate change and mental health and wellbeing, and the impacts of this link has been cultural nuanced and defined by and for Pacific peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries, including Australia, have laws that enable criminal prosecution of an individual based on reckless or intentional transmission of HIV to another person. Previous research has suggested that criminalisation of HIV may serve to hamper public health efforts by inhibiting HIV status disclosure or testing. Limited research to date has sought to examine the broader impact of criminalisation on the health and wellbeing of people living with HIV, which this paper aims to address. Drawing on cross-sectional data from 895 people living with HIV in Australia, this paper describes associations between standard measures of mental health and resilience with a newly devised scale measuring anxiety about HIV criminalisation. Findings suggest that laws criminalising HIV transmission have a broadly negative impact on wellbeing of people living with HIV, a situation that is exacerbated for gay and bisexual men, and other people living with HIV who may face intersecting forms of marginalisation based on race, gender or class. There is little justification for these laws being applied in Australia and the findings add weight to advocacy seeking to overturn criminalisation across the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trans people experience high levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation and attempts, as well as poor experiences seeking mental health support. There is limited research into the experience and effectiveness of using Art Therapy with trans clients. This paper describes an Art Therapy group with trans clients. The group took place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants consented to have their images and experiences used in this practice paper. Building on the work of Beaumont (2012. Art therapy for gender variant individuals: A compassion oriented approach. Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal, 25(2), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/08322473.2012.11415565), and using a neurobiological understanding of Art Therapy, this paper theorises that Art Therapy strategies known to be effective with trauma survivors may also support clients experiencing gender dysphoria. Considering Beaumont's model, a six-week online Art Therapy intervention using weekly focused themes was developed. A strong focus was given to creating group cohesion through co-creating a working alliance. Clients reflected together on artwork created through arts journaling between sessions. Participant engagement was high. The intervention received consistently positive solicited and unsolicited feedback from clients. Limitations of this feedback are noted. Trans clients reported that the use of an online arts journaling group approach facilitated a powerful sense of belonging created in the group and reflected through the artwork. Research is needed to consider Art Therapy's effectiveness in improving wellbeing for trans clients through creating a sense of belonging. Research could also consider whether clients experiencing gender dysphoria could be supported by Art Therapy approaches known to work well with traumatised clients. Trans clients are likely to need support with their mental health due to experiencing high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal feelings. They are also likely to describe poor experiences of seeking out mental health support. This highlights the importance of developing appropriate, supportive Art Therapy interventions with this client group. This paper describes a six-week online Art Therapy group with trans clients. The group took place in the context of a charity programme to support improved mental health and wellbeing in the trans community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group took place online. The group used an arts journaling approach. Clients made artwork between sessions, and shared and reflected on what they had created as a group over Zoom. I describe the theoretical approach which led to the creation of the group, noting the lack of research into working with this client base. I also outline the perspectives considered when recreating the intervention online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I describe the group's online sessions. I show how the group worked together to create a strong working agreement and shared values. I explore participants' reflections on their artworks. I consider the emergence of a strong sense of belonging within the group. I also reflect on participants' feedback, giving space for clients' own words about their experience. Client feedback shows that participants value sharing their experiences with people they feel understand them and experiencing a sense of belonging in a supportive community. Further research is needed to explore the effectiveness of Art Therapy in improving mental health and wellbeing with this client group. Clients hoped that sharing their experiences could help enable an Art Therapy approach to be considered with trans clients in other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we use a UK case study to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health (emotional, psychological, social wellbeing) of farmers. We outline the drivers of poor farming mental health, the manifold impacts of the pandemic at a time of policy and environmental change, and identify lessons that can be learned to develop resilience in farming communities against future shocks. We undertook a survey answered by 207 farmers across the UK, focusing on drivers of poor mental health and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also conducted 22 in-depth interviews with individuals in England, Scotland and Wales who provide mental health support to farmers. These explored how and why the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of farmers. These interviews were supplemented by 93 survey responses from a similar group of support providers (UK-wide). We found that the pandemic exacerbated underlying drivers of poor mental health and wellbeing in farming communities. 