Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Alean Al-Krenawi
Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
Keynote: The psychosocial impact of the war: The Syrian adolescents refugee case in Jordan
Time : 09:30 - 10:00
Biography:
Alean Al-Krenawi has a PhD from University of Toronto, a Master of Social Work from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a B.A. from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. He is a Professor in the Spitzer Department of Social Work in Ben-Gurion University. He has held faculty, senior administrative and consultative appointments at Ben-Gurion University, Al-Ahliyya Amman University of Jordan, Achva Academic College (Israel), Memorial University of Newfoundland School of Social Work (Canada) and Visiting Scholar/Professor positions at University of Calgary (Canada) and Bournemouth University (UK)
Abstract:
Adolescents are prone to severe psychological, emotional and physical impacts through war and refugee status. In 2018 we surveyed a convenience sampling of 205 Syrian refugee youth (104 females and 101 males) in a refugee camp in Jordan in order to examine psychological functioning, self-esteem, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and social and family functioning. The following instruments were used: the Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI); Rosenberg Self-Esteem (SE), the McMaster Family Device (FAD); the PTSD Scale; and Social Functioning. In contrast to previous studies on political violence in the Arab world, female respondents had lower levels of psychological symptoms and PTSD and higher levels of social functioning. Three culturally situated factors are explored: boys' higher prevalence outside of the home; the lower protective factor of familial socioeconomic status; and the protective factor of educational attainment. The conclusion calls for interventions and policies to take into account these gendered differences and for further research to assess these interventions.
- Mental Health
Location: Vancouver
Session Introduction
Efemona Israel Owode
Widad Center, UAE
Title: Supporting teacher wellbeing and mental health
Time : 12:05 - 12:25
Biography:
Efemona Israel Owode is an accomplished educator with over 10 years of experience teaching children of different ages and nationalities. Her passion for teaching and her commitment to the education of children has earned her a reputation as an exceptional teacher in the field of early years and Special Educational Needs (SEN). She holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education and a Montessori Diploma, which have given her a solid foundation in both mainstream and alternative teaching methods. She has also completed additional professional development training in SEN, allowing her to effectively meet the needs of all students in her classroom. Throughout her career and as she is fondly called has worked with children from diverse backgrounds and has developed a keen understanding of the unique challenges that each child faces in their learning journey. She has a talent for creating a safe and nurturing learning environment that allows children to thrive and reach their full potential. Her dedication to the success of her students has earned her the respect and admiration of parents and colleagues alike
Abstract:
Background: Recent studies suggest that teachers display a high level of stress and mental health problems. More specifically, researchers have reported an association between teachers' and students' mental health and well-being. This study examines the correlation between a high level of stress and its effects on teacher presentism and the quality of the classroom. Methods: The authors conducted a study with third-grade teachers to investigate the connection between teachers' mental health and student outcome. They examined the associations between third-grade teachers' self-reported symptoms of clinical depression and their student's classroom experiences. The experiences of eight students described by the Individualizing Student Instruction Framework were investigated, which included the examination of students' independent and group work, academic instructions led by the teacher in various student groupings and teachers planning and organization of academic instructions. Findings: A multilevel modeling revealed negative correlations between teachers’ depressive symptoms and (i) teacher-facilitated academic instructions given to the whole class and (ii) teachers’ planning and organizing of the instruction. Results suggest that teachers experiencing negative symptoms of mental health are less likely to be productive, ultimately resulting in lower-quality classrooms.Conclusion: Teacher-facilitated academic instruction and planning/organizing the instruction require more effort from the teachers, due to the task of managing/monitoring students’ behavior. Teachers experiencing more depressing symptoms displayed lower levels of effort while in a large classroom setting. Recent studies suggest that indicators of clinical depression (decreased energy motivation and burnout) are associated with lower levels of productivity in classroom management which were observed in this study.
