Working in Multidisciplinary Community Mental Health Teams: The Impact on Social Workers and Health Professionals of Integrated Mental Health Care

Correspondence to Professor John Carpenter, Centre for Applied Social Studies, University of Durham, Elvet Riverside II, Durham DH1 3JT, UK. E-mail: J.S.W.Carpenter{at}dur.ac.uk Summary This study investigated the relationships between the organizationof community mental health services and professional and teamidentification, team functioning and the psychological well-beingand job satisfaction of staff working in multidisciplinary communitymental health teams (CMHTs). Staff in four districts in theNorth of England completed anonymous questionnaires on two occasions,twelve months apart. There were systematic differences in teamfunctioning, favouring teams in districts where mental healthand social care services were integrated. However, service organizationhad no evident impact on professional or team identificationor on outcomes for staff in terms of stress or job satisfaction.There were differences between social workers (n = 31) and healthservice professionals (n = 82) indicating that social workershad poorer perceptions of team functioning and experienced higherlevels of role conflict. Controlling for other factors includingthe study districts, role conflict was a significant predictorof stress and of job dissatisfaction, while role clarity promotedjob satisfaction. We conclude that support and supervision aimedat ensuring a social work contribution to multidisciplinaryworking should be provided in the course of establishing CMHTsand integrated health and social care services.     

Children's Emotionality and Social Status: A Meta-analytic Review

Over the last 15 years, the role of emotions in children's peer relations has received greader attention. The purpose of the meta‐analytic review was to determine the magnitude of the relation between negative emotionality (NE) and positive emotionality (PE) and social status. Based on 54 independent samples, the overall effect size for the relation between children's NE and social status was in the moderate‐to‐small range, and this effect size was similar across all types of NE (i.e., general measures of NE, anger, fear and sadness). Based on 10 independent samples, the overall effect size for the relation between children's PE and social status was in the small range. We found that the assessment method for anger significantly moderated the relation between anger and social status, and the context in which PE was observed significantly moderated the relation between PE and social status. This article concludes with a set of recommendations for the next generation of research on children's emotional and social competence.     

Barriers to accessing HIV and sexual health services among gay men in Tasmania,Australia

We examined barriers to accessing HIV and sexual health services among gay and bisexual men (GBM) in Tasmania, Australia, using in-depth interviews. Most participants were satisfied with the care they had received at public sexual health services. Barriers included the limited number of services, concerns about anonymity and privacy in small communities, difficulties accessing services via a general practitioner, and perceived stigma and discrimination. Improving the accessibility and availability of HIV and sexual health services in Tasmania is crucial to promote the engagement of GBM, which could be achieved via combined efforts of government services and community organizations.     

Declaring Conflict of Interest – Current State of Affairs in the Ophthalmic Literature

The importance of transparency with financial ties in biomedical research is widely recognized, and most peer-reviewed journals require declarations of Conflicts of Interest (COI). Nonetheless, variability in the consistency of declarations of COI has been sparsely assessed. To assess consistency and rates of COI declarations in the ophthalmic literature and the effectiveness of journal COI policies. We analyzed consistency and completeness of declaration of COI in the ophthalmic literature and compared the levels of completeness to specific journal requirements. Six-hundred forty-two peer reviewed articles satisfied the inclusion criteria. In 64%, COIs were unreported, in 25% declaration of COI was incomplete, and 11% of the articles reviewed had complete declaration of COI. Of the 33 journals in which the most frequently published authors’ articles appeared, 10 required the authors to complete the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) form or an equivalent form, but this did not affect the rates of COI declaration. In a random sampling of the most frequently published authors in the field of ophthalmology, declaration of COI was low and highly inconsistent. Requiring a standardized COI form has no significant effect on the rate of accurate COI reporting. Our findings lend support to the growing body of literature that shows that journals and editors may need to take a more active role in ensuring accurate and consistent COI reporting.     

The psychology and behavioural economics of poverty

The paper provides an overview and assessment of an emerging literature on the psychology and behavioural economics of poverty. We particularly highlight poverty experiences, role of neighbourhoods, poverty dynamics and transmission, child poverty and disability and personal finance. In addition we consider psychology and policy responses by looking and autonomy and empowerment, and poverty reduction programs. Our central thesis is that the detailed knowledge of individual experiences, cognitions and social factors in psychology and related social science complements the traditional economic emphasis on structural factors and policy instruments in a way that is exemplified by emerging work in behavioural economics. We conclude it is increasingly recognised that poverty reduction policies which are informed by behavioural insights may, as a result, be more effective.     

The Missing Baby Bust: The Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Contraceptive Use,Pregnancy, and Childbirth Among Low-Income Women

Population Research and Policy Review - Multiple episodes in US history demonstrate that birth rates fall in response to recessions. However, the 2020 COVID-19 recession differed from earlier...     

INTENSIVE ASSESSMENT FOR “INTENSIVE ASSISTANCE”: UNEMPLOYMENT,MENTAL HEALTH AND THE NEED FOR HOLISTIC ASSESSMENT OF LONG‐TERM UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE

This article will comment on recently announced changes to the Intensive Assistance (IA) program and to the Community Support Program (CSP) as they relate to the assessment of mental health and similar issues in recipients of unemployment benefits. It will be argued that proposed resources to be spent on assessment of IA clients and increased funding and numbers for the CSP are much needed alterations and should be welcomed. It will be argued that agencies assisting IA clients risk significant underestimation of mental‐health and related issues in their clients if they rely only on Centrelink's Job Seeker Classification Instrument (JSCI) as a screening tool and do not expend resources on additional professional assessment. The reasons behind failure of such issues to be easily identified in the current system include difficulty in administration of the JSCI, fear of disclosure by the client, client ignorance of their condition and its relevance to work‐ability, the lack of mental‐health expertise in private sector employment agencies and the current high cost. of purchasing professional assessment. Recently announced changes to IA and the CSP appear to allow for considerable improvements in identifying and managing these issues.     

Some Observations on the Process of Dying

The paper discusses the process of dying as observed in a sample of 30 patients in a cancer ward at a Massachusetts hospital. This process is found to involve changes in self-identity and role-definition; various modes of re-adjustment of the patient to his new role; certain patterns of patient-personnel and patient-family communication and interaction; and typical reactions of patients' children to the situation. The last section of the paper discusses briefly the implications of societal attitudes toward death for medical institutions.     

Research Note—A Pilot Cyber Counseling Course in a Graduate Social Work Program

Cyber counseling is a new and growing medium for offering mental health services to children and youth. However, there is a lack of identification of the core competencies required to provide effective online counseling. A school of social work, in partnership with a national service agency providing online counseling to children and youth, developed and offered a 13-week course to participating MSW social work students and agency staff. The development of online counseling competencies was assessed through individual interviews with participants and a content analysis of online posts. Participants scored well in areas of assessment and intervention. Challenges were identified in relationship building within an online environment.