Physical activity and posttraumatic growth: A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies

ObjectivesThis systematic review aimed to examine the relationships between physical activity and posttraumatic growth (PTG) following a highly stressful life event.DesignA systematic review was conducted to identify eligible articles. A meta-analysis was conducted for quantitative studies and a meta-ethnographic synthesis was conducted for qualitative studies.MethodAfter systematic searches of five databases and literature screening, 20 quantitative studies and 12 qualitative studies were included in the final review. A meta-analysis of 14 quantitative studies was conducted to examine association between leisure-time physical activity and PTG. A meta-ethnographic synthesis of 10 qualitative studies was conducted to examine the relationship between physical activity and the experience of PTG.ResultsThe meta-analysis revealed a positive, yet small, association between leisure-time physical activity and PTG (average correlation = 0.120; 95% confidence interval: 0.071 to 0.168; p < 0.001). The effect sizes did not differ by measurements of PTG and participants’ age and gender but were smaller in studies with a binary variable of physical activity, a sample of participants with moderate or advanced diseases, and a longer period since the stressful event. The meta-ethnographic synthesis identified potential processes linking physical activity and PTG, including perceptions of self, social experiences, philosophical re-evaluation, and health effects.ConclusionsThis review suggest physical activity is a behavioral factor that may facilitate PTG. It highlights methodological considerations for further research.     

A journey through languages: A systematic literature review on the multilingual experience in counselling and psychotherapy with children and adolescents

The purpose of this research was to address the gap in the existing literature on the multilingual aspect of language in psychotherapy with children and adolescents. This research aimed at interpreting possible meanings for clients of being multilingual in the therapeutic process as well as reflect on the influence of clients’ multilingualism in the therapeutic relationship. The researcher used a systematic literature review (PRISMA guidelines, 2009) to select articles based on empirical qualitative/mixed studies with participants up to 25 years old or adults referring to childhood/adolescence. The researcher used thematic synthesis (Thomas & Harden, 2008) to extract, analyse and interpret data. The rigour of this study was enhanced by the use of auto-ethnography as a source of evidence (McLeod, 2015). The auto-etnography documents self-reflections on personal experience of being multilingual contributing to deeper contextualised knowledge. The findings confirm previous research on the existence of a link between multilingualism and “identity” (Costa, 2020, p. 5). This research suggests that the meaning a client gives to bilingualism can be co-constructed within an attuned therapeutic relationship. In this co-construction journey, there is a significant opportunity for children and young people in finding their way through languages, hence reaching emancipation and affirmation in the world. The main limitation of this research relates to the fact that there are not many studies with children/young people. This led the researcher to also include studies based on a mixed sample and with adults referring to childhood/adolescence, which might have influenced the interpretation of findings.     

The job satisfaction-job performance relationship: a qualitative and quantitative review

A qualitative and quantitative review of the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance is provided. The qualitative review is organized around 7 models that characterize past research on the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. Although some models have received more support than have others, research has not provided conclusive confirmation or disconfirmation of any model, partly because of a lack of assimilation and integration in the literature. Research devoted to testing these models waned following 2 meta-analyses of the job satisfaction-job performance relationship. Because of limitations in these prior analyses and the misinterpretation of their findings, a new meta-analysis was conducted on 312 samples with a combined N of 54,417. The mean true correlation between overall job satisfaction and job performance was estimated to be .30. In light of these results and the qualitative review, an agenda for future research on the satisfaction-performance relationship is provided.     

