Bullying Experiences of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service-users: A Pilot Survey

Victims and perpetrators of bullying experience a variety of psychological problems. The aim of the current pilot study was to explore the bullying experiences of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) service-users. The investigation was conducted as a cross-sectional survey at a community-based specialist CAMH service. A modified version of the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire was used to assess bullying experiences. Participants comprised an opportunity sample of 26 adolescent male and female CAMH service-users. Results indicated that 61.5% of participants reported being bullied. Clear links were made between being bullied and the mental health of participants, with 62.5% of bullied participants reporting that being bullied was a ‘‘moderately importantvery important’’ reason for their attendance at the CAMH service. Therapists at the CAMH service made appropriate enquiries about young people being victims of bullying, but more enquiries could be made about young peoples’ experiences as perpetrators. Service-users favoured therapist-led bullying interventions such as assertiveness training, therapy and/or psychological coping strategies, and social skills training. These findings underline the need for ecological approaches to dealing with bullying, and suggest that CAMH services could play an important role in establishing and supporting such interventions.

Healthcare Staff Experience of Providing End-of-Life Care to Children: A Mixed Method Review

Background: Staff who provide end-of-life care to children not only have to deal with their own sense of loss, but also that of bereaved families. There is a dearth of knowledge on how they cope with these challenges.
Aim: The aim of this review is to explore the experiences of health care professionals who provide end-of-life care to children in order to inform the development of interventions to support them, thereby improving the quality of paediatric care for both children and their families.
Data sources: Searches included CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and The Cochrane Library in June 2015, with no date restrictions. Additional literature was uncovered from searching reference lists of relevant studies, along with contacting experts in the field of paediatric palliative care.
Design: This was a systematic mixed studies review. Study selection, appraisal and data extraction were conducted by two independent researchers. Integrative thematic analysis was used to synthesise the data.
Results: The 16 qualitative, six quantitative, and eight mixed-method studies identified included healthcare professionals in a range of settings. Key themes identified rewards and challenges of providing end-of-life care to children, the impact on staff’s personal and professional lives, coping strategies, and key approaches to help support staff in their role.
Conclusions: Education focusing on the unique challenges of providing end-of-life care to children and the importance of self-care, along with timely multidisciplinary debriefing are key strategies for improving healthcare staffs’ experiences, and as such the quality of care they provide.

Stress, eustress and the National Student Survey

The aim was to explore the relationship between sources of stress and a range of coping behaviours on student
satisfaction and motivation. Most research exploring sources of stress construes stress as distress, with little
attempt to consider positive, good stress or ‘eustress’ experiences. A cohort of first-year psychology students (N=88)
were surveyed on a range of stressors. These were amended from the UK National Student Survey (NSS, 2011).
Published university league tables draw heavily on student course satisfaction but study results suggest there was
also merit in measuring students’ intellectual motivation and the extent to which they felt part of a learning
community. Using multiple regression analyses, it was found that even the attributes that normally help one to adjust to change, such as self-efficacy, do little to help the new student adjust to university life, such was the acuteness of perceived stress in the first year. Social opportunities within the university were important to help new students integrate into university life and to help them network and build support. Educators need to consider how course experiences contribute, not just to potential distress but to potential eustress.