ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This article explores the benefits of recovery among volunteer peer providers who participated in The Companion Project-the first peer-delivered mental health services project in South Korea. METHOD: The effect of the program on the recovery and symptoms of peer providers (N = 31) was quantitatively analyzed using a nonequivalent control group design. A subset of 12 participants was interviewed on the perceived recovery benefits. RESULTS: Results of the statistical analysis indicated that peer support activities affected the recovery and symptoms of peer providers. Through in-depth interviews, the following themes were identified: self-awareness and redefinition, growth through participation and role-taking, and new potential and hope. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Peer providers experienced the benefits of recovery through relationships with peers and meaningful roles. These results contribute to an expansion of peer support in Korea and the development of new jobs for people with psychiatric disabilities.
Subject(s)
Mental Disorders/rehabilitation , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Peer Group , Psychiatric Rehabilitation/methods , Social Support , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Health Services , Republic of Korea , VolunteersABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study had two main goals: to examine the structure of co-occurring peer bullying experiences among adolescents in South Korea from the perspective of victims and to determine the effects of bullying on suicidal behavior, including suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, among adolescents. METHOD: This study used data gathered from 4,410 treatment-seeking adolescents at their initial visits to 31 local mental health centers in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The structure of peer bullying was examined using latent class analysis (LCA) to classify participants' relevant experiences. Then, a binomial logistic regression adjusted by propensity scores was conducted to identify relationships between experiences of being bullied and suicidal behaviors. RESULTS: The LCA of experiences with bullying revealed two distinct classes of bullying: physical and non-physical. Adolescents who experienced physical bullying were 3.05 times more likely to attempt suicide than those who were not bullied. Victims of (non-physical) cyber bullying were 2.94 times more likely to attempt suicide than were those who were not bullied. CONCLUSIONS: Both physical and non-physical bullying were associated with suicide attempts, with similar effect sizes. Schools and mental health professionals should be more attentive than they currently are to non-physical bullying.
Subject(s)
Bullying/statistics & numerical data , Suicide/psychology , Adolescent , Female , Humans , Male , Republic of Korea , Suicide/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
In the last few decades, changing socioeconomic and family structures have increasingly left children alone without adult supervision. Carefully prepared and limited periods of unsupervised time are not harmful for children. However, long unsupervised periods have harmful effects, particularly for those children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors. In this study, we examined the influence of unsupervised time on behavior problems by studying a sample of elementary school children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors. The study analyzed data from the Children's Mental Health Promotion Project, which was conducted in collaboration with education, government, and mental health professionals. The child behavior checklist (CBCL) was administered to assess problem behaviors among first- and fourth-grade children. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of unsupervised time on children's behavior. A total of 3,270 elementary school children (1,340 first-graders and 1,930 fourth-graders) were available for this study; 1,876 of the 3,270 children (57.4%) reportedly spent a significant amount of time unsupervised during the day. Unsupervised time that exceeded more than 2h per day increased the risk of delinquency, aggressive behaviors, and somatic complaints, as well as externalizing and internalizing problems. Carefully planned afterschool programming and care should be provided to children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors. Also, a more comprehensive approach is needed to identify the possible mechanisms by which unsupervised time aggravates behavior problems in children predisposed for these behaviors.
