The value of focusing, a psychological self-help strategy, when living with chronic low back pain: a mixed methods study.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a widespread and disabling condition affecting many thousands of people in the UK, causing distress in many areas of their lives. Most people with CLBP do not have access to specialist advice and resort to managing it themselves. The government drive to encourage people to manage their own long-term conditions has led to some work on the use of self-help techniques with CLBP. However little research has been done with CLBP populations who are not seeking specialist advice. This study actively sought people from this population group. Focusing - a self-help technique based on the client-centred psychological approach - was introduced to two people who had long-term CLBP. In addition two people who had been using Focusing in their lives for some time and have long-term CLBP (but have not applied Focusing to that problem) were also recruited. Focusing was taught either face-to-face or by telephone for six weekly hour-long sessions; the experienced Focusers spent an hour each week for six weeks Focusing with their pain. Using a mixed methods approach the four participants were interviewed a number of times, namely before, immediately after and three to six months following the Focusing sessions. They also completed the WHOQOL-PainUK questionnaire, the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire and a global QOL measure at these three times. During the Focusing sessions they completed the SF-MPQ and the global QOL weekly. Within the concurrent nested design the qualitative aspect formed the theoretical driver for the study; the quantitative element providing a smaller amount of data. This enabled the findings to be framed in a way which makes them accessible to the wide range of healthcare professionals involved in the management of CLBP; an approach described as one of 'utility'. The management of potential incongruencies in using a mixed method approach was a continuous theme throughout the study and a model - the context of stability model - was devised to enable a harmonisation of these in the study design.During the study three of the four participants reported a change in the meaning of their pain, and improvement in the perception of their pain and its impact. After using Focusing with their CLBP participants reported that the pain no longer controlled what they did, they were able to feel more 'themselves' and value themselves and Focusing had given them a supported place to talk about their pain. Focusing appears to have an impact for these people in enabling the acceptance of CLBP and an improvement in overall quality of life was found. The physical, psychological and independence quality of life domains in particular showed sustained improvement. No negative side effects were noted by any of the participants. Further study is needed to demonstrate whether the use of Focusing with CLBP confers longer term benefits and is suitable for a wider range of people

A systematic review of reviews of interventions to promote mental health and prevent mental health problems in children and young people

Background: There is a growing policy imperative to promote positive mental health as well as preventing the development of mental health problems in children. This paper summarises the results of published systematic reviews evaluating interventions to promote mental health and prevent mental illness in children. Method: A search was undertaken of ten electronic databases using a combination of medical subject headings (MeSH) and free text searches. Systematic reviews covering mental health promotion or mental illness prevention interventions aimed at infants, children or young people up to age 19 were included. Reviews of drug and alcohol prevention programmes or programmes to prevent childhood abuse and neglect were excluded because these have been the subject of recent good quality reviews of reviews. Critical appraisal of all studies was undertaken using a standardised appraisal tool for systematic reviews. Where possible effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals are reported. A narrative summary has been provided. Results: A total of 27 systematic reviews were included and grouped pragmatically under the following headings: parenting interventions; programmes for the prevention of anxiety and depression, programmes to promote self esteem, violence and aggression prevention programmes, school-based programmes, and general reviews. Included studies targeted a range of risk and protective factors, and a range of populations (including both parents and children). While, many lacked methodological rigour, overall, the evidence is strongly suggestive of the effectiveness of a range of interventions in promoting positive mental well-being, and reducing key risk factors for mental illness in children. Conclusion: A variety of programmes have been shown to be effective in promoting children’s mental health, albeit with modest effect sizes. Based on this evidence, arguments are advanced for the preferential provision of early preventive programmes

Compassion Fatigue: An Application of the Concept to Informal Caregivers of Family Members with Dementia

Introduction. Compassion fatigue is a concept used with increasing frequency in the nursing literature. The objective of this paper is to identify common themes across the literature and to apply these themes, and an existing model of compassion fatigue, to informal caregivers for family members with dementia. Findings. Caregivers for family members with dementia may be at risk for developing compassion fatigue. The model of compassion fatigue provides an informative framework for understanding compassion fatigue in the informal caregiver population. Limitations of the model when applied to this population were identified as traumatic memories and the emotional relationship between parent and child, suggesting areas for future research. Conclusions. Research is needed to better understand the impact of compassion fatigue on informal caregivers through qualitative interviews, to identify informal caregivers at risk for compassion fatigue, and to provide an empirical basis for developing nursing interventions for caregivers experiencing compassion fatigue

Extension Connection: Workforce Development and Cooperative Extension Working Hand-in-Hand

The Extension Connection enhances life skills to support workforce development of low-income families by providing education promoting self-sufficiency. This program helps develop life skills that provide structure within the family and community. Project STRIDE supports workforce development in a high-crime, at-risk area with education. Project STRIDE increases stability within the family, helps families be productive in their community, and helps them overcome barriers to entering the work force, achieve job stability and advance in life for themselves and their families. Families also learn nutrition for healthy living and money management

The value of focusing : a psychological self-help strategy when living with chronic low back pain : a mixed methods study

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a widespread and disabling condition affecting many thousands of people in the UK, causing distress in many areas of their lives. Most people with CLBP do not have access to specialist advice and resort to managing it themselves. The government drive to encourage people to manage their own long-term conditions has led to some work on the use of self-help techniques with CLBP. However little research has been done with CLBP populations who are not seeking specialist advice. This study actively sought people from this population group. Focusing - a self-help technique based on the client-centred psychological approach - was introduced to two people who had long-term CLBP. In addition two people who had been using Focusing in their lives for some time and have long-term CLBP (but have not applied Focusing to that problem) were also recruited. Focusing was taught either face-to-face or by telephone for six weekly hour-long sessions; the experienced Focusers spent an hour each week for six weeks Focusing with their pain. Using a mixed methods approach the four participants were interviewed a number of times, namely before, immediately after and three to six months following the Focusing sessions. They also completed the WHOQOL-PainUK questionnaire, the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire and a global QOL measure at these three times. During the Focusing sessions they completed the SF-MPQ and the global QOL weekly. Within the concurrent nested design the qualitative aspect formed the theoretical driver for the study; the quantitative element providing a smaller amount of data. This enabled the findings to be framed in a way which makes them accessible to the wide range of healthcare professionals involved in the management of CLBP; an approach described as one of 'utility'. The management of potential incongruencies in using a mixed method approach was a continuous theme throughout the study and a model - the context of stability model - was devised to enable a harmonisation of these in the study design.During the study three of the four participants reported a change in the meaning of their pain, and improvement in the perception of their pain and its impact. After using Focusing with their CLBP participants reported that the pain no longer controlled what they did, they were able to feel more 'themselves' and value themselves and Focusing had given them a supported place to talk about their pain. Focusing appears to have an impact for these people in enabling the acceptance of CLBP and an improvement in overall quality of life was found. The physical, psychological and independence quality of life domains in particular showed sustained improvement. No negative side effects were noted by any of the participants. Further study is needed to demonstrate whether the use of Focusing with CLBP confers longer term benefits and is suitable for a wider range of people.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The development and evaluation of exercises in meaningful word practice in first grade,

Research chapter for this study will be found in Ash, Dorothea: "Development and evaluation of silent reading exercises in grade one" Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit