Manoj Kumar, Rekha Bos, Emma Emily de Wit and J.G.F. Bunders-Aelen
This study aims to evaluate how a community psychiatry model, referred to as the Mental Health Action Trust (MHAT) in India, provides decentralized care and comprehensive services…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate how a community psychiatry model, referred to as the Mental Health Action Trust (MHAT) in India, provides decentralized care and comprehensive services to people with severe mental illness living in poverty. Using the complex adaptive system (CAS) framework, the authors aim to understand the factors that contribute to the diverse outcomes of the MHAT community mental health programme as observed in four different locations.
Design/methodology/approach
Four MHAT clinics were purposively chosen from two districts in Kerala. A comparative case study methodology was used to document each clinic’s MHAT services and activities, as found during field visits and interviews with staff members and volunteers.
Findings
The study shows that all four clinics met the basic aim of providing free, quality mental health care to the poorest populations, although not all aspects of the comprehensive model could be equally provided. Alignment with the MHAT vision, appropriate leadership, the relationship with partners and their level of community engagement determined the varied success between clinics.
Originality/value
The current study evaluation stresses that community ownership is crucial. Careful attention must be paid to the characteristics of selected partners, including their leadership styles and ability to garner resources.
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Adithy, Emma Emily de Wit, Naomi Halpern and J.G.F. Bunders-Aelen
This paper aims to describe a response to the needs of mental health workers (MHWs) in India during COVID-19 pandemic, through an online training program on trauma-informed…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe a response to the needs of mental health workers (MHWs) in India during COVID-19 pandemic, through an online training program on trauma-informed intervention and care.
Design/methodology/approach
A four-module online training program was developed. Two modules were aimed to bridge the knowledge gap on trauma for MHWs, so that they could effectively address the associated symptoms of fear and grief. The other two modules aimed to support MHWs’ self-care and create supportive connections among colleagues. In this mixed method evaluation study, needs expressed before the training and lessons derived from the training were collected through questionnaires, focus group discussion and interviews.
Findings
Of the 3,168 MHWs who registered for the training, 534 completed the pre-questionnaire. Of the 125 post-questionnaire records, 38 had watched all four modules. A great need for learning to work with grief and manage the increased workload without burnout was observed. Post-training gains included skills for working with fear and grief, which increased the confidence of MHWs. The importance of self-care was an eye-opener for many.
Social implications
This study indicates a way to equip MHWs to address the trauma that will continue to live in people in the aftermath of crises.
Originality/value
This study examined the challenges MHWs in India faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing a knowledge gap on dealing with this level of trauma. It can contribute to the knowledge on how to support MHWs in such crises.
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Pamphile Thierry Houngbo, Maikel Kishna, Marjolein Zweekhorst, Daton Medenou and Joske G.F. Bunder-Aelen
To satisfy donors and reduce public procurement acquisition prices, Benin has implemented and amended its first public procurement code guided by top-down principles of good…
Abstract
Purpose
To satisfy donors and reduce public procurement acquisition prices, Benin has implemented and amended its first public procurement code guided by top-down principles of good governance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study aims to measure the impact of the code and its amendment on public procurement acquisition prices of health-care equipment from 1995 to 2010.
Findings
A segmented linear regression analysis was performed using interrupted time-series data. The analysis shows that the code and its amendment did not reduce acquisition prices, indicating the limited impact of the code. The authors recommend the implementation of bottom-up processes in establishing the public procurement system, and the development of a reference pricelist of the most widely used health-care equipment, as possible solutions for improving the effectiveness of the code.
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Joe Thomas, Emma Emily de Wit, R.K. Radhakrishnan, Nupur Kulkarni and Joske G.F. Bunders-Aelen
The COVID-19 pandemic is certain to have an unprecedented impact on the global population, but marginalized and vulnerable groups in low-income countries (LICs) are predicted to…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic is certain to have an unprecedented impact on the global population, but marginalized and vulnerable groups in low-income countries (LICs) are predicted to carry the largest burden. This study focuses on the implications of COVID-19-related measures on three population groups in India, including (1) migrant laborers (of which a majority come from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), as well as Other Backward Classes (OBCs)), (2) children from low-income families and, (3) refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a sequential mixed-method research design. A desk-based study of a selection of government reports was undertaken on the COVID-19-related mitigation measures. The desk study was followed by in-depth interviews with purposively recruited high-ranking experts in specific sectors of policy implementation and service delivery across the country.
Findings
The outcomes of this study shed light on (1) the most urgent needs that need to be addressed per population group, (2) the variety of state-level responses as well as best practices observed to deal with mitigation issues and (3) opportunities for quick relief as well as more long-term solutions.
Practical implications
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only reduced people's means of maintaining a livelihood but has simultaneously revealed some of India's long-standing problems with infrastructure and resource distribution in a range of sectors, including nutrition and health, education, etc. There is an urgent need to construct effective pathways to trace and respond to those people who are desolate, and to learn from – and support – good practices at the grassroot level.
Originality/value
The current study contributes to the discussion on how inclusive public health might be reached.
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One common feature of different variants of participatory and action research is rejection of technocratic, undemocratic elements in science and inquiry, aiming to break the…
Abstract
One common feature of different variants of participatory and action research is rejection of technocratic, undemocratic elements in science and inquiry, aiming to break the dominance of traditional academic views of science. These variants open up broader participation of people, and emancipate knowledge creation for the production of actionable knowledge with transformative potentials. The purpose of this chapter is to recognize and clarify a striving for knowledge democracy in these explicit or implicit democratizing ambitions and tendencies in the sense of broadening the participation of concerned parties in research and development work on open and equal terms. This recent concept, still in the process of formulation, has been proposed as a global mobilizing and unifying thinking for distributed networks and movements for participatory oriented research. The concept and movement had an initial embedding in the First Global Assembly for Knowledge Democracy in June 2017, Cartagena, Columbia. The purpose of the chapter is to elaborate on the meaning of knowledge democracy as a vision for the participatory and action research community. Particularly I will distinguish between different orientation to knowledge democracy, and the character of the logic of a more, open, democratic and coproductive science that can be a carrier of it.
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R.K. Radhakrishnan, Emma Emily de Wit, Vandana Gopikumar and Joske G.F. Bunders
After being forced to flee their respective home countries, Sri Lankan Tamils and Rohingya refugees resettled in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This study attempts to explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
After being forced to flee their respective home countries, Sri Lankan Tamils and Rohingya refugees resettled in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This study attempts to explore the extent to which the state has provided means for integration in the absence of refugee protection laws and citizenship.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research approach was used, including in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with participants from both refugee groups between 2019 and early 2020. A representative sample of male and female Sri Lankan Tamils, living in or outside government camps, in urban and rural areas, was included (total number = 75). Similarly, a representative sample of the Rohingya refugee community was included for this study (n = 44).
Findings
Despite constraints imposed by inadequate infrastructure, the study finds that Sri Lankan Tamils and Rohingyas both show to be progressively integrated in local society and have been capable of fulfilling some important basic livelihood needs, especially with regards to education. Some areas for improvement are identified as well, most urgently in terms of health and accommodation.
Practical implications
Other states in India, as well as in similar low-income countries (LICs), could learn from the current case study with regards to administering workable policies for small groups of refugees.
Originality/value
With minimal state facilitation and within the context of limited legal backing, refugee groups have somewhat managed to re-built their lives. This study identifies the threshold of requirements that make this achievement possible and suggests what more could be done to further advance the current state.
