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Mental well-being of patients from ethnic minority groups during critical care: a qualitative ethnographic study.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:To investigate the state of the mental well-being of patients from ethnic minority groups and possible related risk factors for the development of mental health problems among these patients during critical medical situations in hospital. DESIGN:Qualitative ethnographic design. SETTING:Oneintensive care unit (ICU) of a multiethnic urban hospital in Belgium. PARTICIPANTS:84 ICU staff members, 10 patients from ethnic-minority groups and their visiting family members. RESULTS:Patients had several human basic needs for which they could not sufficiently turn to anybody, neither to their healthcare professionals, nor to their relatives nor to other patients. These needs included the need for social contact, the need to increase comfort and alleviate pain, the need to express desperation and participate in end-of-life decision making. Three interrelated risk factors for the development of mental health problems among the patients included were identified: First, healthcare professionals' mainly biomedical care approach (eg, focus on curing the patient, limited psychosocial support), second, the ICU context (eg, time pressure, uncertainty, regulatory frameworks) and third, patients' different ethnocultural background (eg, religious and phenotypical differences). CONCLUSIONS:The mental state of patients from ethnic minority groups during critical care is characterised by extreme emotional loneliness. It is important that staff should identify and meet patients' unique basic needs in good time with regard to their mental well-being, taking into account important threats related to their own mainly biomedical approach to care, the ICU's structural context as well as the patients' different ethnocultural background.

SUBMITTER: Van Keer RL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5623442 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Mental well-being of patients from ethnic minority groups during critical care: a qualitative ethnographic study.

Van Keer Rose Lima RL Deschepper Reginald R Huyghens Luc L Bilsen Johan J

BMJ open 20170927 9

<h4>Objectives</h4>To investigate the state of the mental well-being of patients from ethnic minority groups and possible related risk factors for the development of mental health problems among these patients during critical medical situations in hospital.<h4>Design</h4>Qualitative ethnographic design.<h4>Setting</h4>Oneintensive care unit (ICU) of a multiethnic urban hospital in Belgium.<h4>Participants</h4>84 ICU staff members, 10 patients from ethnic-minority groups and their visiting family ...[more]

PMID: 28963277

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Project description:BackgroundResearch is needed on how faith and prayer apps fit within the values of racial and ethnic minority (REM) groups, as well as whether such apps are effective in promoting mental health and well-being.ObjectiveThis study aims to determine the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of using the mobile app Pray.com on mental health and well-being among REM participants.MethodsThis study was a single-group (N=77), 4-week feasibility trial in REM groups (65/77, 84% Black or African American). Participants were asked to use the Pray.com app at no cost for at least 5 times per week for 5 minutes per day. Participants completed questionnaires at the baseline and postintervention time points. Feasibility questionnaires were only completed at the postintervention time point, including qualitative interviews (n=15). The feasibility questions included acceptability (ie, satisfaction, intent to continue use, perceived appropriateness, and fit within culture), demand (ie, self-reported app use, expressed interest, and perceived demand), and practicality (ie, ease or difficulty of use, ability to use the app, and cost-effectiveness). Frequency and descriptive statistics were used to analyze feasibility outcomes. Changes in dependent variables were analyzed using paired-sample 2-tailed t tests. Partial correlations were conducted to explore the association between app use and outcomes, controlling for baseline scores.ResultsParticipants reported (54/72, 75% responded with "very likely" or "likely" to the feasibility questions) that they perceived the Pray.com app as acceptable. These findings were supported by qualitative interviews (n=15). Most participants (62/72, 86%) did not meet the app use prescription but expressed interest in using the app in the future and perceived demand for it in their communities. In addition, participants reported that the app was easy to use and perceived it to be inexpensive (US $7.99). Participants reported improved mental health (ie, stress and depressive and anxiety symptoms) and well-being (ie, satisfaction with life, spiritual well-being, religious commitment, and racial or ethnic identity development) at postintervention despite relatively low average levels and high variability of app use (average total of 45.83, SD 111.90 min over the course of the study). Greater app use was significantly associated with improvements in mental health and spiritual well-being. However, app use and study methodology limitations suggest that the study results may not accurately capture the full impact of Pray.com use.ConclusionsThis is the first study to assess the feasibility of a faith and prayer app for mental health and well-being in a sample of REM individuals. Our findings suggest that the use of a faith and prayer app (ie, Pray.com) could be feasible and significantly impactful for the improvement of mental health symptoms and well-being in REM individuals and their communities, especially Black and African American individuals with a Christian affiliation. Further research is warranted.

Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in substantial disruptions to the daily lives of young people. Yet knowledge is lacking about changes in mental well-being among young adults, whether those from ethnic minorities were more adversely impacted by the pandemic than the ethnic majority, and the extent to which pandemic-related stressors contributed to any declines in mental well-being.MethodsWe draw on nationally representative German CILS4COVID data, collected early in the pandemic (N = 3517, Mage = 25). Respondents provided information on mental well-being (psychosomatic complaints, anxiety, depression, life satisfaction) and exposure to pandemic-related stressors (financial worries, health worries, discrimination, contact with COVID-19). Responses on mental well-being were matched to responses from two pre-pandemic waves. Individual fixed effects regressions examined ethnic group differences in changes in mental well-being prior to, and at the early stage of, the pandemic. Path analysis tested the role of pandemic-related stressors in declines in mental well-being.ResultsOverall, young adults' mental well-being had improved at the pandemic assessment compared to pre-pandemic assessments, and few ethnic group differences in changes were found. However, greater pandemic-related stressors were associated with worsened mental well-being at the pandemic assessment. Among Asian minorities, indirect effects were found on anxiety via health worries, and on depression via health worries and discrimination. For Turkish, Middle Eastern and African minorities, indirect effects on anxiety and depression were found via health worries.ConclusionsWe did not find widespread declines in mental well-being among young adults at the early stage of the pandemic, and changes in mental well-being prior to and at the early stage of the pandemic were mostly similar across ethnic German and minority groups. Nevertheless, pandemic-related stressors posed risks for young adults' mental well-being, particularly increased discrimination and health worries among Asian minorities, and health worries among Turkish, Middle Eastern and African minorities.

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Mental well-being of patients from ethnic minority groups during critical care: a qualitative ethnographic study.

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Mental well-being of patients from ethnic minority groups during critical care: a qualitative ethnographic study.

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