Ann Ley, Jane Coleman and Julian Vayne
This article is about North Devon's Adult Learning Forum Pilot Project, which offered a range of interesting and unusual cultural activities to people recovering from mental…
Abstract
This article is about North Devon's Adult Learning Forum Pilot Project, which offered a range of interesting and unusual cultural activities to people recovering from mental distress. The Project arose from an innovative partnership between local cultural and leisure agencies and the mental health trust.
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David Baker, Ann Ley, Justine Alexander and Anne Beer
This article reports an evaluation of the effect of Eco Art on Prescription courses on the wellbeing of 39 participants.
Abstract
Purpose
This article reports an evaluation of the effect of Eco Art on Prescription courses on the wellbeing of 39 participants.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants with experience of mild to moderate depression, stress or anxiety took part in one of three ten‐week art courses held in North Devon. The courses were themed to the local environment and carefully tailored to meet the needs of the targeted participants by providing a safe, supportive and affirming experience. Students completed a validated wellbeing scale at the start and end of each course, when qualitative data were also gathered. All data were analysed by an independent evaluator.
Findings
Attendance over the sessions was extremely high at 91 per cent. Results indicate a significant increase in wellbeing scores from the start (M=2.59, SD=0.82), to the end of the courses (M=3.26, SD=0.79), t(26)=−6.74, p=0.0001. Independent observation of a sample of sessions revealed a group of people totally absorbed in what they were doing. There was a relaxed, friendly atmosphere with developing social relationships amongst the students. Key themes from students' qualitative feedback were sheer enjoyment, educational benefits and increased confidence, both artistically and socially.
Originality/value
This small project adds to an accumulating body of knowledge, both locally and nationally, indicating the potential of art to improve wellbeing, promote social networks, and to even transform the lives of individuals recovering from mental distress.
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Ann Ley, Glenn Roberts and Dawn Willis
Although limited, there is emerging evidence of the value of peer support for people with mental health issues. We report an evaluation of a training experience introducing…
Abstract
Although limited, there is emerging evidence of the value of peer support for people with mental health issues. We report an evaluation of a training experience introducing intentional peer support (IPS) to people who use mental health services. IPS is a well developed, specific approach in which the central concept of mutuality redefines help as a co‐learning and growing process. This paper aims to explore participants' initial understandings of peer support, assess the impact of the course in terms of subsequent peer support activities and gather reflections from participants concerning what helped and hindered putting IPS into practice.Thirty people attending a five‐day residential course run by the originator of IPS, Shery Mead, were invited to take part in two refresher/follow‐up workshops. An independent evaluator (first author) collected data at the start and end of the residential phase, at two months and at five months. Findings are based on 26 people who provided data on at least two occasions.The course was enthusiastically received and successfully conveyed the fundamentals of IPS. Proportions of people involved in general peer support at the start and end of the evaluation remained similar. At five months, 15 people reported involvement in IPS and one person had set up an IPS group. Being connected to an existing group or network, including maintaining connection with course participants was the most helpful feature in putting IPS into practice. Hindrances included isolation and lack of opportunity. The paper concludes that ongoing support is essential to encourage the post‐course development and practice of IPS.
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Serge Evraert and Ahmed Riahi‐Belkaoui
Provides a useful summary of research on value added (VA) reporting and shows how income statements can be rearranged to show gross or not (of depreciation) VA. Starts with…
Abstract
Provides a useful summary of research on value added (VA) reporting and shows how income statements can be rearranged to show gross or not (of depreciation) VA. Starts with descriptive research on its use in various countries, enumerates its advantages and limitations and goes on to review empirical research on VA firm performance, the informational content of VA (as against conventional) data in market valuation and its predictive ability. Suggests that VA disclosure should be mandatory in the USA and calls for further research on its usefulness.
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Life studies are a rich source for further research on the role of the Afro‐American woman in society. They are especially useful to gain a better understanding of the…
Abstract
Life studies are a rich source for further research on the role of the Afro‐American woman in society. They are especially useful to gain a better understanding of the Afro‐American experience and to show the joys, sorrows, needs, and ideals of the Afro‐American woman as she struggles from day to day.
Lena Aggestam and Ann Svensson
This paper focuses on knowledge sharing in health care. The aim of the paper is to further understand how digital applications can facilitate knowledge sharing between different…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper focuses on knowledge sharing in health care. The aim of the paper is to further understand how digital applications can facilitate knowledge sharing between different care providers and health-care professionals.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a qualitative action case study, performed as a formative intervention study as a Change Laboratory, where a digital application concerning wound support was used. The Change Laboratory was used for knowledge sharing in the assessment and treatment process of wounds. The collected data was then thematically analyzed.
Findings
The findings show how digital applications can facilitate knowledge sharing, but also the need for complementary collaborative sessions. The main contribution is the rich description of how digital applications together with these sessions can facilitate knowledge sharing.
Originality/value
This paper shows that activities as collaborative sessions performed on the organizational level prove to support knowledge sharing and learning when a new digital application has been implemented in the work process. It also shows that these sessions contributed to identifying new knowledge that has potential for being included in the application and hence are important to keeping the application updated and relevant over time.
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Lauren Bishop, Ann Hemingway and Sara Ashencaen Crabtree
UK mental health strategy calls for interventions that empower people to self-manage their condition. In lifestyle coaching, coach and client work collaboratively on positive…
Abstract
Purpose
UK mental health strategy calls for interventions that empower people to self-manage their condition. In lifestyle coaching, coach and client work collaboratively on positive behaviour change to improve client health. There is debate about the appropriateness of coaching for mental health, yet claims have not been supported with evidence. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the nature and scope of the existing research literature in this field.
Design/methodology/approach
Scoping review.
Findings
The growing evidence base shows positive outcomes of coaching; for instance, symptom reduction, enhanced self-management and achievement of personal goals.
Research limitations/implications
The evidence base is small and of variable quality, offering insights that warrant further exploration.
Practical implications
Coaching not only supports better self-management but also addresses further mental health strategy priorities (such as improved physical health and social functioning). Coaches need not be mental health experts; therefore coaching may be a cost-effective intervention.
Social implications
As mental ill-health prevalence continues to rise despite widespread use of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies and medication, there is a need to explore how novel approaches such as coaching might be integrated into mental healthcare.
Originality/value
This is the first study to collate the evidence on mental health coaching, highlighting its extensive potential, which should be further explored in research and practice.
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Ellen Efron Pimentel and Jinyun Liu
In this paper, we model histories of coresidence between two cohorts of urban Chinese couples, married during the Cultural Revolution and early market reform periods. Most…
Abstract
In this paper, we model histories of coresidence between two cohorts of urban Chinese couples, married during the Cultural Revolution and early market reform periods. Most research on coresidence pictures families cross‐sectionally, but nuclear households are a natural part of extended coresidence systems that prefer stem family arrangements. We study histories of coresidence to determine what predicts ever having coresided with the husband’s parents, comparing the predictive power of modernization theory to the impact of demographic change, the availability of household members, and the resources and needs of each generation. While married children’s needs for childcare do not propel them into coresidence, they strongly predict the likelihood of staying coresident.
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This book chapter examines the social and environmental costs resulting from natural gas exploitation in the Peruvian Amazon basin with a special focus on the case of the ‘Camisea…
Abstract
Purpose
This book chapter examines the social and environmental costs resulting from natural gas exploitation in the Peruvian Amazon basin with a special focus on the case of the ‘Camisea Natural Gas Project Block 88’ in the Peruvian Amazon basin.
Methodology/approach
This research drew from a comprehensive source of secondary literature data on the Camisea Project Block 88, complemented by an ethnographic research approach based upon observation, conversation and semi-structure interviews with native community members of the indigenous communities of Shivancoreni and Shimmaa in Cusco-Peru.
Findings
The study’s findings illustrate that it is evident that the threats from hydrocarbon development endangers the habitat of indigenous communities and accelerate the destruction of the Peruvian Amazon basin. A business commitment towards a sustainable investment approach coupled with reinforcing and adopting appropriate laws and regulations concerning the environmental protection of the Amazon basin are required in order to preserve one of the most diverse and threatened biological place in the world – the Amazon.
Social implications
The Amazon is the largest natural biodiversity reserve in South America. Yet, it has experienced habitat degradation and displacement of various indigenous tribes of Amazon. As a result, the legacy of indigenous knowledge and the sustenance of indigenous peoples’ habitat are at stake.
Originality/value of the chapter
This study provides historical context for the hydrocarbon sector of Peru, particularly in the Peruvian Amazon basin. It also provides insights into the Peruvian hydrocarbon law and regulations and the implications, roles and responsibilities of multinational natural gas companies and their environmental impacts of their business operations in Peru.