Traumatology: An International Journal22.4 (Dec 2016): 242-248.
Sexual assault is a significant problem on college campuses, with growing public attention. The psychosocial ramifications of sexual assault for college survivors are significant and affect each person differently. Effective interventions that incorporate narrative techniques are instrumental for sexual assault recovery. Photovoice is a narrative method that encourages participants to make meaning of their experiences while integrating trauma into the larger context of their lives. This article highlights an exploratory study of the photovoice method as a narrative therapeutic technique for college sexual assault survivors. The photo-taking, dialoguing, and exhibiting process of photovoice empowered participants to take control over their story and their recovery, as well as to increase campus understanding of the posttraumatic impacts of sexual assault. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract) To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Free access. The burgeoning field of gerontechnology, which is the interdisciplinary field of applying technology to ageing issues, has focused primarily on “active ageing” and maintaining independence for older adults. To date, there has been less focus on people who develop dementia. Here, we argue for the field of gerontechnology to have a greater emphasis on clinical applications for dementia. This can be captured under the rubric of “psychogeritechnology,” a term we have coined to describe the range of technology approaches to the prevention, prediction, screening, assessment, diagnosis, management, and monitoring of people at risk of, or living with, dementia.
Artificial Intelligence, remote consultations and even robots will be increasingly used to support face-to-face contact in Staffordshire’s health and social care system.
The county’s public health leader is calling for a debate on the increasing use of technology in providing health and social care for the county’s ageing population.
Depression is a common mental health disorder during pregnancy, with important consequences for mothers and their children. Despite this, it goes undiagnosed and untreated in many women attending antenatal care. Smartphones could help support the prompt identification of antenatal depression in this setting. In addition, these devices enable the implementation of ecological momentary assessment techniques, which could be used to assess how mood is experienced during pregnancy. With this study, we will assess the feasibility of using a bespoke mobile application (app) running on participants’ own handsets for the longitudinal (6 months) monitoring of antenatal mood and screening of depression.
Open Access Article
There are many effective psychological therapies to help teenagers with depression, anxiety or other mental health problems. Unfortunately, for various reasons, most teenagers never get access to a professional therapist. To overcome this problem, some researchers are exploring the potential of brief, “single-session” interventions that can be delivered cheaply and easily to many at-risk teenagers outside of a clinical context. In The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Jessica Schleider and John Weisz at Harvard University present extremely promising results from their trial of a 30-minute computer session teaching depressed and anxious teenagers that personality is malleable.
A new campaign launches today (4 January 2016) encouraging parents to get “Sugar Smart” and take control of their children’s sugar intake.
PHE launches new sugar smart app.
The Change4Life campaign follows revelations that 4-to-10 year olds consume over 5,500 sugar cubes a year, or around 22kg - the average weight of a 5-year-old.
A new Sugar Smart app has been launched to help parents see how much sugar there is in everyday food and drink. The free app works by scanning the barcode of products and revealing the amount of total sugar it contains in cubes and grams.
2gether NHS Foundation Trust has partnered with award-winning digital support service, Big White Wall, to offer 24/7 support to veterans living in Herefordshire.
Big White Wall provides a supportive, anonymous online community where members can share experiences and get support, whatever they are going through. There is a library of information and clinical tests. Veterans can also join online courses especially designed for the Armed Forces community, covering everything from depression, stress and anxiety to decreasing drinking or getting a better night’s sleep. Wall guides are available 24/7 to offer support and keep the community safe.
Digital technology, already pervasive in our everyday lives, is increasingly a central factor in rising to this challenge. The received wisdom is that older people, and their baby-boomer children who are themselves over 55 years of age, are resistant to embracing technology in this context. This research paper examined whether this is actually true.