“It’s Not Just About the Activity, It’s Also About How the Activity is Facilitated”: Investigating Students’ Experiences in Two Competitive Situations in Physical Education

Coercion in a locked psychiatric ward: Perspectives of patients and staff

Background: In spite of a national strategy for reducing coercion in the mental health services, Norway still has a high rate of involuntary treatment compared to other European countries. It is therefore crucial to study various parties involved in involuntary treatment in order to reduce coercion. Research question: How do patients and staff in a Norwegian locked psychiatric ward experience coercion? Research design: Participant observation and interviews. Participants: A total of 12 patients and 22 employees participated in this study. Ethical considerations: This study is accepted by the National Committee for Medical Health Research Ethics. Findings: The participants experienced coerci…

The Lost Social Context of Recovery Psychiatrization of a Social Process

From being a concept questioning the core of psychiatric knowledge and practice, recovery has been adopted as a guiding vison for mental health policy and practice by different local, national, and international organizations. The aim of this article is to contextualize the different understandings of recovery and its psychiatrization through the emergence of an individualizing and de-contextualized definition which have gained a dominant position. It ends with an attempt to formulate a new definition of recovery which integrates people in their social context. Research results from various follow-up studies showing the possibility of recovery from severe mental distress have stressed the i…

Plikt til samarbeid, invitasjon til konflikt? Sykepleierrollen i norske høysikkerhetsfengsel

"I will never forget him". A qualitative exploration of staff descriptions of helpful relationships in supportive housing.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Recovery-oriented studies show that the quality of the professional relationship plays an essential role in the recovery from mental illness. Within mental health care in general, previous studies show that helpful professional relationships are characterized by several reciprocal aspects, such as friendship resemblance and self-disclosure. The literature is scarce on in-depth explorations of professional relationships within the often long-lasting and intimate help context of institutional supportive housing. Explorations of staff members' experiences are absent. The scientific rationale of this study was to expand the current knowledge about professional rel…

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-epe-10.1177_1356336X211002855 - Students’ experiences and learning of social inclusion in team activities in physical education

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-epe-10.1177_1356336X211002855 for Students’ experiences and learning of social inclusion in team activities in physical education by Dag Ove G Hovdal, Tommy Haugen, Inger Beate Larsen and Bjørn Tore Johansen in European Physical Education Review

Experiences of participating in individual placement and support: a meta‐ethnographic review and synthesis of qualitative studies

Aim To provide increased understanding about how work applicants, employment specialists, social workers in the welfare service and clinicians in mental healthcare service experience participating in individual placement and support (IPS). Methods We searched in several databases and identified 17 studies published from 2007 to 2017 in Sweden, USA, Canada, UK, Australia and Denmark, and applied meta-ethnographic reinterpretation and synthesis. Results The employment specialists followed the core ideas of IPS, where work is seen as a way to recover. They saw the work applicants' preferences and needs as important for health and well-being, and crucial for successful work rehabilitation. In o…

Nothing matters: the significance of the unidentifiable, the superficial and nonsense

ABSTRACT Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the ways in which “small things” may be of importance for people with mental health difficulties. Method: Empirical material from three different studies was reanalysed through a phenomenological, dialogical, approach. Results: We discovered some paradoxical aspects of small things: i.e., they could be about “something” that was difficult or even impossible to identify. The unidentifiable could be about bodily, sensual experiences that are superficial (i.e., belonging to the surface). The interaction with others highlighted as significant could be about doing something fun, talking nonsense or kidding around, and hence not at all about m…

Tvangsmedisinering som permanent unntakstilstand : Erfaringer fra feltarbeid

Accepted version of an article in the journal: Tidsskrift for psykisk helsearbeid. Also available from Universitetsforlaget: http://www.idunn.no/ts/tph/2012/02/tvangsmedisinering_som_permanent_unntakstilstand Studien analyserer hvordan tvangsmedisinering praktiseres og oppleves av pasienter og ansatte. Den bygger på feltarbeid i en lukket akuttpsykiatrisk døgnenhet. Funnene oppsummeres i tre hovedpunkter: a) Både pasienter og ansatte opplevde avmakt overfor tvangsmedisinering, men ansatte mente at medikamenter var nødvendig selv om de måtte gis med tvang. b) Det som ble beskrevet som frivillig medisinering, kunne erfares som tvangsmedisinering. c) Pasienter beskrev plagsomme bivirkninger, m…

A place for the heart: A journey in the post-asylum landscape. Metaphors and materiality.

The downsizing of psychiatric hospitals has created a new institutional landscape in the local community to support people with severe mental problems in their daily living. This study explores meeting places in Norway from the users' perspectives. The users used four metaphors to describe these meeting places: "like a home", "like a family", "like a landing ground" and "like a trampoline". The users have decorated the interiors of the meeting places with hearts made from various materials, and these could be considered as symbols of the places. The metaphors used: the hearts and the rooms and interiors, reflect old ideas about calmness and dignity rather than new ideas based on New Public …

Materialities in supported housing for people with mental health problems : a blurry picture of the tenants

Our daily lives and sense of self are partly formed by material surroundings that are often taken for granted. This materiality is also important for people with mental health problems living in supported housing with surroundings consisting of different healthcare services, neighbourhoods, buildings or furniture. In this study, we explored how understandings of tenants are expressed in the materialities of supported housing. We conducted ethnographic fieldwork in seven different supported accommodations in Norway and analysed the resultant field notes, interviews, photographs and documents using Situational Analysis. The analysis showed that supported housing materialities expressed a blur…

Fear, danger and aggression in a Norwegian locked psychiatric ward

Background: Fear and aggression are often reported among professionals working in locked psychiatric wards and also among the patients in the same wards. Such situations often lead to coercive intervention. In order to prevent coercion, we need to understand what happens in dangerous situations and how patients and professionals interpret them. Research questions: What happens when dangerous situations occur in a ward? How do professionals and patients interpret these situations and what is ethically at stake? Research design: Participant observation and interviews. Participants: A total of 12 patients and 22 professionals participated. Ethical considerations: This study has been accepted b…

Generating dialogical practices in mental health: experiences from southern norway, 1998-2008.

Published version of an article in the journal: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0479-3 In Norway and many other countries, political guidelines prescribe the development of mental health strategies with both a service user's perspective and a treatment system established by the local authority. The development of new strategies frequently involves challenges regarding procedures and treatment as well as a view of knowledge and humanity. Dialogical practices might provide a solution for these challenges not only because of its procedures but also due to its attitudes tow…

General support versus individual work support: a qualitative study of social workers and therapists in collaboration meetings within individual placement and support

This study aims to increase understanding of how social workers and therapists contribute to cooperation meetings within the individual placement and support intervention. The individual placement and support model of supported employment is expanding worldwide. Although several quantitative studies have shown this model`s effect, the need for qualitative studies on collaboration within this intervention is evident. The individual placement and support fidelity manual presents clear expectations to the social workers and therapist in the cooperation. Still, few previous studies investigate how these expectations are met in praxis. This study draws on sixteen collaboration meetings, recorded…

The locked psychiatric ward: hotel or detention camp for people with dual diagnosis.

