Journal of Research in Nursing current issue

The professional obligation; speaking out to improve care

Stevens, J. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT

Fifty years of endeavour, prevention and health in mental health policy

Appleby, L., Butterworth, T. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT

Mental health policy to practice; too much loose change?

McGonagle, I., Jackson, C., Baguley, I. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT

Mental health, cancer care and coronary heart disease were identified as the three priorities for the National Health Service, and National Service Frameworks were developed for each area. This prioritisation was reinforced when the NHS Plan was published and a programme of systemic change in the National Health Service was embarked upon to support this new agenda. This paper describes the major policy decisions and systemic changes and how they affected mental health care. The end of the 10-year National Service Framework programme provides an opportune time to review and reflect on the changes, successes and areas for on-going improvement in the years ahead. Clearly there have been significant developments, and perhaps the successes of the last 10 years have been lost in the clutter that often results as a consequence of major change.

Mental health policy to practice; too much loose change?

Lancashire, S. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT

Collective biography and the legacy of Hildegard Peplau, Annie Altschul and Eileen Skellern; the origins of mental health nursing and its relevance to the current crisis in psychiatry{ddagger}

Winship, G., Bray, J., Repper, J., Hinshelwood, R. D. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT

Oral history and biographical research gathering previously unpublished material directly from Altschul and Peplau, and new commentaries on Eileen Skellern from colleagues, are triangulated to form a collective biography that accesses historical consciousness of times of great change in psychiatry. We can see core ideas about psychiatric nursing aggregated around the idea active therapeutic engagement. Peplau and Altschul were simultaneously working with innovative methods of community-based therapy during the Second World War in England with shell-shocked soldiers. Both developed founding ideologies in psychoanalysis and therapeutic community practice. A similar trajectory is apparent in the work of Eileen Skellern. User involvement and social inclusion, the corner stones of therapeutic community practice, remain intrinsic to the aspirations of psychiatry today.

Mental health content of comprehensive pre-registration nursing curricula in Australia

McCann, T. V., Moxham, L., Usher, K., Crookes, P. A., Farrell, G. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT

In 2008 the final report of the Mental Health Nurse Education Taskforce was released. This paper presents the findings of the report’s survey into the mental health content of generic pre-registration nursing curricula in Australia. A questionnaire was sent to all nursing schools providing pre-registration curricula. Results indicate curricula contained a wide range of mental health theory and clinical hours. While the majority of universities incorporated most of the 20 key topics recommended by the Mental Health Nurse Education Taskforce in their courses, few addressed issues such as Indigenous mental health. There was considerable competition for placements between universities, and concern about the quality of some placements. Nurse academics with formal qualifications in mental health and specialist clinical mental health nurses were mainly involved in teaching theory. Specialist mental health clinicians and clinical educators were the key groups engaged in students’ clinical education, and preceptorship was the most common form of clinical supervision. Consumers and carers had limited involvement in the development or provision of mental health content of pre-registration curricula. Greater attention is needed to increasing the mental health content in pre-registration curricula. Furthermore, initiatives should be developed to increase access to clinical placements and reduce competition for places between universities.

Childhood abuse and psychosis; a critical review of the literature

Manning, C., Stickley, T. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT

Childhood trauma has long been recognised as a potential cause for a range of affective mental health problems arising in adulthood. Only in recent years has the association between childhood abuse and psychosis begun to be investigated. This paper provides a critical review of the literature addressing the relationship between childhood abuse and psychosis. Implications for practitioners are discussed, including practice, policy, treatment and child protection issues. A significant proportion of people develop psychosis in adulthood following all types of childhood abuse, including people diagnosed with schizophrenia, major depressive disorders, dissociative identity disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Evidence suggests the possibility of a causal relationship between childhood abuse and psychosis in adulthood. Mental health nurses are ideally placed to offer help, care and support to those individuals who experience psychosis by acknowledging and listening to their life events, including experiences of childhood abuse.

A combined review of: Collective biography and the legacy of Hildegard Peplau, Annie Altschul and Eileen Skellern; the origins of mental health nursing and its relevance to the current crisis in psychiatry; Mental health content of comprehensive pre-registration nursing curricula in Australia and Childhood abuse and psychosis; a critical review of the literature

Cahill, J. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT

The mental well-being of prison nurses in England and Wales

Walsh, E., Freshwater, D. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT

Much has been written about the mental health of prisoner patients; however, consideration of the mental well-being of the prison nursing workforce has been limited. In this paper, we highlight some of the key issues currently affecting the mental well-being of nurses working in prison and, through a discussion of a nationally funded study, share our experience of the value both of clinical supervision and action learning in providing a supportive environment for those working with prisoner patients. Policy agendas such as overcrowding and organisational change affecting commissioning arrangements were pivotal to both the scope and findings of the study. This paper foregrounds clinical supervision and reflective practice but considers emotional labour to be a fundamental premise when considering their importance for prison nurses.

The mental well-being of prison nurses in England and Wales

Norman, A. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT

Responsibility in research; the need for stout hearts and extra imagination in financially challenging times

Butterworth, T. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:04 PDT