67% of farmers surveyed reported feeling more stressed, 63% felt more anxious, 38% felt more depressed, and 12% felt more suicidal. The primary drivers of poor mental health identified by farmers during the pandemic included decreased social contact and loneliness, issues with the general public on private land, and moving online for social events. Support providers also highlighted relationship and financial issues, illness, and government inspections as drivers of poor mental health. Some farmers, conversely, outlined positive impacts of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is just one of many potential stressors associated with poor farming mental health and its impacts are likely to be long-lasting and delayed. Multiple stressors affecting farmers at the same time can create a tipping point. Therefore, there is a need for long-term support and ongoing evaluation of the drivers of poor mental health in farming families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of PhD candidates who experience psychological problems has risen significantly over the past few years. Poor mental health can have numerous negative consequences for PhD candidates and their supervisors, as it may adversely affect their quality of life, attrition, and academic productivity. Despite these well-documented challenges, few studies have looked at how the supervisor – supervisee relationship can influence the emotional well-being of male and female doctoral candidates. The current work examined the role of the supervisor's support in emotions and intended doctoral persistence among men (n = 411) and women (n = 514), in all disciplines at two large universities in Belgium. Results indicate that emotional well-being was low for all doctoral candidates but women experienced even more negative emotions (anxiety, stress, discouragement, demoralization, sadness and depression) and fewer positive emotions (confidence, optimism, happiness, fulfillment, satisfaction and content) than men. Interestingly, we also found that perceived structure and autonomy, two dimensions of supervisor support, have a positive effect on emotional well-being and intention of pursuing a PhD trajectory for both men and women. This paper makes a contribution to the higher education and research supervision literature by offering new directions for research and by providing guidelines for the training of research supervisors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The well-being of people during COVID-19 lockdowns has been a global concern. Renters, who often live in small, shared and less secure forms of housing, are potentially more vulnerable during COVID-19 and associated restrictions such as lockdowns. This paper explores the well-being of renters during COVID-19 in Australia using a survey of 15,000 renters, and 20 renters who undertook a 4-week ethnographic diary. The results found that most renters had a reduction in their mental well-being; many had increased levels of worry, anxiety, loneliness and isolation, as a result of the pandemic. More than two thirds of renters attributed their housing to declines in their mental health. The qualitative diaries revealed themes that influenced the state of well-being including: housing uncertainty and precarity, the form and quality of the living environment, and the impact on relationships. This study highlighted the importance of offering opportunities for social engagements and relationships within multiple occupancy buildings, better access to green spaces, and functional homes for work and living, as well as sleep and security. The research demonstrates a need for greater consideration required for well-being in housing policy and support, especially since the home is being used as a public health intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Over 140 000 Australians live with aphasia after stroke, with this number of people living with aphasia increasing significantly when aphasia arising from traumatic brain injury, neoplasm, and infectious and progressive neurological diseases is also included. The resulting communication disability frequently compromises every aspect of daily life, significantly impacting everyday activity, employment, social participation, mental health, identity, and family functioning. Rehabilitation services rarely meet the needs of this group who have, for example, poorer healthcare outcomes than stroke peers without aphasia, nor address long-term recovery and support needs. Method: In this discussion paper, I argue that given the broad impacts of aphasia, a biopsychosocial approach to aphasia rehabilitation is required. Rehabilitation must include: interventions to improve the communication environment; programs that directly target identity, wellbeing, and mental health; and therapies focusing on functional activity, communication participation, and long-term self-management. Result: The evidence for these approaches is mounting and includes strongly stated consumer needs. I discuss the need for multidisciplinary involvement and argue that for speech-language pathologists to achieve such comprehensive service provision, an expanded scope of practice is required. Conclusion: There is a need to rethink standard therapy approaches, timeframes, and funding mechanisms. It is time to reflect on our practice borders to ask what must change and define how change can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University student wellbeing is increasingly seen as a concern, and as demands on university staff time for research, teaching, leadership and pastoral support also increase, this is mirrored in