Using action research to develop midwives’ skills to support women with perinatal mental health needs

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 561-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deirdre Madden ◽  
Annmarie Sliney ◽  
Aoife O'Friel ◽  
Barbara McMackin ◽  
Bernie O'Callaghan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Perinatal Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Needs

Using Participatory Action Research in a Community-Based Initiative Addressing Complex Mental Health Needs

2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Knightbridge ◽  
Robert King ◽  
Timothy J. Rolfe
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Community Capacity Building ◽  
Complex Needs ◽  
Social Ecological

Objective: This paper describes the first phase of a larger project that utilizes participatory action research to examine complex mental health needs across an extensive group of stakeholders in the community. Method: Within an objective qualitative analysis of focus group discussions the social ecological model is utilized to explore how integrative activities can be informed, planned and implemented across multiple elements and levels of a system. Seventy-one primary care workers, managers, policy-makers, consumers and carers from across the southern metropolitan and Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia took part in seven focus groups. All groups responded to an identical set of focusing questions. Results: Participants produced an explanatory model describing the service system, as it relates to people with complex needs, across the levels of social ecological analysis. Qualitative themes analysis identified four priority areas to be addressed in order to improve the system's capacity for working with complexity. These included: (i) system fragmentation; (ii) integrative case management practices; (iii) community attitudes; and (iv) money and resources. Conclusions: The emergent themes provide clues as to how complexity is constructed and interpreted across the system of involved agencies and interest groups. The implications these findings have for the development and evaluation of this community capacity-building project were examined from the perspective of constructing interventions that address both top-down and bottom-up processes.

56 Timing of Perinatal Mental Health Needs: Data to Inform Policy

2021 ◽  
Vol 224 (2) ◽  
pp. S39
Author(s):  
Allie Sakowicz ◽  
Emma Allen ◽  
Aishwarya Nugooru ◽  
William A. Grobman ◽  
Emily S. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Perinatal Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Needs

scholarly journals Innovations in Addressing Mental Health Needs in Humanitarian Settings: A Complexity Informed Action Research Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Parrish-Sprowl ◽  
John Parrish-Sprowl ◽  
Samia Alajlouni
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Humanitarian Settings

Addressing mental health challenges in humanitarian settings, where needs are many and resources are scarce, requires innovative solutions. In this manuscript, we describe a quantum complexity informed intervention, Communication for Whole Health (CWH), developed at the request of a large Jordanian healthcare NGO to address mental health needs of patients and staff. In the humanitarian aid context, this health domain is referred to by the acronym MHPSS (mental health and psychosocial support). The focus of this participatory action research project, presented here as a case study, was the collaborative elaboration of an MHPSS intervention in an urban primary healthcare clinic serving mostly Syrian refugees. The intervention capitalizes on the synergistic effects generated from the systemic nature of communication where every interaction is an intervention, and the health implications of research demonstrating communication is bioactive. Rather than treating mental health as an add-on medical specialty targeting patients with “psychiatric disorders,” systemic MHPSS starts from the premise that everyone has mental health, which is inextricably linked to physical and social health. Emphasis is on integrating awareness of mental health as part of whole health and taking advantage of every interaction to facilitate well-being for patients and staff. The intervention facilitated the transformation of the communication ecology of the clinic from a culture of reactivity to a culture of receptivity by strengthening communication resources and practices. Staff reported feeling more empowered to help patients and displayed increased motivation to find innovative ways to use available resources. They felt better equipped to manage their own stress response and support coworkers. Patients learned basic stress management skills, helping them better manage chronic health conditions, and reported sharing this information with family members. Staff reported many examples of patients responding positively to interventions to reduce patient reactivity, leading to beneficial behavior change and improved health outcomes. Results suggest a systemic MHPSS approach can contribute to ameliorating health inequities by expanding resources for patients and staff, empowering them to act into their current circumstances to support whole health. The CWH approach has potential in similar contexts to address mental health needs in a cost-effective and impactful way.

Timing of Perinatal Mental Health Needs: Data to Inform Policy

2021 ◽  
pp. 100482
Author(s):  
Ms. Allie SAKOWICZ ◽  
Ms. Emma C. ALLEN ◽  
Ms. Aishwarya NUGOORU ◽  
William A. GROBMAN ◽  
Emily S. MILLER
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Perinatal Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Needs
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