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Background: 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., Aims: 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., Methods: 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., Results: 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., Conclusions: 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.

Individuals with SEMH difficulties often perform negative health behaviours, yet little qualitative research aiming to understand why exists. The present study aimed to uncover reasons for poor health behaviours in individuals at an SEMH college. Eight students attending a specialist SEMH college were interviewed about their health behaviours and health beliefs. IPA was utilised to analyse the datasets. Participants seemed aware of the potential severity of ill-health following negative health behaviours, yet this only appeared to influence behaviour when they believed themselves as susceptible to the illness. Coping with adversity and social influence were key barriers in reducing unhealthy behaviours, with perceived barriers outweighing any potential health benefits. Participants expressed good mental wellbeing as key in being physically healthy, both directly and as mediated through health behaviours. Finally, participants engaging in unhealthy behaviours appeared to minimise the potential risks associated with each behaviour. Students with SEMH difficulties perform negative health behaviours for various reasons including social influence, enjoyment and coping with adversity. Addressing these factors may help to improve the health behaviours of this cohort.

Individuals with SEMH difficulties often perform negative health behaviours, yet little qualitative research aiming to understand why exists. The present study aimed to uncover reasons for poor health behaviours in individuals at an SEMH college. Eight students attending a specialist SEMH college were interviewed about their health behaviours and health beliefs. IPA was utilised to analyse the datasets. Participants seemed aware of the potential severity of ill-health following negative health behaviours, yet this only appeared to influence behaviour when they believed themselves as susceptible to the illness. Coping with adversity and social influence were key barriers in reducing unhealthy behaviours, with perceived barriers outweighing any potential health benefits. Participants expressed good mental wellbeing as key in being physically healthy, both directly and as mediated through health behaviours. Finally, participants engaging in unhealthy behaviours appeared to minimise the potential risks associated with each behaviour. Students with SEMH difficulties perform negative health behaviours for various reasons including social influence, enjoyment and coping with adversity. Addressing these factors may help to improve the health behaviours of this cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An estimated 27% of ambulance personnel experience general psychological distress. The relationship between work and mental health is complex. Aims: This study aimed to explore whether and to what extent individual factors affect the mental health of ambulance personnel. Methods: Four UK NHS ambulance trusts facilitated recruitment of ambulance personnel (n=160). Well-validated measures were used to collect data on the predictor variables: the Perceived Stress Scale; the Satisfaction with Life Scale; and the Brief Resilience Scale. Mental health, assessed according to response to trauma measured by the Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-r), and anxiety and depression, measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), were the outcome measures. Findings: Regression models demonstrated that all predictor variables accounted for nearly half of the variance in each outcome (P<0.01). Conclusions: A significant proportion of variance was accounted for by individual factors. This assists in understanding the impact and role of individual factors in the mental health of this occupational group. Future research could inform intervention development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviewed mediators of psychological well-being among healthcare workers responding to pandemics. After registration on PROSPERO, a systematic review was performed in four databases and 39 studies were included. Worse mental health outcomes, such as stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety and burnout were related to demographic characteristics, contact with infected patients and poor perceived support. Self-efficacy, coping ability, altruism and organisational support were protective factors. Despite limitations in the quality of available evidence, this review highlights the prevalence of poor mental health in healthcare workers and proposes target mediators for future interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of lifestyle on mental health in the ambulance worker population is unclear. The aim of this paper is to explore the role and impact of lifestyle on the mental health of ambulance workers within the United Kingdom (UK). Participants (N = 160) were recruited from 4 NHS ambulance trusts in England. Data were collected on lifestyle factors (sleep, physical activity and alcohol use) and mental health outcomes (trauma, anxiety, depression and stress); these were assessed by use of various questionnaires including validated measures. Sleep was shown to be the single biggest unique and significant predictor to all mental health outcomes. Suggestions for future research and intervention are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Awareness is increasing that health behaviours, which are a part of a person's lifestyle, have significant effects on emotional and physical wellbeing. Ambulance workers are at a higher risk of poorer psychological health outcomes than the general population. This begs the question whether lifestyle could play a role in emotional and physical health outcomes, which is an understudied area in this population. This paper reviews health behaviours in paramedics and assesses the impact they may have on their emotional and physical wellbeing. Methodology: PRISMA guidelines were adhered to and seven online bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychArticles, PsychINFO, Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar) and reference lists of eligible articles were searched. Papers were systematically extracted and selected by title, then by abstract using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Findings: The papers included in this review (n=6) cover a range lifestyle factors (physical activity, smoking, alcohol use and sleep) that potentially affect wellbeing outcomes (weight/body mass index and post-traumatic stress symptoms) of ambulance workers across the Western world. They have various limitations. Conclusion: Ambulance workers engage in negative health behaviours that have some bearing on their emotional and physical wellbeing. Further research could explore the role of health behaviours and lifestyle in ambulance workers using validated measures. The findings could support the development of an evidence-based, occupation-specific intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]