concerns about staff wellbeing. Dominant sectoral narratives frame student and staff wellbeing as oppositional, with initiatives to support student wellbeing positioned as creating additional practical and emotional demands on staff time and resources. Using a large qualitative dataset collected in the UK, including staff and students, this paper argues that that this does not have to be the case. Instead, there is a need to look beyond the provision of reactive services or isolated individual interventions, to proactively and cohesively embed cultural and structural change across the whole institution to support positive wellbeing outcomes for the whole university community. We report on the intrinsic interconnection between staff and student wellbeing; the importance of formal institutional policies in supporting or impeding staff and student wellbeing; access to training interventions to support staff and student wellbeing as a practical manifestation of these policies; and the impact of workplace culture and the centrality of compassion and community. The paper finds that it is important that institutions within higher education acknowledge and respond proactively to both staff and student wellbeing issues. To do so, institutions should seek to foster a sustainable and effective academic environment with a whole university approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UK Armed Forces personnel experiencing mental health difficulties are not, at present, offered art therapy as a treatment option. This paper considers the prevalence of mental health problems for personnel currently serving in the Armed Forces compared with the UK general population. The current treatment pathway for UK Armed Forces personnel is explained and compared with a review of literature regarding art therapy for the similar client groups; veterans in the UK and, military personnel in the United States, Russia and Israel. Much of the UK media discussion about military mental health focuses on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The veterans charity Combat Stress (along-side other charities) carries out vital work with PSTD sufferers. However, it is highlighted that PTSD is not the most prevalent mental health presentation for UK Armed Forces personnel. It is hypothesised that art therapy could be a suitable treatment option for UK Armed Forces personnel with mental health issues and it is proposed that formal research should be undertaken, to determine the efficacy of art therapy with this client group at one of the Ministry of Defence Departments of Community Mental Health. Plain-language summary Definitions: • UK Armed Forces: Personnel currently serving in the UK military in either; the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines or the Royal Air Force. • Veteran: A person who has left the Armed Forces having previously served for at least one full day. • Combat Stress: A UK based charity providing mental health support for veterans. UK Armed Forces personnel experiencing mental health difficulties are not, at present, offered art therapy as a treatment option at any of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH). This paper provides a brief overview of art therapy before considering the prevalence of mental health problems for personnel currently serving in the UK Armed Forces compared with the UK general population. The current treatment pathway for serving personnel is explained and compared to a review of literature regarding art therapy for veterans in the UK predominantly looking at the art therapy workshops conducted by the charity Combat Stress with lead art therapist Janice Lobban. The author also considered papers submitted concerning art therapy for military personnel in the United States, Russia and Israel. In addition she looked at the report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Arts in Health and Wellbeing. In conclusion, it is hypothesised that art therapy could be a suitable treatment option for the UK Armed Forces. The author proposes that formal research could be undertaken, to determine the efficacy of art therapy with an Armed Forces client group at one of the Ministry of Defence Departments of Community Mental Health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first empirical evidence on long-run trends in teacher mental health and wellbeing in England. We find that, although there has been a recent rise in mental health problems reported by teachers in England, this is mirrored by workers in other professions – with little evidence of a simultaneous change in levels of personal wellbeing. Our conclusion is therefore that the mental health and personal wellbeing of teachers in England has remained broadly stable over the last 20 years, though this group may be more likely to report such problems now than previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While positive psychology has been in development for more than 20 years, positive psychologists still face the challenge of finding optimal measurements of well-being. The PERMA framework provides a new understanding of well-being based on years of research. However, whether it adds value in terms of being distinct from the already established measures of Subjective Well-Being (SWB) has recently been under debate. Certain characteristics of PERMA make it unsuited for traditional factor analysis and data analysis techniques. In this paper, we argue that a network approach is more suitable for understanding the interrelated nature of PERMA components. We then show how the components of PERMA and SWB are distinct using exploratory graphical analysis. Our results show that while PERMA predicts SWB, PERMA provides us a more nuanced way to understand the interrelated antecedents of well-being, which we refer to as the web of well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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