This paper outlines a research and dissemination protocol to be undertaken with specific groups o... more This paper outlines a research and dissemination protocol to be undertaken with specific groups of marginalised women in Australia. Women impacted by significant mental distress, disability, or refugee status are among society's most vulnerable and disenfranchised groups. They can experience significant social exclusion, marginalisation and stigma, associated with reduced help seeking, deprivation of dignity and human rights, and threats to health, well-being and quality of life. Previous research has assessed the experiences of discrete groups of women but has to date failed to consider mental health-refugee-disability intersections and overlaps in experience. Using body mapping, this research applies an intersectional approach to identify how women impacted by significant mental distress, disability, and refugee status negotiate stigma and marginalisation. Findings on strategies to cope with, negotiate and resist stigmatised identities will inform health policy and yield targeted interventions informed by much-needed insights on women's embodied experience of stigma. The women's body maps will be exhibited publicly as part of an integrated knowledge translation strategy. The aim is to promote and increase sensitivity and empathy among practitioners and policy makers, strengthening the basis for social policy deliberation.
The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, Jan 21, 2016
Humanitarian organisations supporting Syrian refugees in Jordan have conducted needs assessments ... more Humanitarian organisations supporting Syrian refugees in Jordan have conducted needs assessments to direct resources appropriately. To present a model of psychosocial concerns reported by Syrian refugees and a peer review of research practices. Academic and grey literature databases, the United Nations Syria Regional Response website, key humanitarian organisation websites and Google were searched for needs assessments with Syrian refugees in Jordan between February 2011 and June 2015. Information directly reporting the views of Syrian refugees regarding psychosocial needs was extracted and a qualitative synthesis was conducted. Respondents reported that psychological distress was exacerbated by both environmental (financial, housing, employment) and psychosocial outcomes (loss of role and social support, inactivity), which are themselves stressors. Need for improvement in research methodology, participatory engagement and ethical reporting was evident. Participatory engagement stra...
Refugees from the current conflict in Syria have been exposed to a variety of stressors known to ... more Refugees from the current conflict in Syria have been exposed to a variety of stressors known to increase the risk of mental distress. These may include witnessing atrocities as well as dealing with the challenges of surviving in the displacement context. As a vast array of organisations rush to address mental health outcomes among Syrians, the scientific and conceptual validity of psychological tools used to assess and treat mental health difficulties becomes of paramount importance. Many psychological tools for assessing trauma have been validated in western contexts, but not among Syrians. This paper outlines three errors of reasoning which undermine the validity of psychological methods in cross-cultural contexts, including assuming that western psychiatric categories are universal constructs which can be applied in any context and failing to take contextual factors into account. Qualitative research may help us to better understand culturally specific conceptions of mental health. It is only once we have a solid understanding of how mental distress is understood and expressed among Syrian refugees that we can support effective interventions to alleviate it. The strengthening of indigenous health systems can help promote culturally appropriate mental health care.
Background: Musical performance is a skilled activity performed under intense pressure, thus is o... more Background: Musical performance is a skilled activity performed under intense pressure, thus is often a profound source of anxiety. In other contexts, anxiety and its concomitant symptoms of sympathetic nervous system arousal have been successfully ameliorated with HRV biofeedback (HRV BF), a technique involving slow breathing which augments autonomic and emotional regulatory capacity. Objective: This randomised-controlled study explored the impact of a single 30-minute session of HRV BF on anxiety in response to a highly stressful music performance.
This paper outlines a research and dissemination protocol to be undertaken with specific groups o... more This paper outlines a research and dissemination protocol to be undertaken with specific groups of marginalised women in Australia. Women impacted by significant mental distress, disability, or refugee status are among society's most vulnerable and disenfranchised groups. They can experience significant social exclusion, marginalisation and stigma, associated with reduced help seeking, deprivation of dignity and human rights, and threats to health, well-being and quality of life. Previous research has assessed the experiences of discrete groups of women but has to date failed to consider mental health-refugee-disability intersections and overlaps in experience. Using body mapping, this research applies an intersectional approach to identify how women impacted by significant mental distress, disability, and refugee status negotiate stigma and marginalisation. Findings on strategies to cope with, negotiate and resist stigmatised identities will inform health policy and yield targeted interventions informed by much-needed insights on women's embodied experience of stigma. The women's body maps will be exhibited publicly as part of an integrated knowledge translation strategy. The aim is to promote and increase sensitivity and empathy among practitioners and policy makers, strengthening the basis for social policy deliberation.
The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, Jan 21, 2016
Humanitarian organisations supporting Syrian refugees in Jordan have conducted needs assessments ... more Humanitarian organisations supporting Syrian refugees in Jordan have conducted needs assessments to direct resources appropriately. To present a model of psychosocial concerns reported by Syrian refugees and a peer review of research practices. Academic and grey literature databases, the United Nations Syria Regional Response website, key humanitarian organisation websites and Google were searched for needs assessments with Syrian refugees in Jordan between February 2011 and June 2015. Information directly reporting the views of Syrian refugees regarding psychosocial needs was extracted and a qualitative synthesis was conducted. Respondents reported that psychological distress was exacerbated by both environmental (financial, housing, employment) and psychosocial outcomes (loss of role and social support, inactivity), which are themselves stressors. Need for improvement in research methodology, participatory engagement and ethical reporting was evident. Participatory engagement stra...
Refugees from the current conflict in Syria have been exposed to a variety of stressors known to ... more Refugees from the current conflict in Syria have been exposed to a variety of stressors known to increase the risk of mental distress. These may include witnessing atrocities as well as dealing with the challenges of surviving in the displacement context. As a vast array of organisations rush to address mental health outcomes among Syrians, the scientific and conceptual validity of psychological tools used to assess and treat mental health difficulties becomes of paramount importance. Many psychological tools for assessing trauma have been validated in western contexts, but not among Syrians. This paper outlines three errors of reasoning which undermine the validity of psychological methods in cross-cultural contexts, including assuming that western psychiatric categories are universal constructs which can be applied in any context and failing to take contextual factors into account. Qualitative research may help us to better understand culturally specific conceptions of mental health. It is only once we have a solid understanding of how mental distress is understood and expressed among Syrian refugees that we can support effective interventions to alleviate it. The strengthening of indigenous health systems can help promote culturally appropriate mental health care.
Background: Musical performance is a skilled activity performed under intense pressure, thus is o... more Background: Musical performance is a skilled activity performed under intense pressure, thus is often a profound source of anxiety. In other contexts, anxiety and its concomitant symptoms of sympathetic nervous system arousal have been successfully ameliorated with HRV biofeedback (HRV BF), a technique involving slow breathing which augments autonomic and emotional regulatory capacity. Objective: This randomised-controlled study explored the impact of a single 30-minute session of HRV BF on anxiety in response to a highly stressful music performance.
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Papers by ruth wells
assuming that western psychiatric categories are universal constructs which can be applied in any context and failing to take contextual factors into account. Qualitative research may help us to better understand culturally specific conceptions of mental health. It is only once we have a solid understanding of how mental distress is understood and expressed among Syrian refugees that we can support effective interventions to alleviate it. The strengthening of indigenous health systems can help promote culturally appropriate mental health care.
assuming that western psychiatric categories are universal constructs which can be applied in any context and failing to take contextual factors into account. Qualitative research may help us to better understand culturally specific conceptions of mental health. It is only once we have a solid understanding of how mental distress is understood and expressed among Syrian refugees that we can support effective interventions to alleviate it. The strengthening of indigenous health systems can help promote culturally appropriate mental health care.