BackgroundAdults with mental disorders are at high risk of loneliness. Loneliness has been implicated in a wide variety of physical and mental health problems. Social connectedness interventions are one means to tackle loneliness but have shown mixed effectiveness. This study aims to: (1) identify existing measures of social connectedness and (2) develop a conceptual framework of social connectedness to inform future measurement and the development of new interventions. MethodsA systematic review of studies from six bibliographic databases was conducted. Studies were included if a quantitative measure of social connectedness was used amongst samples of adults with a mental disorder. Two analyses were conducted: a best evidence synthesis of measurement properties for identified measures and a narrative synthesis of items from these measures. ResultsTwenty-eight papers were included, employing 22 different measures. Measurement properties were of poor or unknown quality. Data synthesis identified a five-dimension conceptual framework of social connectedness: Closeness, Identity and common bond, Valued relationships, Involvement and Cared for and accepted (giving the acronym CIVIC). LimitationsThe majority of studies were conducted in high-income countries. It was not possible to validate the conceptual framework using the identified psychometric data. ConclusionsThis new five-dimension framework of social connectedness in mental disorders provides the theoretical foundation for developing new measures and interventions for social connectedness.
Aims Despite an increasing awareness of the importance of spirituality in mental health contexts, a ‘religiosity gap’ exists in the difference in the value placed on spirituality and religion by professionals compared with service users. This may be due to a lack of understanding about the complex ways people connect with spirituality within contemporary society and mental health contexts, and can result in people's spiritual needs being neglected, dismissed or pathologised within clinical practice. The aim of this qualitative systematic review is to characterise the experiences of spirituality among adults with mental health difficulties in published qualitative research. Methods An electronic search of seven databases was conducted along with forward and backward citation searching, expert consultation and hand-searching of journals. Thirty-eight studies were included from 4944 reviewed papers. The review protocol was pre-registered (PROSPERO:CRD42017080566). Results A thematic synthesis identified six key themes: Meaning-making (sub-themes: Multiple explanations; Developmental journey; Destiny v. autonomy), Identity, Service-provision, Talk about it, Interaction with symptoms (sub-themes: Interactive meaning-making; Spiritual disruption) and Coping (sub-themes: Spiritual practices; Spiritual relationship; Spiritual struggles; Preventing suicide), giving the acronym MISTIC. Conclusions This qualitative systematic review provides evidence of the significant role spirituality plays in the lives of many people who experience mental health difficulties. It indicates the importance of mental health professionals being aware of and prepared to support the spiritual dimension of people using services. The production of a theory-based framework can inform efforts by health providers to understand and address people's spiritual needs as part of an integrated holistic approach towards care.
involvement with each other as a works team over many years. They spoke about it as being part of a family, even a marriage, and these were working men in the industrial heartland of the UK. If organisations can harness this spirit then that benefits all parties, but if good will is exploited and betrayed then a spiritual investment in the organisation can lead to disillusionment. Being a whole person at workPeople work for many reasons, from economic survival to a range of personal, familial and group satisfactions. It is too easy to see work as purely a stressor, and to ignore the benefits of social interaction and solidarity. It was striking to see a BBC television news item in the autumn of 2009 on the closure of a car factory in the West Midlands, UK (15 October 2009). The group of five men spoke very movingly about their Vocation, vocation, vocation: spirituality for professionals in mental health services Abstract People go into employment for a range of reasons. One of those is usually to find a sense of meaning, as humans are meaning-seeking animals.In the public sector there is even more likelihood of some kind of 'calling'. This may not be a religious call, or even an overtly spiritual one, but there will usually be some sense in which the role and the individual reach out to one another.In a time of recession and strain on public finances and services, leaders need to work in a way that appeals to the spirit, the vocation in each person and the team.
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