COVID entered the world in 2019 as a pandemic and the intensity of this health crisis is only increasing in several regions. Therefore, it is critical to study and detect the…
Abstract
COVID entered the world in 2019 as a pandemic and the intensity of this health crisis is only increasing in several regions. Therefore, it is critical to study and detect the public's frame of mind, government and economists' perception regarding the COVID crisis, as well as the primary worries that the public has expressed, and how this evolves over time. Responsive measures towards COVID-19 from the Indian economy have been explored as a key objective. Moreover, efforts have been made to explore recovery in India through economists and policymakers. Data have been explored through online interviews of key economists which were published in leading newspapers and covered through media channels such as NDTV, CNBC, etc. Moreover, various newspapers and reports were explored to understand government initiatives to address COVID-19 in India. The study's findings show how essential economic recovery from the second wave is in India, and how it may be achieved by strong fiscal and monetary policies, as well as specific attention to impoverished households, small and micro-businesses and increased employment. The short-term focus of the developing economic strategy must be on giving crisis relief to the most unprotected segments of society since long-term system stimulation is impossible.
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Nuria Fuentes-Peláez, Gemma Crous and Judit Rabassa
This chapter reflects on the use of interviews as a method of data collection with children and presents an innovative tool to encourage children and youth to express their views…
Abstract
This chapter reflects on the use of interviews as a method of data collection with children and presents an innovative tool to encourage children and youth to express their views and opinions about different areas of their life, especially their experiences in foster care. The innovative tool presented is a gamified interview called ‘Play&Talk: The Magic Cards of Foster Care’. The interview progresses through three levels based on the complexity of the topic to be discussed, and the children or young people decide which topics to discuss and in what order to discuss them. Seventeen children in nonkinship foster care participated for the first time in the Play&Talk interviews in a research context. Based on this experience, this chapter discusses ethical issues relevant to promoting children's expression and fully realising their right to be heard and express their opinions. The age of the children (6–11 and 12–17 years old) was considered in design and data collection. It conditioned how children received the research information, how they completed informed consent, the use of language, the selection of questions and feedback regarding the results. In addition, the chapter discusses how to involve children and youth in research and their relationship with researchers. This research tool is an example of how to offer children a more participatory role in research interviews and illustrates the importance of age-appropriate designs.
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Johanna Kiili and Johanna Moilanen
The purpose of this paper is to explore how children have been involved in research activities in recent international child protection research and what kinds of ethical and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how children have been involved in research activities in recent international child protection research and what kinds of ethical and methodological decisions are made by researchers regarding children’s participation.
Design/methodology/approach
In the paper, the complexity of children’s participation in research activities is analysed through an integrative literature review.
Findings
Children’s right to self-determination and the right to make informed decisions were the most challenging ethical principles to implement in practice. The study shows that researchers usually decide on the research design, and child welfare professionals and parents assess the eligibility of the children as research subjects.
Originality/value
More ethical reflection and critical discussion on the rights that adults, both parents and professionals, have in deciding the involvement of children in research activities is required.
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Maria Axiotidou and Doxa Papakonstantinou
Mental illness is associated with high unemployment rates, limited working opportunities, work-related discrimination, stigma and prejudices. For people with severe mental…
Abstract
Purpose
Mental illness is associated with high unemployment rates, limited working opportunities, work-related discrimination, stigma and prejudices. For people with severe mental illness, the work reality is even more burdensome. This paper aims to explore in-depth and presents research results in the past decade on the meaning of work for people with severe mental illness.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a systematic literature search in Medline, Science Direct, PsycINFO databases between 2000 and 2019. The review concluded in 13 studies.
Findings
This research showed actual results regarding the meaning of work for individuals with severe mental illness from a medical, social, psychological and financial perspective. Work is of great importance for people with severe mental illness, influencing their lives on many levels.
Practical implications
The present research results can contribute to the information and further awareness of experts in mental health and vocational rehabilitation services. This review lightens the meaning of work and challenges the state's priorities in creating active and not marginalised citizens.
Originality/value
This review is original and adds to the existing knowledge that employment may benefit people with severe mental illness, especially the youngest adults, despite their labor market obstacles. It is for communities' benefit, employers, but mostly for people with severe mental illness themselves, to work.