Attitude of clinicians toward use of computers in hospital settings.

Reports describing the application of computer technology suggest that mental health professionals have a predominantly hostile attitude toward computerized information systems. This study explored the attitudes of a group of psychologists and psychiatrists toward use of computers in hospital settings. Their perception of a computer-assisted interview procedure was compared with that of a routine manual system of collecting information on children and adolescents attending a mental health service. The study also investigated the impact of the computer-assisted interview procedure on clinicians' attitudes toward the general use of computers in hospital settings. The computer-assisted interview was generally perceived favorably by clinicians, whereas the problem of resistance toward computers by mental health professionals, frequently described in anecdotal reports, was not identified in this study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does the use of telemental health alter the treatment experience? Inmates' perceptions of telemental health versus face-to-face treatment modalities.

In corrections, where staffing limitations tax an overburdened mental health system, telemental health is an increasingly common mode of mental health service delivery. Although telemental health presents an efficient treatment modality for a spectrum of mental health services, it is imperative to study how this modality influences key elements of the treatment experience. In this study, the authors compared inmates' perceptions of the working alliance, postsession mood, and satisfaction with psychiatric and psychological mental health services delivered through 2 different modalities: telemental health and face-to-face. Participants consisted of 186 inmates who received mental health services (36 via telepsychology, 50 via face-to-face psychology, 50 via telepsychiatry, and 50 via face-to-face psychiatry). Results indicate no significant differences in inmates' perceptions of the work alliance with the mental health professional, postsession mood, or overall satisfaction with services when telemental health and face-to-face modalities were compared within each type of mental health service. Implications of these findings are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural control in psychotherapy with minority clients.

Reviews the literature on mental health services for minority clients, suggesting that these persons experience special problems with the traditional mental health delivery system. Epidemiological and attitude studies have indicated that minority client and majority therapist expectations for psychotherapy are often discrepant. Counseling and psychotherapy outcome research on therapist–client racial pairing has yielded inconclusive results at present. It is hypothesized that the therapist–client racial pairing may interact with level of therapist dominance in affecting psychotherapy outcome. Dominant majority clinicians may manipulate minority persons toward majority values, which may comprise a form of cultural control. Highly dominant clinicians are posited to function more effectively with culturally similar clients than with culturally different clients in that domination may be appropriate to a certain degree in culturally homogeneous settings. Low dominant clinicians are posited as being more effective than highly dominant clinicians with culturally different clients in that they would be more likely to attempt to understand the client's cultural perspective in a nonmanipulative manner. (100 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural commitment and attitudes toward seeking counseling services in American Indian college students.

Counseling attitudes were assessed for American Indian college students rating themselves as either strongly or weakly committed to both Tribal and Anglo cultures. Participants strongly committed only to Tribal culture displayed more negative attitudes toward seeking counseling, recognizing a personal need for counseling, having confidence in mental health professionals, and interpersonal openness than those strongly committed only to the Anglo culture or to both cultures. Strongly committed participants demonstrated more negative attitudes toward interpersonal openness than those weakly committed to both cultures. Women showed more positive attitudes toward these issues than did men. It is recommended that counselors consider cultural commitment in understanding the hesitancy among potential American Indian clients to use conventional psychological services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Telehealth Brain Injury Training for Rural Behavioral Health Generalists: Supporting and Enhancing Rural Service Delivery Networks.

Rural psychologists are frontline primary behavioral health care providers for nearly 60 million Americans, but they face limited access to peer consultation and continuing education. This article describes a program that matched 70 rehabilitation inpatients who had new brain injury with rural clinicians from patients' home communities. Neuropsychologists provided one-on-one training for clinicians through telehealth video teleconferencing. Clinicians showed gains in brain injury knowledge, and clients rated trained providers higher than untrained providers. Families seeking brain injury services can connect with these trained rural providers through a Web site, which receives more than 800 hits per month. Telehealth offers potential for rural clinicians to receive support, reduce professional isolation, gain working knowledge of specialty conditions, and deliver high-quality services for their rural clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Military health care providers' views on prescribing privileges for psychologists.

Selected military psychologists have been trained and privileged to independently prescribe psychotropic medications. To explore the attitudes of health care professionals toward prescribing authority, a survey of 395 military psychiatrists, psychologists, primary care physicians, and social workers was conducted. Psychologists, physicians, and social workers supported prescribing privileges and continuation of the training programs. Results suggested that support by physicians and social workers is based on improving access to comprehensive mental health care for their patients. Psychologists advocating prescribing privileges at the state level need to pursue the training and licensing authority to prescribe independently. The opposition of organized psychiatry seems assured. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of self-help materials for anxiety and depression in mental health services: A national survey of psychologists in Norway.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 42(3) of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (see record 2011-11548-002). The author's affiliations were listed incorrectly. The correct affiliations are in the correction.] How do psychologists in clinical practice perceive and use self-help materials for clients with anxiety and depression? The use of self-help materials with guidance from a therapist has been suggested as a way of meeting the increasing need for mental health services. The present study investigated factors relevant to the use of self-help materials for the treatment of anxiety and depression among psychologists employed in mental health services. Among 1863 eligible clinical psychologists in Norway, 815 (43.7%) participated in a national survey. A total of 93.5% of the participants had recommended self-help materials to clients, and approximately half (55.1%) had received requests from their clients regarding self-help materials. Self-help materials were recommended as an adjunct and not as an alternative to therapist contact by 73.0% of respondents, by 16.6% for relapse prevention, and by 1.2% to clients on a waiting list. Internet/computer-based programs were recommended by 2.2% of the participants. The practitioner's previous use of self-help materials to enhance his or her therapy skills and knowledge of self-help materials was related to use of self-help materials with clients. Psychologists working in child mental health services recommended self-help less often than those working in adult services. These results have implications for future efforts to disseminate effective self-help materials through increased attention toward self-help interventions in training and clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical psychologist in the vanguard: Current attitudes toward mental illness.

To determine the current degree of acceptance of an antimedical approach to mental illness, a survey was conducted of attitudes toward mental illness among various mental health professionals (20 psychiatrists, 23 psychiatric nurses, 16 psychologists, and 25 social workers) and mental patients (41 outpatients with a history of psychiatric hospitalization and 20 outpatients with no similar history) in a community mental health center. Responding to 6 statements reflecting attitudes toward the traditional medical model, clinical psychologists showed greater acceptance of the antimedical paradigm than did psychiatrists, psychiatric social workers, psychiatric nurses, and psychiatric outpatients. Several explanations are offered as to why clinical psychologists appear to be in the vanguard of those adopting a critical, antimedical stance within the clinical arena. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interhemispheric transmission of information and functional asymmetry of the human brain

Culturally informed social work health and mental health interventions directed toward American Indian clients must be harmonious with their environment and acculturation. This article discusses American Indian beliefs about health and illness and degrees of acculturation. Guidelines are offered to help non-Indian social workers design culturally appropriate interventions.     

Effects of a unit of instruction in mental health on rural adolescents' conceptions of mental illness and attitudes about seeking help

The present study investigated the effects of a unit of instruction in mental health on rural adolescents' conceptions of mental illness and their attitudes about seeking professional help for emotional problems. Forty students enrolled in a rural Mississippi high school participated. Twenty were designated as the treatment group and twenty served as the control group. Results indicated that scores on both dependent variables (attitudes about seeking professional help and conceptions of mental illness) increased significantly for the treatment group and, further, these scores did not decrease significantly when the students were tested again twelve weeks later. The findings are discussed in the context of educating rural youth about mental illness with the express purpose of removing the stigma associated with the help-seeking process.     

Disability and the law: Attitudes of police, lawyers, and mental health professionals.

A literature review on the attitudes of police officers, lawyers, and mental health professionals toward the disabled indicates that police officers' attitudes are related to the extent of their formal education and the amount of information they have about relating to persons with various types of disabilities. Lawyers who have disabled clients tend to be more knowledgeable and to have more positive attitudes than lawyers without such clients, but it is not easy to turn lawyers into advocates for disabled clients. Mental health professionals, who may be called on to provide advice to police officers or lawyers or to testify in court cases, have some negative aspects that may impair their helpfulness, but their attitudes are more positive than those of less educated persons. Data also indicate that the attitudes of psychologists are less negative than those of psychiatrists. It is concluded that rehabilitation psychologists need to undertake studies of the attitudes of these groups and to set up programs designed to change the attitudes of members of these professions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early employer response to workplace injury: What injured workers perceive as fair and why these perceptions matter.

The authors examined whether early employer response to workplace injury affects injured workers' subsequent attitudes and mental health. At 1 month and 6 months postinjury, telephone surveys were conducted with 344 workers from Ontario, Canada, who had experienced a musculoskeletal lost-time workplace injury. One-month reports of initial supervisor reaction to the injury and the use of workplace-based return-to-work strategies (early contact with worker, ergonomic assessment, presence of designated coordinator, accommodation offer) were hypothesized to predict reports of fairness, affective commitment, and depressive symptoms measured at 6 months postinjury. Structural equation modeling supported a model wherein fairness perceptions fully mediated the relationship between early responses and injured workers' attitudes and mental health. Early contact and supervisor reactions were significant predictors of fairness perceptions. The implications for early employer response are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Use of self-help materials for anxiety and depression in mental health services: A national survey of psychologists in Norway": Correction to Nordgreen and Havik (2011).

Reports an error in "Use of self-help materials for anxiety and depression in mental health services: A national survey of psychologists in Norway" by Tine Nordgreen and Odd E. Havik (Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 2011[Apr], Vol 42[2], 185-191). The authors' affiliations were listed incorrectly. The correct affiliations are provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-08009-010.) How do psychologists in clinical practice perceive and use self-help materials for clients with anxiety and depression? The use of self-help materials with guidance from a therapist has been suggested as a way of meeting the increasing need for mental health services. The present study investigated factors relevant to the use of self-help materials for the treatment of anxiety and depression among psychologists employed in mental health services. Among 1863 eligible clinical psychologists in Norway, 815 (43.7%) participated in a national survey. A total of 93.5% of the participants had recommended self-help materials to clients, and approximately half (55.1%) had received requests from their clients regarding self-help materials. Self-help materials were recommended as an adjunct and not as an alternative to therapist contact by 73.0% of respondents, by 16.6% for relapse prevention, and by 1.2% to clients on a waiting list. Internet/computer-based programs were recommended by 2.2% of the participants. The practitioner's previous use of self-help materials to enhance his or her therapy skills and knowledge of self-help materials was related to use of self-help materials with clients. Psychologists working in child mental health services recommended self-help less often than those working in adult services. These results have implications for future efforts to disseminate effective self-help materials through increased attention toward self-help interventions in training and clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primary healthcare workers: training needs in mental health

Particular attention is currently being given to the role of primary healthcare workers in supporting people with mental health problems in primary care (McFadyen et al, 1996). The aim of this study was to survey the views of primary healthcare workers regarding their previous mental health training and to identify their current perceived mental health training needs. A sample of 200 primary healthcare workers within Trent Health Region were interviewed using a short semi-structured interview schedule. Forty-six completed questionnaires were also received. An additional 22 respondents participated in exploratory in-depth interviews. Respondents included GPs, health visitors, practice nurses, district nurses, midwives and community psychiatric nurses. The need for further training in communication skills, particularly basic counselling skills, was highlighted. Respondents also perceived a need for additional training in coping with their own personal stress, the assessment and treatment of depression and stress/anxiety management in clients. Several themes which developed from the research were explored, including communication skills training, problems with collaborative working, coping with personal stress, the prevention of burnout and depression training. The reason why some respondents had no mental health training needs whatsoever was also addressed.     

Effects of training in dream recall and dream interpretation skills on dream recall, attitudes, and dream interpretation outcome.

