Editorial: The Sociocultural Context of Psychosocial Interventions.

During the last decades several authors have criticized the arrival of evidence-based practice (EBP) approaches due to its contribution to the decontextualization of psychosocial and behavioral health interventions (Coghlan and Brydon-Miller, 2014). The term decontextualization here refers to the fact that, although it is not something explicit in its foundations (Leach, 2006), EBP researchers have in practice largely prioritized the internal over the external validity of evaluations. In other words, the problem is not the use of evidence against tradition, intuition or power; but that what has been considered "good" evidence has been narrowed to be a ligned with the dogma of behavioral sciences' neutrality. In relation to this alleged neutrality, Cushman (1990) already discussed the historical configuration of the "self" concept. Psychology, he argued, has the role of "healing the empty self (...) without being able to address its historica l causes," (pp. 599) thus being responsible in part for the very process of "emptying" which it claims, and aims, to address. Cushman argues that psychology strives to appear as a neutral science, while its interests its subjects, ideologies and businesses have "historical antecedents, economic constituents, and political consequences" (p. 600). In this regard, Sampson (1989), gives evidence that the transformation of psychology as a discipline in which the functional unit of social order has moved from the community and the household to the individual level, as postmodernism and globalization have exerted their influences. The theory of the individual as a rational and self-directedentity has produced several industries that are responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of a newly disembodied self. Among these, mental health, which has focused on eliminating symptoms regardless of their source, has becomeone of the fastest developing industries during the past century.Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa has received funding from the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014–2020) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 654808

Understanding Psychosocial Wellbeing in the Context of Complex and Multidimensional Problems

This Special Issue deals with the topic of how people and social groups face problems in an increasingly complex and globalized society. The topics included in the call for papers were the interaction of psychosocial well-being and mental health with economic, gender, racial and ethnic inequalities, migration and demographic change and conflict and war, as well as the effects of stigma on people discriminated against because of their differential characteristics, whether they are of a sexual, disability or other minority. We made this proposal because we believed that, despite the introduction of the biopsychosocial model in the late 1970s as a paradigm of the integration of different disciplinary views, research in mental health and psychosocial well-being is still highly fragmented. For decades, we have tried to advance by emphasizing a part of the equation, with results that are at least modest. Therefore, in this Special Issue, we prioritized works aiming at disciplinary and methodological integration. The Special Issue was open to any subject area related to the impacts of social issues on mental health and psychosocial well-being. We were interested in empirical and theoretical enquiries at all ecological levels, from the psychosocial impact of social dynamics on individuals, to the analysis of how sociocultural and geopolitical factors influence health and collective psychosocial well-being

Analyzing Community Mental Health Programs Through the Citizenship Framework: A Learning Experience

The citizenship framework is an emerging trend in the fields of mental health and social inclusion. After various theoretical developments, instruments have been designed to measure individuals' connection with the various dimensions of citizenship, and interventions have been designed to help practitioners work from this paradigm. In this article I propose a reflective activity developed to help disseminate the citizenship framework among practitioners through the analysis of the programs in which they work. Twenty-seven mental health professionals who were enrolled in a community mental health master's program analyzed community mental health programs using a grid whose 5 rows referred to the 5 Rs (rights, responsibilities, roles, resources, and relationships) that society offers its recognized members, and whose 2 columns referred to the elements that the program already includes in reference to each R and those that need improvement to address them. I analyze how reflecting on the work that community mental health practitioners carry out through the citizenship framework can help to extend its ideas. I then suggest that the citizenship framework should advance the concept that the practice of the various mental health professions is directed at helping service users become full citizens.Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa has received funding from the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014–2020) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 654808

Mental Well-Being in Later Life: The Role of Strengths Use, Meaning in Life, and Self-Perceptions of Ageing.

Population ageing requires an understanding of the factors that enhance optimal funtioning in later life. Moreover, for individual and societal well-being it demands a more balanced view of the ageing process that also accentuates human capital and realisation of potential. This study therefore explored the relationships between strengths use, mental well-being, meaning in life, self-perceptions of ageing, and socio-demographic characteristics of older adults. The study sample consisted of 88 older individuals (ages 55-88 years) who completed the following measures: Strenghts Use Scale, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wll-being Scale, Meaning Life scale, an Attitude Toward Own Ageing. An openended question was added to explore contextual factors that may enable older adults to use their strenghts more. Results: Correlation analysis showed that greater strenghts use was asociated with higher levels of mental well-being in older individuals. Hierarchical redression analysis revealed strenghts use as a significant predictor of mental well-being. Participants with more positive self-perceptions of ageing were applying their strenghts to a greater extent. Although self-perceptions of ageing was not an additional predictor os strenghts use. Furthermore, mediation analysis showed a significant and large indirect effect on strenths use on mental well-being through meaning in life. Various contextual factors such as appreciation of older adults and opportunities for work and engagement have been indicated as avenues to support greater strenghts use. Conclusion: results suggest that practicing strenghts is importat for possitive mental health and the process of ageing well. Strategies to enhance greater strenghts use in the ageing population are discussed

Training mental health activists increases the well-being of participants with high baseline levels of self-stigma: results of the Obertament training evaluation