Parents’ experiences of starting and maintaining exercise: A qualitative systematic review

We conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies investigating the experiences of parents in relation to their uptake and maintenance of exercise, focusing on aerobic endurance-type exercise (e.g., running, cycling, swimming). The review aimed to synthesize qualitative findings relating to the motives, barriers, facilitators, emotions, and support of parents, and to suggest applied implications. Electronic bibliographic databases (Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, Scopus, Academic Search Complete, and PsychArticles) were searched with relevant keywords to identify published peer-reviewed journal articles. Articles were included if they used a qualitative methodology to collect and analyse the data, and if they involved parents (of at least one child up to age 18) engaging in one or more type of aerobic endurance-type exercise from a position of limited fitness and parenthood. Ten studies were included in the final review, which used a narrative synthesis of data. Findings unique to the parent population were identified: parents were motivated to exercise as they believed it made them a better parent; mothers found it difficult overcoming the ‘ethic of care’; both mothers and fathers experienced the emotion of guilt, although its impact differed between parent roles; parenthood was associated with low confidence; and parents reported a lack of social support and self-regulatory capacity. These findings also reflect wider social determinants of health, in their racialized, gendered, and classed nature. To support parents in maintaining exercise uptake, the findings suggest that practitioners should promote reasons for exercise that align with parents’ core values to facilitate autonomous motivation.     

Rhizomatic affective spaces and the therapeutic potential of music in prison: a qualitative meta-synthesis

Research literature supports that music programmes in prisons can have a therapeutic effect in prisoners’ lives that could promote personal development and assist the process toward desistance. The authors use a meta-synthetic approach to examine 12 qualitative articles published worldwide to explore the therapeutic potential of such programmes. The findings suggest that music programmes in prison are perceived by participating prisoners as a liberating process, which encourages participation and allows for noncoercive personal development. The therapeutic potential of music programmes is located in the combination of the benefits emanating from the effect and practice of music and the creation of mental, spatial and temporal zones of free expression and those that derive from the egalitarian and nonauthoritative approach employed by the facilitators. These findings are discussed along with aspects involved in the provision of offender treatment as well as factors that affect treatment response and engagement.     

Addressing social determinants of mental health in therapy: A thematic synthesis

Background

The importance of addressing social determinants of mental health in therapy is well-documented. However, there appears to be limited research on what this actually involves in practice and how best to prepare therapists to work with individuals experiencing adverse social determinants.

Aims

The aim of this review was to draw implications for practice and training from reviewing research on addressing social determinants of mental health in therapy.

Methodology

A qualitative systematic review of the research on addressing social determinants of mental health in therapy was conducted, extracting papers from eight databases: Cochrane Library, ASSIA, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science. Out of 127 papers found, five met the eligibility criteria and were quality-assessed and analysed thematically.

Findings

The thematic synthesis generated three main themes: “the therapeutic relationship,” “adapting to client context” and “community as a resource,” with eight subthemes.

Conclusion

This thematic synthesis highlights the importance of the therapeutic relationship and adapting mental health support to client frame of reference and context to address social determinants of mental health in therapy. It emphasises community as a helpful resource for informing training and therapeutic interventions, as well as a significant resource for people experiencing adverse social determinants.     

A systematic review of research on religion and spirituality in the Journal of Traumatic Stress: 1990–1999

Surveys reveal that religion and spirituality are highly valuable to many people in times of crisis, trauma, and grief. The relationship between coping with trauma and the use of various spiritual beliefs is well established. The importance of clergy in trauma recovery is also well documented. A review of the 469 research and non-research articles published between 1990 and 1999 in the Journal of Traumatic Stress revealed that 8.7% (6/69) of non-research articles, 4.1% (15/366) of quantitative research articles and 2.9% (1/34) of qualitative research articles considered religion or spirituality in their work. Analysis of variance found a significant overall increase in the percentage of articles that mentioned religion/spirituality between the first half (1990–1994) and the second half (1995–1999) of the study period. The results are discussed in the context of the trauma research and in comparison to related disciplines. Recommendations for future research and clinical application are suggested for both traumatologists and religious scholars.     

Qualitative Research in Marriage and Family Therapy: Who is in the Interview?

Qualitative interviews are a rich means of gathering information from families. The qualitative interviewer has a choice of interviewing individual family members, multiple family members at the same time, or a combination. The configuration of interviewees is a choice guided by the epistemology of the researcher, research aims, and questions. This article reviews the literature on interviewing different configurations of family members. A content analysis was conducted on articles in the marriage and family therapy literature from 1990 to 2005. Over half of the articles were conducted with individual family members separate from their families. This finding is discussed in the context of the decision regarding whom to interview.     

Partnerschaften von Sexualstraftätern

Intimate relationships of convicted and released sexual offenders have hardly been the topic of systematic research. This article presents a systematic review of this topic. Only nine articles were found in a systematic literature search which investigated this topic with qualitative and quantitative methods. These studies were dominated by the determination of multiple deficits in the sexual offenders, such as intimacy and empathy problems, high frequencies of conflicts and aggression in the relationships as well as social isolation of the female partners. The female partners of sexual offenders also showed a high tendency to denial and minimization similar to the offenders and blamed the victims for the offence. The women seemed to like their status as a “martyred wife” and gave their husbands a “second chance in life”. However, the currently available studies have barely investigated the “sexual offender couple” and the dynamics of their relationship to elucidate stabilizing factors. In a pilot study on the topic of “partnerships of sexual offenders” 17 “sex offender couples” were questioned by interviews and questionnaires to collate the dynamics of the partnership, which was published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy. In the quantitative results it was found that the female partners of sex offenders predominantly demonstrated an insecure preoccupied attachment style and this influence on the relationship stability is discussed. Further studies are needed in this field of research to gain detailed data of “sex offender couples” for relapse prevention and therapeutic implications.     

Psychosocial Occupational Therapy Interventions for Substance-Use Disorders: A Narrative Review

The review was conducted to explore psychosocial interventions for adults with substance-use disorders. A refined literature focus was placed on articles published by occupational therapists, or articles published by an allied health professional, that discussed occupational therapy performing the intervention. Ten articles met inclusion criteria, all focusing on aspects of life skills training. Study results support the professions’ ability to enhance functional independence and occupational performance for individuals recovering from substance use. Further, a more controlled investigation is warranted to further define occupational therapy’s scope within substance-use disorder treatment.     

The impact of child sexual abuse on adult interpersonal functioning: A review and synthesis of the empirical literature

The many studies that have examined the long-term impact of child sexual abuse (CSA) on adult functioning have primarily focused on the personal distress of survivors, largely ignoring the impact of CSA on interpersonal relationships. This article reviews empirical findings concerning the interpersonal distress of survivors as expressed in their intimate and sexual relationships. First, current conceptualizations of the relationship between CSA and interpersonal relationships are reviewed, with a focus on the theoretical models that appear to have implications for the long-term interpersonal sequelae associated with CSA. This is followed by a review of the research conducted on intimacy within the area of social psychology and a summary of the empirical findings related to intimacy functioning in CSA survivors. A hypothesized typology of intimacy functioning for survivors is suggested. The effects of CSA on three components of sexuality—sexual dysfunctions, underlying psychological components of sexuality, and sexual orientation—are discussed. Finally, the interpersonal issues believed to be most salient for CSA survivors in the therapeutic setting are discussed, along with implications for the client–therapist relationship. Methodological, assessment, and conceptual issues are discussed throughout. Recommendations for future research and clinical endeavors are suggested.     

An Exploration of the Relationship Between Spirituality,Religion and Mental Health Among Youth Who Identify as LGBT+: A Systematic Literature Review

There is a growing interest in addressing spirituality in health care with evidence emerging that personal spiritual and religious practices, and support of these, can influence mental health in a positive way. However, there can be distinct challenges to spiritual expression and mental health issues for youth who identify as LGBT+. The goal of this paper was to undertake a systematic review of the available evidence to investigate the relationship between mental health, spirituality and religion as experienced by LGBT+ youth. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using medical and psychological databases that focused on spirituality, mental health and LGBT+ youth. The search yielded a total of ten articles published in English between May 2008 and June 2018. The key findings highlighted issues around discriminatory attitudes, shame related to disclosure, spirituality as a supportive resource, internalised conflict and external factors around sexual orientation concerns. The psychological, social and health implications are presented and discussed.

