Students with visual impairments often experience emotional problems and encounter difficulties in forming and maintaining social relationships. Research indicates that the social support provided to these students by staff members and their peers in educational institutions may have a positive impact on their academic learning and socioemotional development. The purpose of this integrative literature review was to synthesise the results from 17 academic articles published during 1998 and 2018, which examined the topic of social support for students with visual impairments in educational institutions. This review reveals that for students with visual impairments cooperation, empathetic behaviour, and practical assistance are the main components of social support. These students actively seek social support from staff members and peers, but they face many challenges, such as the lack of training and awareness. Support from staff members contributes to students’ academic learning and social inclusion, whereas peers’ social support enhances their self-esteem and social acceptance. The outlined positive effects of educational interventions on students’ social skills and social interaction support the need for implementing more interventions. The limitations of the studies reviewed and recommendations for future research are discussed.

An account is given of a current research project which is examining the impact of social inclusion on the self-concept of adolescents with visual impairments and the way this differs from their typically developing sighted peers. The study considers developmental and cognitive theories which are used to explain the development of self-concept in typical and atypical adolescents and the impact of social inclusion on this particular aspect of mental health.

Previous research suggests that children and adolescents with visual impairment may face several challenges in their academic learning and socio-emotional development due to restricted mobility, feelings of loneliness, and dependency on others. Habilitation services attempt to provide support with respect to many of these challenges that may positively impact on well-being and mental health, such as enabling independence in daily tasks, participation in social activities, and developing self-confidence. The literature also shows that individuals who have received educational and vocational rehabilitation support report higher quality of life and more positive self-esteem. Therefore, the primary focus of this study was on the rehabilitation, recreational opportunities, and educational resources provided by vision habilitation services for children and adolescents with visual impairments. The role that these services may play in school and daily life, as well as in the socio-emotional development of children and adolescents with visual impairments was also examined. This research covers the perspectives of professional staff, parents, children, and adolescents and considers both the immediate and potential long-term benefits of these services. The findings of the study highlighted the positive impact that this support has on children and adolescents’ independence, personal-safety, and self-confidence. The findings also indicated the positive impact of this support on the mental health of their families and benefits of providing continued support and expanding these habilitation and recreation services.

BackgroundYoung people moving from adolescent secure hospitals to adult care present with multiple and complex needs which often remain unmet during transition periods. This paper delineates the process of developing and co‐producing the moving forward intervention (MFi), which aims to address the psychosocial needs of transitioning youth who have limited access to well‐researched and tailored service provisions.MethodAn extensive search of the relevant literature was conducted to generate themes and guide the co‐production phase. Fourteen Advisory Group Meetings were held virtually during COVID‐19 to design the MFi module content with 17 keyworkers, 2 parents and 13 young people aged 17–18 years across six adolescent secure hospitals in England. Thematic analysis was used to reflect on the field notes discussed in the Advisory Groups.ResultsCo‐produced themes from the literature and the Advisory Groups informed the development of the proposed intervention. Three overarching themes pertinent to expectations in adult services, improving communication gaps between services and facilitating the letting go period emerged from the co‐production phase. It was suggested the MFi is co‐delivered by a peer with lived experience to build trust and create hopefulness among young people. The importance of promoting graded transitions through standardised procedures was highlighted.ConclusionsThe current findings promote evidence‐based initiatives and build robust practice frameworks that inform treatment and policy guidelines. The young people, parents and keyworkers found the MFi supportive and valued the co‐production experience. As such, co‐production has been a vital tool in promoting patient engagement and empowerment, and reducing service inequalities, especially in adolescent secure hospitals.

Adolescents with vision impairment report deficient feelings of school belonging and challenges in developing social relationships with teachers and classmates. These challenges negatively affect other aspects of their school lives such as their academic learning. However, there is very little empirical research into the social dimensions of school inclusion in adolescents with vision impairment and their role in socio-emotional development and academic inclusion. The authors conducted two empirical studies to examine the following two dimensions of social inclusion in school: school belonging and close relationships at school. The relationship between school belonging and self-esteem and the relationship between close relationships at school and academic inclusion were also examined. Both studies recruited adolescents with severe sight impairment, sight impairment, and sighted adolescents. Study 1 involved 44 adolescents aged 12–18 years attending both mainstream and special schools in the United Kingdom. In Study 2, 42 adolescents aged 12–14 years, attending only mainstream schools in the United Kingdom, participated. The first study took place in seven UK schools, whereas the second study was conducted online. Adolescents were asked to complete questionnaires that examined school belonging, close relationships at school, self-esteem, and academic inclusion. The findings indicated that adolescents with sight impairment felt significantly less socially included compared to their peers. School belonging significantly influenced specific areas of self-esteem and the social relationships with close friends had a significant effect on academic inclusion. No group differences were found in the self-esteem and development of close social relationships between adolescents with and without vision impairment. Overall, our research highlighted the school experiences of adolescents with vision impairment and underlined the positive role of school inclusion in their academic experiences and socio-emotional development. Unexpectedly, it appears that adolescents with sight impairment experience socio-emotional challenges in their school inclusion, which should be addressed in future research and practice.

Emerging research suggests young adults, in particular women, may be especially sensitive to changes associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. This study, which is part of an ongoing research project focusing on young adulthood and substance use during the UK COVID-19 lockdown, aimed to provide an in-depth snapshot of factors that young adult women may describe as influential in their alcohol consumption during this period. Virtual semi-structured interviews were carried out on a sample of 12 (23–25 years) women between April and May 2020. The data were analysed through thematic analysis and preliminary findings led to the identification of three themes: (1) Changes to working environment, (2) Limitations on social opportunities and efforts to socialise in a ‘new normal’, and (3) Effects of cohabitation on increased alcohol consumption. The preliminary findings of this study highlight factors relevant to changes in alcohol use during the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK.