Background Middle-aged and older adults with mental health conditions have a high likelihood of experiencing comorbid physical health conditions, premature nursing home admissions, and early death compared with the general population of adults aged 50 years or above. An emerging workforce of peer support specialists aged 50 years or above or “older adult peer support specialists” is increasingly using technology to deliver peer support services to address both the mental health and physical health needs of middle-aged and older adults with a diagnosis of a serious mental illness. Objective This exploratory qualitative study examined older adult peer support specialists’ text message exchanges with middle-aged and older adults with a diagnosis of a serious mental illness and their nonmanualized age-related contributions to a standardized integrated medical and psychiatric self-management intervention. Methods Older adult peer support specialists exchanged text messages with middle-aged and older adults with a diagnosis of a serious mental illness as part of a 12-week standardized integrated medical and psychiatric self-management smartphone intervention. Text message exchanges between older adult peer support specialists (n=3) and people with serious mental illnesses (n=8) were examined (mean age 68.8 years, SD 4.9 years). A total of 356 text messages were sent between older adult peer support specialists and service users with a diagnosis of a serious mental illness. Older adult peer support specialists sent text messages to older participants’ smartphones between 8 AM and 10 PM on weekdays and weekends. Results Five themes emerged from text message exchanges related to older adult peer support specialists’ age-related contributions to integrated self-management, including (1) using technology to simultaneously manage mental health and physical health issues; (2) realizing new coping skills in late life; (3) sharing roles as parents and grandparents; (4) wisdom; and (5) sharing lived experience of difficulties with normal age-related changes (emerging). Conclusions Older adult peer support specialists’ lived experience of aging successfully with a mental health challenge may offer an age-related form of peer support that may have implications for promoting successful aging in older adults with a serious mental illness.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of African community leaders, on factors that influence substance use and mental health status of Sub-Sahara African immigrants living in the northeast region of the USA. Design/methodology/approach A social constructionist approach to grounded theory was used to understand social life’s complexity in the African community. Data analysis consisted of initial coding and focused coding, which led to the emerging of the following mid-range theories. Findings The following mid-range theories are developed: the work culture of Sub-Sahara African immigrants may influence substance-use behaviors, impact treatment for mental health and contribute to interpersonal conflicts related to marriage and parenting; there may be a relationship between the culture of privacy and spirituality because the church is often a place of comfort, and many may not seek treatment for mental health for fear of losing that community; Sub-Sahara African immigrants’ mental health and substance-use behaviors are influenced by unique factors that stem from balancing living in the new culture while also preserving their unique cultural norms. Originality/value The analysis of perceptions of African community leaders underscored “On the go” as a metaphor for describing Sub-Sahara African immigrants.
Background and Objectives The population of older adults (65 and over) continues to increase with projections of one in five by 2030. Furthermore, one in four older adults have a behavioral health problem, and over 63% are not receiving behavioral health (BH) services. Many older adults living in the community depend on aging networks for home- and community-based services. However, most care managers' current education and training do not cover the skills and competencies to provide adequate care for older adults with BH needs. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a training intervention on the perceived self-efficacy of care managers working with older adults with BH issues in the aging network. Research Design and Methods The study used a quasi-experimental design with a pre-and post-tests approach. The study used convenience sampling (n=90). Results We found a significant difference in the mean self-efficacy scores related to working with clients with mental health problems between pre-test (M=62.31, SD=10.11) and post-test (M=65.88, SD=7.40). In addition, results indicated a significant difference in the mean self-efficacy score between the pre-test (M=59.81, SD=10.68) and post-test (M=65.60, SD=9.85) related to working with clients with substance use problems. Discussion and Implications: The study found that self-efficacy was higher at post-test than pre-test. In addition, there was no difference in the self-efficacy scores of those participants who had previously completed a mental health course or certification and those who had not.
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