scholarly journals Religious and Spiritual Struggles among Military Veterans in a Residential Gambling Treatment Program

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian A Gutierrez ◽  
Heather Chapman ◽  
Joshua B. Grubbs ◽  
Jennifer T. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Treatment Program ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Problem Gamblers ◽  
Gamblers Anonymous ◽  
Spiritual Struggles ◽  
Gambling Treatment ◽  
Health And Well Being

Veterans of the U. S. Armed Forces are at greater risk for engaging in problem gambling and meeting diagnostic criteria for Gambling Disorder (GD) than are non-veterans. For veterans and non-veterans alike, religious/spiritual beliefs and practices support recovery from addiction and bolster mental health and well-being. Moreover, religious/spiritual ideas pervade Gamblers Anonymous (GA), which remains the predominant community-based treatment modality for GD. However, research has increasingly highlighted the negative impact of religious/spiritual struggles—i.e., conflicts, tensions, or problems associated with aspects of religious/spiritual life—on mental health and well-being. To date, no research has examined the role of religious/spiritual struggles in GD. The current study aimed to fill that gap in the literature by assessing the prevalence and impact of religious/spiritual struggles among U.S. veterans (N = 157) admitted to a residential treatment program for GD. Findings showed that a majority of veterans in the gambling treatment program endorsed each of six types of religious/spiritual struggles assessed. Moral struggles were the most prevalent, severe, and unremitting of the religious/spiritual struggles assessed. Findings highlight the need for clinicians and chaplains working with problem gamblers to address religious/spiritual struggles generally, and moral struggles most specifically, in treatment of GD.

scholarly journals Rationale and Methodology of the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey (CAFVMHS): A 16-year Follow-up Survey: Raison D’être Et Méthodologie De L’enquête De Suivi Sur La Santé Mentale Des Membres Des Forces Armées Canadiennes Et Des Anciens Combattants, 2018 (ESSMFACM)

2020 ◽  
pp. 070674372097483
Author(s):  
Tracie O. Afifi ◽  
Shay-Lee Bolton ◽  
Natalie Mota ◽  
Ruth Ann Marrie ◽  
Murray B. Stein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Statistics Canada ◽  
Health And Well Being

Objective: Knowledge is limited regarding the longitudinal course and predictors of mental health problems, suicide, and physical health outcomes among military and veterans. Statistics Canada, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Manitoba and an international team, conducted the Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-Up Survey (CAFVMHS). Herein, we describe the rationale and methods of this important survey. Method: The CAFVMHS is a longitudinal survey design with 2 time points (2002 and 2018). Regular Force military personnel who participated in the first Canadian Community Health Survey Cycle 1.2—Mental Health and Well-Being, Canadian Forces Supplement (CCHS-CFS) in 2002 ( N = 5,155) were reinterviewed in 2018 ( n = 2,941). The World Mental Health Survey–Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition ( DSM-IV) criteria. Results: The CAFVMHS includes 2,941 respondents (66% veterans; 34% active duty) and includes data on mental disorder diagnoses, physical health conditions, substance use, medication use, general health, mental health services, perceived need for care, social support, moral injury, deployment experiences, stress, physical activity, military-related sexual assault, childhood experiences, and military and sociodemographic information. Conclusions: The CAFVMHS provides a unique opportunity to further understand the health and well-being of military personnel in Canada over time to inform intervention and prevention strategies and improve outcomes. The data are available through the Statistics Canada Research Data Centres across Canada and can be used cross-sectionally or be longitudinally linked to the 2002 CCHS-CFS data.

scholarly journals UK veterans’ mental health and well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e049815
Author(s):  
Marie-Louise Sharp ◽  
Danai Serfioti ◽  
Margaret Jones ◽  
Howard Burdett ◽  
David Pernet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Hazardous Drinking ◽  
Hazardous Alcohol Use ◽  
Hazardous Alcohol ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Health And Well Being