Dovrat Harel
Tel-Hai College, Israel
Title: Core stories as identity preservers for older adults with dementia
Biography:
Dovrat Harel, PhD, is a certified drama therapist, senior supervisor and lecturer at the Drama Therapy Program, Tel Hai College, Israel. She is a member of The Interdisciplinary Research Center for Arts and Spirituality: Therapy, Education and Society at Tel Hai College. Her research areas include drama therapy and bibliotherapy with older adults, creative arts therapies with people with dementia, drama therapy for family caregivers and sexual assault against women in late life. She developed creative therapeutic methods for the older population, which she has been invited to teach in several countries. She has presented her work at international conferences and published in international referred journals and books
Abstract:
Background: People with dementia have difficulties in performing short-term memory tasks while their long-term memory is preserved relatively well, even in moderate and advanced stages of the illness. Life stories, therefore, have a double significance for older people with dementia. They provide them with a sense of capability and success and at the same time, they promote opportunities to present their narrative identities. This step helps them to reconstruct their self-identity in order to better cope with the challenges of dementia. Method: A qualitative research examined the narrative identity construction process of older adults with dementia. Three creative reminiscence groups of older adults with mild dementia took part in different day care centers in Israel. Each group met with the researcher for 10 weekly 45-minute sessions. Life stories of 21 people with mild dementia were recorded and analyzed. The data analysis included literary methodology and content analysis. Findings: Four categories of narrative identities were found: Being a part of the big story; the high achievers and the successful; the different and special; and life in the shadow of trauma. It was also found that the stories the participants tended to repeat on were those stories that clustered a few narrative identities together. These life stories are at the core of the identity definition and therefore they are termed 'core stories'. Conclusions: 'Core stories' enable people with dementia to construct a positive self-identity and to effectively achieve 'ego integrity'. In order to help people with mild dementia accomplish this process, it is recommended to stimulate their long-term memory and to encourage them to take part in well-constructed reminiscence processes
Yammi Man Yan Yuen
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Title: Relationship building between peer support worker and person in recovery in the communitybased one-to-one peer support service of mental health setting
Biography:
Yammi Man Yan Yuen is the PhD candidate of The Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong. She possesses almost 10 years of frontline experiences in the community mental health and social services. In working with the peer support workers, she sees the strengths and resilience of this population. She strives to promote the resilience of the persons in recovery from mental illness and their carers
Abstract:
Peer support has been a rising prevalent mental health service in the globe. Researchers have attempted to explore the unique good qualities of peer support service that benefit those who are in the Progress of Recovery (PIRs). Empirical researchers found that the strength of the relationship between those who sought for change and the change agents positively related to the outcomes in one-to-one therapies across theoretical orientations. However, there is lack of literature on investigating the relationship building between the Peer Support Workers (PSWs) and the PIRs in the one-to-one community-based peer support service. This study aims to identify and characterise the relationship in the community-based one-to-one peer support service from the perspectives of PSWs and PIRs; and to conceptualize the components of relationship building between PSWs and PIRs in the service. The study adopted the constructivist grounded theory approach. 10 pairs of the PSWs and PIRs participated in the study. Data were collected through multiple qualitative methods, including observations of the interactions between the PSWs and PIRs in the sessions of the community-based one-to-one peer support service; and semi-structural interviews with the PSWs and PIRs separately. The preliminary findings showed that PSWs and PIRs identified their relationship as “life alliance”. Empathy was found to be one of the key components of the relationship between the PSWs and the PIRs. Unlike the empathy as explained by Carl Roger, in which the service provider was able to put themselves into the shoes of the service recipients, as if he was the service recipients, the intensity of the empathy was much greater in the relationship between PSWs and PIRs because PSWs had the lived experience of mental illness and recovery. The dimensions of the empathy in the relationship between PSWs and PIRs was found to be multiple, not only related to the mental illness, but also related to various aspects in life, like family relationship, employment, interest of life, self-esteem and etc
Biography:
Uchenna Iloghalu is a visiting Assistant Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology at Guildford College, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA. She received her PhD in Applied Science and Technology with a concentration in Bioscience from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro North Carolina USA. Her research interests lie in the broad areas of Microbiology, Virology and Bioinformatics. Specifically, her research focuses on the following areas: (1) the use of plant extracts as antimicrobials, (2) the use of plant extracts as antiviral agents and (3) understanding the impact of viruses on mental health. She has several published papers in scientific journal such as AIMS Microbiology, Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology, American Journal of Primatology and Advances in Microbiology. She is a certified effective college educator as recognized by, ‘The Association of College and University Educators and the American Council on Education’ (ACUE & ACE). Some of the Effective Practice Frameworks of her training include designing learner-centered and equitable courses, establishing a productive learning environment, using active learning strategies, promoting higher order thinking and assessing in ways that inform and promote deeper levels of learning. She participated in the training conducted by the Center for the Advancement of Liberal Arts and STEM (CALAS) at Fayetteville State University where she served as a participant and a faculty advisor. She has completed a partner instructor course on Tiny Earth, a platform of faculties that share ideas on the best approach to meet student research needs.
Abstract:
COVID-19 has had lasting impacts on the physical and mental health of the global community. These impacts are multifaceted and spring from a range of physiological, psychological and economic origins. This review sought to demonstrate evidence of the damaging consequences that COVID-19 and its related effects have had on mental health. The findings showed significant increases in numbers of individuals seeking mental health care, experiencing negative mental health symptoms and opting for medication management of mental health symptoms. In this review, we explore logistical aspects of both present and prospective zoonotic disease spillover events, as this information is a key to mitigating future pandemic events. Furthermore, we summarize current knowledge of the impact of COVID-19 on mental health of the populations of Western countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy. Moreover, we discuss the influence of racial disparities in delivery of healthcare in the United States and their effects on the quality of, access to and awareness of mental health care. Our awareness of these issues has the potential to inform further research, aid and funding to the populations where it is most needed. Finally, we make recommendations for the direction of further research based on the findings of this article.
Biography:
Stephen Joseph is a Lecturer of Nursing in the School of Health and Social Care. He has a clinical background in adult and mental health nursing in Australian states, with experiences in acute inpatient, emergency responses, community care teams, case management settings, young person’s mental health and coordinating a mental health support charity in London. His lecturing experience in the United Kingdom and Australia include health and social care, leadership and management in healthcare and research skills at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He has also provided supervision for Master dissertations in health and social care and advice to doctoral students. He is passionate about evidence-based approaches to holistic health care, health promotion via psycho-socio-cultural ambits and innovation laden-evidence informed education in healthcare. His doctorate applied one to one interview and focus group tools to investigate service user perspectives on their mental health experiences. This has guided his research into disparities in health outcomes, exploring triangle of care perspectives and preventative domains for holistic approaches to well-being. He has also worked in community participatory research and played an active role in a major NIHR School of Social Care Research (SSCR) commissioned study into socially oriented approaches to recovery in mental health for minority ethnic communities in the United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Introduction: Extant literature has highlighted the importance of perception of control in several fields of human endeavor, including political, economic, social and technological domains, including health. A dearth of literature exists however, on the relationship between perception of control and the temporality phenomenon in the experiences of mental health service users. Purpose: The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of African and Caribbean service users with experience of mental health services, on Locus of Control (LOC) within the context of the tension between care and control. Methods: Informed by an Interpretivist approach, this study was conducted via in-depth interviews (N=10) and two focus groups (N=14). Purposive sampling methods were used to recruit mental health service users from a South London Borough to participate in the study. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview schedule and a focus group guide. Data analysis was informed by an Interpretive Phenomenology Analysis approach in the examination of the LOC profiles and service user perspectives. Results: Findings from Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) indicate that the location of service users within the internal and external continuum is impacted by the phenomenology of temporality because of several social, cultural and economic factors, which characterized their experiences in their recovery journeys. Conclusion: The findings suggest that opportunity exists for the relationships between these concepts as they interplay in the experiences of the service users are harnessed by healthcare professionals. This is to promote service user engagement, ownership, sense of efficacy, agency and overall positive outcomes for recovery in mental health and other healthcare domains.
Farhad Seifi
Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran
Title: The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment group therapy on body image, sexual schema and marital intimacy in women with breast and uterus cancers
Biography:
Farhad Seifi received his bachelor's degree in psychology and his master's degree in clinical psychology from Shahid Bahonar University. The focus of his recent research is on the Suicide Ideation, psychotherapy methods and techniques, resilience, body image, trauma, OCD, BDD, sexual dysfunctions and paraphilia
Abstract:
Statement of the problem: Regarding the high prevalence of female cancers and the role of body image and marital satisfaction in the quality of life and surveillance, the present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment-based Group Therapy (ACGT) on body image, sexual schema and marital intimacy in women with breast and uterus cancers. Methodology & theoretical orientation: The statistical population of this clinical trial included all women with breast cancer or cervical cancer who were resident in Mashhad city (the second populous city in Iran). Seventy patients were selected and divided into two experimental and control groups randomly. The experimental group received eight weekly sessions of ACGT, while the controls were placed on the waitlist. Research instrument included Body Image Concern Inventory, Sexual Self-Schema Scale for Women, Marital Intimacy Questionnaire. Data analyzed through SPSS software version 26 and MANCOVA test. Conclusion: It seems that group therapy based on acceptance and commitment is an effective method to improve body image, sexual self-schema and marital intimacy in women with cancer.