There is a strong interest in improving the quality of anti-stigma contact-based interventions. Hence, some mental health anti-stigma campaigns offer prior training to their activists with lived experience of mental disorders. Additionally, collective mobilization seems to impact the identity and well-being of its participants. The main objective of this work was to understand the impact that activism training activities have on the internalized/self-stigma and well-being of activists being trained by the Obertament alliance against stigma in mental health. The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Inventory and the Pemberton Happiness Index were used to measure internalized stigma and well-being, respectively, at the begin- ning and the end of anti-stigma training courses. Sixty-eight activists receiving training were enrolled within a pretest, posttest, 1-group design. A total of 39 participants were included in repeated measures calculations. Twenty-seven participants did not complete the total training schedule and two more did not complete baseline assessment. Our results show generalized increases in well-being and decreases in the internalized stigma of participants. Additionally, a covariation between these changes was found. To further illustrate this covariation, separate groups were created using the baseline median. Hence, greater in- creases in well-being were for those participants with higher levels of baseline self-stigma and vice versa. This article shows the importance of addressing internalized stigma among mental health activists, thus boosting their recovery process.Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa has received funding from the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014–2020) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 654808

Love your enemy? An aesthetic discourse analysis of self-transcendence in values-motivated altruism

Inter-disciplinary academic enquiry shares the challenge to explore the social and ethical applications of research into today's globalised but increasingly complex world. Positive psychology examines how life can be well in this broader enquiry of the social and moral contexts of 'individual' happiness. In this it begins to embrace innovative, qualitative research methods alongside its earlier positivistic, scientific approach, in the social transition to enquire more inductively. This research therefore attempts two things. The substantive research explores how experiences of self- transcendence may emerge in the choice of altruistic values, to 'love an enemy', potentially at cost to personal 'selfhood' in pur- suit of a well society. Secondly, it presents the innovative 'aes- thetic discourse analysis' as a means to examine the motivational or moral impulse of personhood, where the self becomes 'sensible' to agentic change. It draws on Bakhtin's use of genre, emotional intonation and chronotope to interrogate the 'feltness' of self- conscious motivation. In three focus groups, people who are all committed to the self-transcendent value to love the Other, con- verse with Others from different backgrounds and belief systems. The research discovers that lived experiences of self-transcen- dence co-occur with ontological and epistemological re-shaping of self-consciousness.Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa has received funding from the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014–2020) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 654808

¿Es posible la investigación desde el activismo en salud mental?

Presento un ensayo sobre la compleja relación entre la investigación científica y los activismos y militancias en salud mental. Comienzo por definir lo que significa 'investigación' y 'militancia' o 'activismo' aceptando la polisemia de estos términos. Paso después a responder a la pregunta, apuntando a algunas experiencias internacionales y describiendo cómo sería posible. A continuación, intento desarrollar un marco de colaboración entre el activismo en salud mental y la investigación científica en el que esta pueda beneficiar las luchas por una atención en salud mental libre de coerción. Por último, presento unas conclusiones que, advierto, no son un recetario de cómo hacer las cosas sino una invitación a la reflexión crítica y la búsqueda de estrategias conjuntas entre colectivos diversos.Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa has received funding from the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014–2020) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 654808

A Proposed Enquiry Into the Effect of Sociocultural Changes on Well-Being

Cite as: Eiroa-Orosa, F. J. (2017). A Proposed Enquiry Into the Effect of Sociocultural Changes on Well-Being. In N. J. L. Brown, T. Lomas, & F. J. Eiroa-Orosa (Eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Positive Psychology (pp. 368–376). London, UK: Routledge.Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa has received funding from the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014–2020) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 654808

A Randomised Enquiry on the Interaction Between Wellbeing and Citizenship

Wellbeing and citizenship have been outlined as important components for personal flour- ishing and involvement in community life. The Community Engagement Project aimed to identify the strength of the relationship between wellbeing and citizenship. In addi- tion, the study aimed to investigate the capability of changing wellbeing and citizenship levels over time after exposure to a short experiment which also involved the following variables; Social Justice Beliefs, Assertiveness, Justice and Care Values. An interven- tion research design was implemented with a self-selected sample; 28 participants from the experimental group and 24 participants from the control group completed the final follow-up. Correlational results supported our first hypothesis as a statistically significant positive relationship was found between all the citizenship and wellbeing subscales. Sup- port was found for within group differences for Personal Responsibility and Social Justice Beliefs indicating that this short experiment was able to influence these variables from pre to post. The repeated measures analysis of variance demonstrated that when consider- ing time and condition the subjective perception of greater Legal Rights increased after the experiment only for the intervention group. Professionals could use the findings to provide a platform for vulnerable groups by providing the resources to be more assertive which could improve overall wellbeing and sense of citizenship

Psychosocial research and action with survivors of political violence in Latin America: methodological considerations and implications for practice.

Research with survivors of political violence in Latin America have shown that any analysis of the consequences of war or political repression should take into account the social and political realities in which the survivors are immersed. It has also shown that research must go hand in hand with action, intervention and psychosocial support for communities that confront violence. In this article, the authors review some of the basic principles that should guide research and action within the context of war or other political violence. We discuss the roles that the researcher needs to adopt in order to successfully develop work that will be of use to the social and scienti¢c community. In addition, we describe some of the methodological implications of psychosocial research and the importance of re£ective processes that could contrib- ute to community wellbeing. The theoretical descriptions are substantiated through examples of action research in Jujuy (Argentina) with for- mer political prisoners and relatives of detainees, or the disappeared, from the time of the last mili- tary dictatorship (1976^1983)