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and well-being of UK ex-service personnel (veterans) before and during the pandemic, and to assess associations of COVID-19 experiences and stressors with mental health, alcohol use and loneliness.DesignAn additional wave of data was collected from a longitudinal cohort study of the UK Armed Forces.SettingOnline survey June–September 2020.ParticipantsCohort members were included if they had completed a questionnaire at phase 3 of the King’s Centre for Military Health Research health and well-being study (2014–2016), had left the Armed Forces after regular service, were living in the UK, had consented to follow-up and provided a valid email address. Invitation emails were sent to N=3547 with a 44% response rate (n=1562).Primary outcome measuresCommon mental health disorders (CMDs) (measured using the General Health Questionnaire, 12 items—cut-off ≥4), hazardous alcohol use (measured using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, 10 items—cut off ≥8) and loneliness (University of California, Los Angeles, Loneliness Scale— 3 items-cut-off ≥6).ResultsVeterans reported a statistically significant decrease in hazardous drinking of 48.5% to 27.6%, while CMD remained stable (non-statistically significant increase of 24.5% to 26.1%). 27.4% of veterans reported feelings of loneliness. The COVID-19 stressors of reporting difficulties with family/social relationships, boredom and difficulties with health were statistically significantly associated with CMD, hazardous drinking and loneliness, even after adjustment for previous mental health/hazardous alcohol use.ConclusionsOur study suggests a COVID-19 impact on veterans’ mental health, alcohol use and loneliness, particularly for those experiencing difficulties with family relationships. Veterans experienced the pandemic in similar ways to the general population and in some cases may have responded in resilient ways. While stable levels of CMD and reduction in alcohol use are positive, there remains a group of veterans who may need mental health and alcohol treatment services.

scholarly journals Insanity and Imprisonment in British Guiana, 1814-1966

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Anderson ◽  
Kellie Moss ◽  
Estherine Adams
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Asian Immigrants ◽  
Diverse Population ◽  
British Guiana ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
Health And Well Being

This paper explores links between incarceration and enslavement, migration, and mental health, in the colony of British Guiana. Contemporaries recognised the negative impact that mobility and labour had on the health and well-being of enslaved persons and Asian immigrants, including on plantations. Understandings of ‘insanity’ later developed to bring ideas about biology, context, and behaviour into dialogue, including through the racialisation of its prevalence and character amongst the colony’s diverse population. Before the construction of separate institutions, people who were believed to be suffering from mental illness were sometimes kept in jails, and due to a lack of capacity this continued even after lunatic asylums were developed from the 1840s. At the same time, colonial administrators recognised that incarceration itself could cause mental ill-health, and as such into the early twentieth century British Guiana engaged with global debates about criminal insanity.

scholarly journals Physical Activity Protects Against the Negative Impact of Coronavirus Fear on Adolescent Mental Health and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. Wright ◽  
Sarah E. Williams ◽  
Jet J. C. S. Veldhuijzen van Zanten
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background: The severity of the Coronavirus pandemic has led to lockdowns in different countries to reduce the spread of the infection. These lockdown restrictions are likely to be detrimental to mental health and well-being in adolescents. Physical activity can be beneficial for mental health and well-being; however, research has yet to examine associations between adolescent physical activity and mental health and well-being during lockdown.Purpose: Examine the effects of adolescent perceived Coronavirus prevalence and fear on mental health and well-being and investigate the extent to which physical activity can be a protective factor against these concerns.Methods: During United Kingdom lockdown restrictions, 165 participants (100 female, aged 13–19) completed an online questionnaire assessing perceived Coronavirus prevalence and fear, physical activity, and indicators of mental health and well-being (stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, vitality, and perceived health). Separate hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses (with age, gender, perceived Coronavirus prevalence, and fear entered in step 1, and physical activity in step 2) were run to predict each well-being outcome.Results: Regression analyses indicated that in general, while Coronavirus fear was a negative predictor, physical activity was a positive and stronger predictor of enhanced mental health and well-being outcomes.Conclusion: Findings suggest that physical activity during the Coronavirus pandemic can counteract the negative effects of Coronavirus fear on adolescent mental health and well-being. Therefore, physical activity should be promoted during lockdown to support good mental health and well-being.