Hossein Shareh
Hakim Sabzevari University, Iran
Title: Effects of an attachment-based intervention program on happiness, resilience and psychological well-being among adolescent girls
Biography:
Hossein Shareh is a professor of clinical psychology in the Department of Educational Science, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran. He has published over 200 articles, abstracts and presentations. His research interests and recent publications are on psychotherapy methods and techniques, resilience, attachment, mood and anxiety disorders, addiction, trauma, OCD, BDD, sexual dysfunctions, paraphilia, suicide, personality and chronic diseases (MS, diabetes).
Abstract:
Statement of the problem: Attachment has a strong relationship with happiness, psychological well-being and resilience. Attachment is applied to a sustained emotional bond between an evolving child and someone who has the duty to take care of him/her. This bond is formed when a warm, intimate and stable relationship is established between the child and mother for both of whom it is satisfactory and gratifying. In the early days of life, children internalize the availability and support of their caregivers. Children gradually form “internal working models”. Children’s expectation of availability, reliability and ability to provide safety and comfort on the part of parents is the main theme of internal working patterns. The aim of the present study was to the effectiveness of an attachment-based intervention program in improving the happiness, resilience and psychological well-being of adolescent girls. Methodology & theoretical orientation: The study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design. The research population for this study comprised all the mothers and their adolescent daughters in Tehran, Iran. 45 eligible mothers who volunteered to participate in the research along with their daughters were chosen and randomly assigned into two experimental and waiting-list control groups. Attachment-based training package was implemented for mothers in the experimental group during 8 weekly sessions of 90 to 120 minutes each. Adolescents participating in this study completed Resilience Scale, Happiness Questionnaire and Psychological Well-Being Questionnaire in the pretest and posttest
Vincent Wing-Hei Wong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Title: Enhancing group lifestyle intervention for depression with ecological momentary assessment: A pilot randomized controlled trial
Biography:
Vincent wong is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Psychology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He received his MPhil degree in Psychology at the same university in 2020. He is an expert in randomized controlled trials and meta-analytic reviews, and has particular interests in lifestyle medicine and low-intensity psychological interventions for common mental disorders. Moreover, he is an International Board Certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional. During his postgraduate research studies, he has authored several international peer-reviewed journal articles on lifestyle medicine for common mental disorders, and has secured more than $HKD 1.7 million in research grants
Abstract:
Statement of the Problem: To investigate the impact of smartphone-delivered ecological momentary assessment (EMA) as a self-monitoring tool to complement a 6-week group multicomponent lifestyle medicine (LM) intervention for improving depressive symptoms in an adult Chinese population. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Participants with at least a moderate level of depressive symptoms (n = 56) were randomized to the EMA-supported intervention (ELM; n = 18), pure intervention (PLM; n = 20), or care-as-usual (CAU; n = 18) groups. Data were collected at baseline, immediate post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Findings: PLM showed large improvements in depressive and insomnia symptoms, physical health-related quality of life (QoL), total lifestyle, nutrition, and stress management at Week 7 compared to ELM/CAU, while ELM showed large improvement only in environmental health-related QoL relative to CAU. At Week 19, both intervention groups demonstrated medium to large improvements in various clinical (depressive, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms), psychosocial (physical health, psychological health, and environmental health), and lifestyle (total lifestyle, nutrition, spiritual growth, interpersonal relationship, and stress management) outcomes. However, only ELM showed medium to large improvements in overall QoL, general health, and physical activity compared to PLM/CAU. No significant differences in study attrition and intervention attendance were found between groups. Though ELM had a low EMA compliance rate of 27.1%, it exhibited a higher proportion of full intervention adherence (66.67%) compared to PLM (38.89%), albeit not significantly different. Conclusion & Significance: A group-based, multicomponent LM intervention may be efficacious for managing depressive symptoms, and smartphone-delivered EMA has the potential to improve full intervention adherence. This study warrants a future adequately powered trial to assess the merits of EMA-supported LM interventions for depression.