Forty-two volunteer clients with below-average dream recall and attitudes toward dreams participated in training sessions focusing on either improving dream recall and attitudes toward dreams, building dream interpretation skills, or educating about counseling. After training, individual dream interpretation sessions were conducted. No significant differences were found among the 3 conditions in regard to dream recall, attitudes toward dreams, or client- or therapist-reported session outcome, but effect sizes suggested that participants in the skills condition gained more from sessions than did participants in the dream recall–attitudes condition. Session outcome for all volunteer clients was equivalent to those in previous studies of volunteer clients with no training, suggesting that training was not necessary and that these participants were able to benefit from single-session dream interpretation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The social psychology of aging in industry.

In 3 previous studies, H. Meltzer (see PA, Vols 33:4955, 38:4107, and 39:1533) investigated the relationship between work attitudes and mental health. Results show that as workers got older, attitudes toward place of employment increased favorably, satisfaction increased, and work took on more significance. In a 4th study, content analysis of life and work stories was used to investigate the relationship between positive mental health and age of workers. 143 workers were divided into 5 groups according to age: 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and 60+ yrs. Mental health indices were adapted and condensed from M. Jahoda's (1958) 6 categories of criteria for total positive mental health. Results suggest that the stereotype of decreasing cognitive capacity and ineffectual role execution was largely false. Older Ss seemed more satisfied and less prone to change jobs but when compared with 30–39 yr old Ss, they scored lower on signs of mental health. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological distress and help seeking in rural America

The implications of exposure to acute and chronic stressors, and seeking mental health care, for increased psychological distress are examined. Research on economic stress, psychological distress, and rural agrarian values each point to increasing variability within rural areas. Using data from a panel study of 1,487 adults, a model predicting changes in depressive symptoms was specified and tested. Results show effects by size of place for men but not for women. Men living in rural villages of under 2,500 or in small towns of 2,500 to 9,999 people had significantly greater increases in depressive symptoms than men living in the country or in larger towns or cities. Size of place was also related to level of stigma toward mental health care. Persons living in the most rural environments were more likely to hold stigmatized attitudes toward mental health care and these views were strongly predictive of willingness to seek care. The combination of increased risk and less willingness to seek assistance places men living in small towns and villages in particular jeopardy for continuing problems involving depressed mood.     

Receptivity and planned change: Community attitudes and deinstitutionalization.

An expectancy-value model was used to measure and explain receptivity attitudes (i.e., change climate) toward the implementation of deinstitutionalization programs. Questionnaires measuring values, expectancies, and behavioral intentions were mailed to community leaders and to members of community groups believed to be important in setting opinions and making decisions. Responses from 599 persons revealed that (a) the size of a proposed group home affected neither attitudes nor intentions of support, (b) group homes for mental health clients were viewed with less favorable attitudes and intentions than those for the retarded or the elderly, (c) members of various community groups held significantly different attitudes and intentions toward the programs, and (d) attitudes and intentions toward deinstitutionalization were more favorable than toward institutionalization. The application of this approach for assessing the implementation climate for planned change was discussed. (55 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What information do clinicians value for monitoring adolescent client progress and outcomes?

Despite the proliferation of outcomes measurement systems in managed care, there has been no systematic attempt to discover what information clinicians find useful. 539 mental health clinicians who serve adolescent clients responded to a mail survey. They rated the value of 29 categories of information describing adolescent clients. Results show how clinician background and experience influence the kind of information they prefer and how and when clinicians prefer to receive information. If outcomes measurement systems are ever to become useful tools, they must provide information that clinicians need and are willing to use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental Health Professionals' Disability Competence: Measuring Self-Awareness, Perceived Knowledge, and Perceived Skills.

Objective: To describe mental health professionals' self-reported competence when working with clients with disabilities. Study Design: Survey administered with a measure of social desirability. Participants and Setting: One hundred eight professionals in counseling offices, disability services offices, and doctoral counseling programs. Main Outcome Measure: Competence as self-reported on the Counseling Clients With Disabilities Survey (CCDS). Results: CCDS scores paralleled participants' disability experience. Participants reported most competence in awareness, less competence in knowledge, and least competence in skills. Neither socially desirable responding nor years of experience accounted for these results. Conclusions: Findings indicate the need for mental health professionals to develop (a) awareness/beliefs/attitudes toward disability, (b) knowledge of disability and disability-related issues, and (c) skills/behaviors working with clients with disabilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)