     

Housing for People with Serious Mental Illness: A Comparison of Values and Research

This article contrasts values associated with the delivery of housing programs for people with serious mental illness with the typical topics pertaining to housing that are studied by researchers. Six values were identified through a search and content analysis of the literature on housing for people with serious mental illness. A second review of the literature was conducted to identify research on housing for this population. A comparison of findings from the two reviews suggested that whereas values concerned with the therapeutic benefits of housing had received considerable research attention, those concerned with a citizenship dimension had received relatively little. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the delivery of housing services and for housing research.     

The lived experiences of individuals with Tourette syndrome or tic disorders: A meta‐synthesis of qualitative studies

There is a growing body of qualitative literature describing the lived experiences of people with tic disorders (TDs). The aim of this paper was to conduct a systematic review of this literature, synthesizing the perspectives of individuals on their experiences. Meta‐synthesis methodology was utilized to review and draw together findings from 10 articles, from which key concepts were extracted, and over‐arching themes generated. Six themes were identified to encompass the experience of TDs, including (1) cultural, semantic issues of the condition; (2) negative experiences in organizations and treatment; (3) the value and negative impact on interpersonal relationships; (4) personal identity in the constant presence of TDs; (5) concerns for the future; and (6) strategies to control and manage the observable presence of tics. Adaptive coping strategies were found to encompass continuous social adaptation, strategies to manage tics and social perceptions, self‐acceptance, advocacy, and support from others. The results highlighted the significant role of social and cultural issues related to understanding and stigma, which underpinned many of the lived experiences. Implications for clinical practice in supporting individuals with TDs were also highlighted.     

Gay men's experiences of therapy

Fourteen gay men were interviewed using a structured interview schedule to explore their experiences of being in therapy. Particular importance was given to their perceptions of how their sexual orientation impinged on the counselling process and how their assumptions about counsellor sexual orientation affected the therapeutic relationship. The limitations of using structured interviews in qualitative research are acknowledged. Some significant findings were made, which were not well documented in the literature, such as the impact on the therapeutic relationship of internalised homophobia within gay men themselves. These findings hold the potential to inform counselling practice with gay male clients. Recommendations are made in relation to both practice and further research.     

Healthy Nests Transition to Parenthood Program: A Mixed-Methods Study

Intimate partner relationship distress is associated with a wide range of negative adult and child outcomes. The transition to parenthood is often a time in the life of a couple where relationship distress increases and satisfaction and intimacy decrease and thus is an ideal time for targeted intervention. The Healthy Nests (HN) intervention is a three-meeting, strength-focused couples intervention for first-time parents designed to decrease maladaptive relationship conflict and increase couple well-being. The authors conducted a mixed-methods exploratory study investigating participants' overall experiences with the HN intervention and measured outcomes associated with relationship satisfaction, help seeking, father involvement, substance use, and depression. A total of 130 parents (65 dyads) participated in a randomized intervention and educational materials–only alternative intervention. Twenty dyads were interviewed as a part of the qualitative portion of the study. While the authors did not find significant quantitative effects on key outcomes, the qualitative findings suggested that participants had a positive experience with the HN intervention and indicated it was useful to have designated time and space to communicate as a couple. Qualitative findings also suggest that the focus on “aspects of strength” and “areas of change” in their relationship was useful. Implications for practice, research, and training are discussed.     

The Effects of Contact on Sexual Prejudice: A Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between contact and sexual prejudice. A quantitative synthesis with 83 effect sizes from 41 articles, using mostly samples from the United States, showed a significant negative relationship between contact and sexual prejudice. Among six possible moderators tested (type of sexual prejudice scale used, correlational versus experimental studies, attitudes toward lesbians versus gay men, publication year, quality of study, and where study was conducted), three were shown to significantly moderate the relationship between contact and sexual prejudice. The relationship between contact and sexual prejudice varied as a function of the type of sexual prejudice measure used, the target group toward which the prejudicial attitudes were assessed, and where the study was conducted.