The concepts of autonomy and liberty are established goals in mental health care; however, involuntary commitment is used towards people with mental health and substance abuse problems (dual diagnosis).To explore how patients and staff act in the context of involuntary commitment, how interactions are described and how they might be interpreted.Ethnographic methodology in a locked psychiatric ward in Norway.Two parallel images emerged: (a) The ward as a hotel. Several patients wanted a locked ward for rest and safety, even when admission was classified as involuntary. The staff was concerned about using the ward for real treatment of motivated people, rather than merely as a comfortable hot…

D Goe Selskab: Et bærekraftig sted En evalueringsrapport om en kafe og bruktbutikk driftet av mennesker med ulike utfordringer bosatt i Birkenes kommune

D Goe Selskab er et sted hvor mennesker med ulike utfordringer, og på frivillig basis, driver kafe og bruktbutikk. Stedet har stor betydning for de som arbeider der. D Gode Selskab har en inkluderende atmosfære, og de som driver stedet viser at de kan bidra i samfunnet til tross for de utfordringer de har i livene sine. Medbestemmelse og fleksibilitet preger stedet. D Goe Selskab kan betegnes som sosialt bærekraftig fordi det setter menneskelige behov i sentrum, bidrar med mer sosial rettferdighet og legger til rette for at mennesker som bor i lokalsamfunnet kan påvirke forhold i nærmiljøet og ellers i kommunen. Jeg vil rette en stor takk til alle som har bidratt til å gi kunnskap om D Goe …

Fra behandling til recovery. En review-studie av forskning på dagsentra for mennesker med psykiske lidelser

This study reviews research publications topically related to day centres for people with mental health problems. The purposes are to give a general overview of the evidence-based knowledge in the field, to detect gaps of knowledge, and to throw light on the following research questions: (1) Which ideologies about day centres may be revealed in Scandinavian- and English-speaking research on day centres for people with mental health problems; and (2) What significance do the day centres have for the users?Both questions are answered by examining 34 research publications, printed in either Scandinavian or English languages during the period 1962-2015. An integrative literature review was used…

Small Things, Micro-Affirmations and Helpful Professionals Everyday Recovery-Orientated Practices According to Persons with Mental Health Problems

The aim of this study is to present concrete descriptions of the content in the construction of helpful relationships with staff, according to users. Starting with the re-occurring concept of the meaning of "little things" in recovery studies, a literature review was done. A thematic analysis shows that small things play an important role in improving a person's sense of self. Small things seem to be an invisible but effective parts of a recovery-orientated practice, but they might be defined as unprofessional and their efficacy negated.

A qualitative fallacy: Life trapped in interpretations and stories

This paper points out some problematic aspects of qualitative research based on interviews and uses examples from mental health. The narrative approach is explored while inquiring if the reality of life here is forced into the formula of a chronological story. The hermeneutic approach, in general, is also examined, and we ask if the reality of life in this scenario becomes caught up in a web of interpretations. Inspired by ideas from Bakhtin and phenomenology, we argue for interview-based research that stays with unresolvedness and constantly question the web of interpretations and narratives that determine our experiences. This also chimes with certain dialogical practices in mental healt…

‘It’s not just a lot of words’. A qualitative exploration of residents’ descriptions of helpful relationships in supportive housing

Author's accepted manuscript. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Journal of Social Work on 24/10/2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13691457.2019.1682523.

Framtidstro og underordning: En lesning av tolv lærebøker i psykiatrisk sykepleie og psykiatri

Caring through Discipline? Analyzing House Rules in Community Mental Health Services in Norway

In Scandinavian countries, public housing and recreation programs for people suffering from mental health or substance abuse problems emphasize normalization of life and participation in a normal social life. The theoretical approach taken by community health care services has been de-institutionalization. To study if and how this movement from patient to fully participating citizen was reflected in these new institutions, written house rules in sheltered housing and day centers for adults were collected and analyzed by content analysis. The findings show that the formal language represents the voice of professionals, while the content pertained to regulation of the service user’s daily lif…

“Det sitter i veggene”. Materialitet og mennesker i distriktspsykiatriske sentra

This dissertation examines the impact that the materiality of institutions has on patients and staff. Fieldwork has been carried out at five district psychiatric centres (Distriktspsykiatriske sentra, DPS) that were originally built as tuberculosis institutions. The patients’ and employees’ experiences of being present in the physical and social space of these institutions has been examined, interpreted and reflected upon. The paper provides knowledge about the significance institutions’ materiality and inner life has on the informants, and how the informants influence the materiality. Background Mental health care has moved away from institutions and towards the local community. The treatm…

Studies regarding supported housing and the built environment for people with mental health problems : A mixed-methods literature review

Abstract Places where people live are important for their personal and social lives. This is also the case for people with mental health problems living in supported housing. To summarise the existing knowledge, we conducted a systematic review of 13 studies with different methodologies regarding the built environment in supported housing and examined their findings in a thematic analysis. The built environment of supported housing involves three important and interrelated themes: well-being, social identity and privacy. If overregulated by professionals or located in problematic neighbourhoods or buildings, the settings could be an obstacle to recovery. If understood as meaningful places w…

Hell on earth: Textual reflections on the experience of mental illness

Background: Some people who by themselves or by others are understood as having mental health problems have written autobiographies about their experiences. Aims: The aim of this study is to explore how people write about their experiences of being mentally ill. Method: Twelve Scandinavian autobiographies were studied using content analysis based on phenomenology and hermeneutics. Results: Three themes were identified: feeling like a stranger in life and places, the transformation of life experiences into questions of disease and feeling ashamed. Conclusions: People’s experiences of being mentally ill might be understood as the result of medical constructions unsuitable for the persons them…

Understanding disruptive situations in physical education : Teaching style and didactic implications

Several studies have emphasized the importance of handling disruptive situations in the physical education (PE) learning environment; however, few have investigated complex disruptive situations in PE and included both teacher and student perspectives. The aims of this study, which discusses an alternative teaching style for reducing disruptive situations, were to gain a better understanding of student and teacher experiences of complex disruptive situations in PE, and to explore how the teacher handled these situations. The philosophical perspective used in this study was Rorty’s philosophical pragmatism. Methods included written narratives, interviews, observation, and video recordings o…

“Heaven and Hell on Earth” A critical discourse analysis of religious terms in Norwegian autobiographies describing personal experience of mental health problems

This article explores the use of religious terms in six Norwegian autobiographies written between 1925 and 2005 by people who themselves have been patients in the mental health services. Through a critical discourse analysis, we discuss the functions of religious discourse in the texts and its position in contrast to the medical discourse predominant in today's mental health services. It was found that religious (predominantly Christian) terms were used to varying degrees in all autobiographies as a means to capture the immensity and inherent ambivalence characteristic of mental health problems. Despite the “medical turn” in professional mental health discourse, there is no clear evidence o…

Things matter: about materiality and recovery from mental health difficulties

ABSTRACT Purpose The aim of this study is to explore how material things might become involved in the recovery process of people with mental health difficulties. Method Empirical material from three different studies on various aspects concerning mental health issues that each of the authors had conducted was reanalysed through a phenomenological item analysis. Results We discovered that mundane objects such as a mobile phone, a bench, a door and a key have agency to contribute to peoples’ recovery and wellbeing. Things became agents that created contexts that initiated physical, social and emotional movements. Conclusion By giving attention to materiality we might become aware of the impor…

Textbook descriptions of people with psychosis – some ethical aspects

Background:Textbooks are central for the education of professionals in the health field and a resource for practitioners already in the field.Objectives:This article focuses on how 12 textbooks in psychiatric nursing and psychiatry, published in Norway between 1877 and 2012, describe and present people with psychosis.Research design:We used qualitative content analysis.Ethical considerations:The topic is published textbooks, made available to be read by students, teachers and professionals, and no ethical approval was required.Findings:The analysis shows that all 12 textbooks describe and present people who are considered as psychotic from a ‘perspective from above’. In this perspective, th…

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-2-epe-10.1177_1356336X211002855 - Students’ experiences and learning of social inclusion in team activities in physical education

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-2-epe-10.1177_1356336X211002855 for Students’ experiences and learning of social inclusion in team activities in physical education by Dag Ove G Hovdal, Tommy Haugen, Inger Beate Larsen and Bjørn Tore Johansen in European Physical Education Review

Materiell og profesjonell stigmatisering av mennesker med sykelig overvekt

The aim of this study is to show how people suffering from severe obesity mightexperience stigmatization. We interviewed 6 persons recruited from aNorwegian rehabilitation center, specialized in lifestyle intervention in severeobesity. We found that the participants suffering from severe obese experiencedstigmatization and thus felt that they a) did not fit into the materiel world and b)experienced a lack of respect from health care professionals. The results arediscussed according to how contemporary symbols are embedded in oursurroundings and in our bodies. The conclusion underlines severe obesity as acomplex problem which is strengthened by rooms and interior designed for idealsizes. The…

Before Recovery - A Blind Spot in Recovery Research?: Users’ Narratives About the Origins and Development of their Mental Health and/or Addiction Problems

Objective: Recently, the position of persons with mental health and drug problems has evolved from victim of an illness to holder of an experience-based knowledge (EBK). Studies about recovery are often based on recovery narratives. However, focusing on components of the recovery process—parts of this EBK concerned with the causes, onset, and journey before the proper recovery process—risks forming a blind spot. In this study, we aim to analyze service users’ EBK about recovery, the backgrounds and causes of the problems, and how they related these conditions to their recovery journey. Research Design and Methods: We interviewed 29 persons in recovery. Data were analyzed by using thematic a…

Students’ experiences and learning of social inclusion in team activities in physical education.

Physical education (PE) can be a context in which students are ‘educated through the physical’, which includes the possibility to learn social inclusion as an important life skill and contributor to the greater good of society. A key goal in the Norwegian educational system is that such positive life skills become internalised in students. The aims of this study were to understand students’ experiences of and behaviour towards social inclusion – such as passing the ball – in team activities and how the teacher facilitated the learning of social inclusion. We use Dewey’s pedagogical perspective on education, and Johnson and Johnson’s cooperative learning model to discuss possible consequenc…

More of the same? A study of the funding practices of The Research Council of Norway’s Programs for Mental Health in the period 1995 to 2015

The objective of this paper is to examine the funding practices of The Research Council of Norway’s Programs for Mental Health during the time period from 1995 to 2015. The paper’s foci are on funded research groups and professions, main topics, and research questions. The empirical data consists of 138 project abstracts. The findings reveal a discrepancy between the national policies and funding practices during the program periods, where narrow knowledge development like biological, genetic, and neurological is given priority. Research focusing on community mental health and living conditions is rarely funded. The paper discusses decision-making practices, revealing that new research grou…

Mer av det samme? En studie av tildelings­praksiser i Program for psykisk helse, Norges forsknings­råd i perioden 1995–2015

More of the same? A study of the funding practices of The Research Council of Norway’s Programs for Mental Health in the period 1995 to 2015 The objective of this paper is to examine the funding practices of The Research Council of Norway’s Programs for Mental Health during the time period from 1995 to 2015. The paper’s foci are on funded research groups and professions, main topics, and research questions. The empirical data consists of 138 project abstracts. The findings reveal a discrepancy between the national policies and funding practices during the program periods, where narrow knowledge development like biological, genetic, and neurological is given priority. Research focusing on co…

You realise you are better when you want to live, want to go out, want to see people: Recovery as assemblage

Background: The lack of social and material perspectives in descriptions of recovery processes is almost common in recovery research. Aim: Consequently, we investigated recovery stories and how people with mental health and/or addiction challenges included social and material aspects in these stories. Method: We conducted focus group and individual interviews. We investigated how the participants narrated their stories and how they assembled places and people in their recovery stories. Results: We found that narratives of recovery became assemblages where humans and their environments co-exist and are interdependent. Conclusion: As such, narratives about recovery are about everyday assembla…

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