scholarly journals Insanity and Imprisonment in British Guiana, 1814-1966

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Anderson ◽  
Kellie Moss ◽  
Estherine Adams
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Asian Immigrants ◽  
Diverse Population ◽  
British Guiana ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
Health And Well Being

This paper explores links between incarceration and enslavement, migration, and mental health, in the colony of British Guiana. Contemporaries recognised the negative impact that mobility and labour had on the health and well-being of enslaved persons and Asian immigrants, including on plantations. Understandings of ‘insanity’ later developed to bring ideas about biology, context, and behaviour into dialogue, including through the racialisation of its prevalence and character amongst the colony’s diverse population. Before the construction of separate institutions, people who were believed to be suffering from mental illness were sometimes kept in jails, and due to a lack of capacity this continued even after lunatic asylums were developed from the 1840s. At the same time, colonial administrators recognised that incarceration itself could cause mental ill-health, and as such into the early twentieth century British Guiana engaged with global debates about criminal insanity.

scholarly journals Mental health and well-being of LGBT+ Veterans dismissed from the British Armed Forces before January 2000

2021 ◽  
pp. e20210032
Author(s):  
Caroline Paige ◽  
Christina Dodds ◽  
Craig Jones
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Military Family ◽  
Hard Times ◽  
Recovery Pathways ◽  
The Military ◽  
Health And Well Being

Lay Summary Between 1955 and January 2000, the U.K. Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence enforced a ban on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and related (LGBT+) service, dismissing or forcing the immediate retirement of thousands of personnel because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. They fell on hard times and were left isolated and unsupported by the nation they had proudly stood to defend. Although more than 21 years has elapsed since the ban was lifted, little academic literature has explored the ban’s impact on the mental health and well-being of the United Kingdom’s LGBT+ Veteran community. Anecdotal evidence suggests many still endure consequential hardship and mental health struggles and remain isolated from the military family and traditional support services. Fighting With Pride, an LGBT+ military charity launched in January 2020, and Northumbria University’s Veterans and Military Families Research Hub joined in partnership to remedy this by determining mental health and well-being impacts and consequences and identifying recovery pathways. Lived experience narratives must be used to help build support ahead of the publication of any formal findings. Research-based evidence is vital in helping to develop recovery and support policy and in further shaping support services to develop the best possible impact-related outcomes.

A positive psychology study and intervention on the well-being of French PhD students in biology

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Marais ◽  
Rebecca Shankland ◽  
Pascale Haag ◽  
Robin Fiault ◽  
Bridget Juniper
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Reference Sample ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Human Costs ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control ◽  
Health And Well Being

In France, little data are available on mental health and well-being in academia, and nothing has been published about PhD students. From studies abroad, we know that doing a PhD is a difficult experience resulting in high attrition rates with significant financial and human costs. Here we focused on PhD students in biology at university Lyon 1. A first study aimed at measuring the mental health and well-being of PhD students using several generalist and PhD-specific tools. Our results on 136 participants showed that a large fraction of the PhD students experience abnormal levels of stress, depression and anxiety, and their mean well-being score is significantly lower than that of a British reference sample. French PhD student well-being is specifically affected by career uncertainty, perceived lack of progress in the PhD and perceived lack of competence, which points towards possible cultural differences of experiencing a PhD in France and the UK. In a second study, we carried out a positive psychology intervention. Comparing the scores of the test and control groups showed a clear effect of the intervention on reducing anxiety. We discuss our results and the possible future steps to improve French PhD students’ well-being.

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