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This paper aims to describe the effectiveness of mental health interventions for migrants affected by extreme political violence.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe the effectiveness of mental health interventions for migrants affected by extreme political violence.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a literature review and synthesis of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) interventions for Canadian‐landed migrants who have been affected by state‐sanctioned violence.
Findings
Conceptualisations of trauma in current mental health systems may not be appropriate for this group. Psychosocial processes of migration, settlement, and belonging may compound original traumas. Effective interventions highlight community partnership, social support, with emphasis on citizenship and reciprocity.
Research limitations/implications
Much of the literature reported limited or unspecified treatment outcomes.
Social implications
Broader social support is needed when treating people affected by state‐sanctioned violence. Greater attention to social and political forces in mental health education and models of healthcare may be beneficial.
Originality/value
This is the first review in Canada of intervention effectiveness for survivors of extreme political violence. It highlights practises relevant to a population whose ideas and responses about trauma treatment are not yet completely known. This study contributes to greater understanding about the impact of state‐sanctioned violence on mental health, and identifies approaches by which traumatic stress for migrants may be treated.
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Laura Lachance, Michael Sean Martin, Pamela Kaduri, Paula Godoy-Paiz, Jorge Ginieniewicz, Valerie Tarasuk and Kwame McKenzie
The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of adolescents’ perceptions of food insecurity and diet quality, and the impact that these factors have on mental…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of adolescents’ perceptions of food insecurity and diet quality, and the impact that these factors have on mental health.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a community-based research approach. It gathered qualitative data from 11 in-depth interviews conducted with adolescents aged 13-19. Participants were recruited through various programmes they attended at a community organization in Toronto.
Findings
Overall, results indicate that respondents clearly identified a linkage between food insecurity and mental health. They also identified several effects of poor diet quality on mental health. Respondents understood food insecurity and poor diet quality to exist on a continuum. However, they also identified other reasons for making poor dietary choices such as peer pressure. Mental health effects of food insecurity and poor diet quality included sadness, stress, worry, anger, shame, impaired concentration, and fatigue.
Practical implications
This research will help to inform future research design in the field of social determinants of mental health. As well, the findings will help guide the development of interventions targeted towards this vulnerable age group.
Originality/value
This is the first qualitative study to explore food insecurity and poor diet quality, as existing on a continuum, from the perspective of adolescents. The authors are also the first to explore the impact of these factors on the mental health of adolescents, based on their own understanding. What is more, the authors focused on a culturally diverse population living in an underprivileged neighbourhood in Toronto. The authors chose this population because they are at higher risk of both food insecurity and poor diet quality.
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Paula Godoy‐Paiz, Brenda Toner and Carolina Vidal
This paper aims to examine the long‐term mental health consequences of war from the perspectives of urban Mayan women in post‐war Guatemala.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the long‐term mental health consequences of war from the perspectives of urban Mayan women in post‐war Guatemala.
Design/methodology/approach
Ethnographic methodologies, namely participant observation and in‐depth qualitative interviews were carried out during 12 months of fieldwork in Guatemala City.
Findings
The findings indicate that urban indigenous women confront a range of unresolved war‐related traumas and psychosocial distress that require specific attention by researchers, policy makers and service providers. It is argued that psychosocial interventions aimed at addressing the traumas of war must take into account present day conditions of post‐war violence, poverty, and social inequity that threaten the health and well‐being of indigenous peoples.
Practical implications
Recommendations are provided for promoting the mental health of urban indigenous women affected by war.
Originality/value
Research that has been conducted on the mental health effects of war has tended to focus on rural areas of the country. This article advances the research on post‐war Guatemala through a focus on urban Mayan indigenous women.
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This chapter briefly summaries research over the past four decades (and prior) associated with black men and mental health in the UK. The chapter also examines some responses to…
Abstract
This chapter briefly summaries research over the past four decades (and prior) associated with black men and mental health in the UK. The chapter also examines some responses to the research. This is because we unfortunately remain in a situation where black men in Britain are 17 times more likely than white counterparts to be diagnosed with a psychotic illness. Research into the mental health needs of black men has been conducted repeatedly in the UK, with each new generation hopeful for change. By briefly exploring some policies that have emerged to address this inequality, this chapter highlights the barriers to change.
Justine Schneider, Antony Arthur, Gillian Doody, Jayne Simpson and Peter Jones
Social capital is a complex and multidimensional construct, which has been used widely in the social sciences, and which focuses attention on non‐monetary resources and…
Abstract
Social capital is a complex and multidimensional construct, which has been used widely in the social sciences, and which focuses attention on non‐monetary resources and relationships. The aim of this analysis study was to test the feasibility of deriving social capital variables from an epidemiological dataset, to explore associations between social capital and psychosis and to investigate the utility of the concept for understanding and treating mental illness. We set out to derive social capital variables from an existing epidemiological study, and tested their associations with first episode psychosis. Associations were found between psychosis and one form of social capital, active engagement in social activities. We conclude that social capital is a promising construct that can be utilised in analysing social dimensions of mental illness. Secondary analysis is possible, but longitudinal surveys with comprehensive measures of social capital and mental health are needed.
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