Mental Health Staff Perspectives on Personal Recovery: A Narrative Study on Positive Professional Impact of Recovery-Oriented Care

ObjectivesMental health staff play an important role in facilitating personal recovery. We examined how mental health staff perceived personal recovery and the impact of their experience with supporting personal recovery.Research Design and MethodsForty-eight mental health staff wrote a narrative about a service user with severe mental illness that they believed to be in personal recovery and elaborated on the impact of this professional experience. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to illuminate 1) conceptualizations of personal recovery, 2) professional contribution to recovery, and 3) positive impact of recovery-oriented care on staff.ResultsConceptualizations of recovery focused on social connections and positive subjective states, and also symptom remission and illness management. Professional contributions were narrated as encompassing treatment, relationships and conversations as well as time and team collaboration. Impact on the staff included strong positive emotions, professional gains with respect to learning and self-esteem, motivation for and meaning in work as well as belief in recovery.ConclusionsThis latter finding suggests that sharing narratives about service users in personal recovery may increase work pleasure and help reduce burn out in mental health staff

Elite athletes are higher on Grit than a comparison sample of non-athletes

This study examines whether grit and conscientiousness distinguish elite-sport performers from a comparison sample of non-athletes. Participants were 128 elite athletes and 1701 adults recruited through a human resource company. Both groups filled out short-form questionnaires measuring grit and conscientiousness. Consistent with expectations, there was a high positive correlation between grit and conscientiousness and the elite athletes reported higher grit than the non-athletes. Contrary to expectations, the non-athletes scored higher on conscientiousness compared to the elite athletes. The importance of grit for attaining elite status in sport is discussed.This study examines whether grit and conscientiousness distinguish elite-sport performers from a comparison sample of non-athletes. Participants were 128 elite athletes and 1701 adults recruited through a human resource company. Both groups filled out short-form questionnaires measuring grit and conscientiousness. Consistent with expectations, there was a high positive correlation between grit and conscientiousness and the elite athletes reported higher grit than the non-athletes. Contrary to expectations, the non-athletes scored higher on conscientiousness compared to the elite athletes. The importance of grit for attaining elite status in sport is discussed

Distinguishing general causality orientations from personality traits

a b s t r a c t This study investigates the conceptual overlap and distinction between individual differences in the FiveFactor Model and Self-Determination Theory. Participants were 1287 freshmen (age M = 21.71; 64% women) who completed electronic questionnaires of dispositional personality traits (NEO-FFI) and general causality orientations (GCOS). Data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analyses. Results revealed that Autonomy items defined a factor separate from personality trait factors, whereas Control and Impersonal items defined both separate factors and showed overlaps with Agreeableness and Neuroticism, respectively. Hence, causality orientations are conceptually distinct from personality traits

Mental Health Staff Perspectives on Personal Recovery: A Narrative Study on Positive Professional Impact of Recovery-Oriented Care

Objectives Mental health staff play an important role in facilitating personal recovery. We examined how mental health staff perceived personal recovery and the impact of their experience with supporting personal recovery. Research Design and Methods Forty-eight mental health staff wrote a narrative about a service user with severe mental illness that they believed to be in personal recovery and elaborated on the impact of this professional experience. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to illuminate 1) conceptualizations of personal recovery, 2) professional contribution to recovery, and 3) positive impact of recovery-oriented care on staff. Results Conceptualizations of recovery focused on social connections and positive subjective states, and also symptom remission and illness management. Professional contributions were narrated as encompassing treatment, relationships and conversations as well as time and team collaboration. Impact on the staff included strong positive emotions, professional gains with respect to learning and self-esteem, motivation for and meaning in work as well as belief in recovery. Conclusions This latter finding suggests that sharing narratives about service users in personal recovery may increase work pleasure and help reduce burn out in mental health staff. &nbsp

Symptoms of prolonged grief disorder in bereaved partners: Frequency and risk factors

The loss of a spouse causes a painful, but natural, grieving process. However, a significant minority of bereaved partners develops symptoms of prolonged grief disorder (PGD). This is especially common in people who lose their partner after a long and difficult period of illness, as is often the case with patients in specialized palliative care. This project investigated frequency and risk factors of symptoms of PGD in bereaved partners of patients who prior to their deaths received specialized palliative care from Palliative Team Funen, Odense University Hospital. Participants (N=182) completed questionnaires at respectively three and seven months post-loss. Analyses showed that three months after the loss, 55% of participants showed an increased symptom-level of PGD (score ≥29 on PG-13), while the frequency had decreased to 36% seven months after the loss. In addition, we found that female sex, a low degree of positive affect and a high degree of orientation towards the loss after three months were statistically significant risk factors for symptoms of PGD seven months after the loss. The results confirm that bereaved partners to patients with a complicated course of disease requiring specialized palliative efforts are at high risk of developing symptoms of PGD. Health care services should pay special attention to providing adequate support for this population.Tabet af en ægtefælle medfører ofte en smertelig sorgproces. Et væsentligt mindretal udvikler imidlertid symptomer på vedvarende sorglidelse (VSL). Dette kan være særligt hyppigt hos mennesker, der mister deres partner efter et langt og vanskeligt sygdomsforløb, som det ofte er tilfældet i specialiseret palliativ pleje. Nærværende projekt undersøgte hyppigheden af og risikofaktorer for symptomer på VSL hos efterladte partnere til patienter, der op til deres død modtog specialiseret palliativ indsats fra Palliativt Team Fyn, Odense Universitetshospital.Deltagerne (N = 182) udfyldte spørgeskemaer henholdsvis tre og syv måneder efter deres tab. Analyser viste, at tre måneder efter tabet udviste 55 % af deltagerne et forhøjet symptomniveau af VSL (score ≥29 på PG-13), mens andelen var faldet til 36 % syv måneder efter tabet. Desuden fandt vi, at en lav grad af positiv affekt og en høj grad af orientering mod tabet efter tre måneder samt det at være kvinde var statistisk signifikante risikofaktorer for symptomer på VSL syv måneder efter tabet. Resultaterne bekræfter, at efterladte partnere til patienter med komplicerede sygdomsforløb, som har krævet specialiseret palliativ indsats, er i højrisiko for udvikling af symptomer på VSL. Sundhedsvæsenet bør være særlig opmærksom på at tilbyde tilstrækkelig støtte til personer i denne befolkningsgruppe