Search

Living with a chronic or mental health condition can be challenging and requires considerable adjustment. As ways of coping are culturally influenced, it is important to understand how minority ethnic populations cope, to inform appropriate services. This review aimed to explore the coping strategies used by UK residents from an African Caribbean or Irish background between 1960 and 2020. A systematic literature search on strategies used to cope with chronic health conditions in both populations living in the United Kingdom identified 26 relevant studies. Data were extracted, quality of papers was appraised and critical interpretive synthesis was applied. Two major foci of the studies were coping strategies and barriers to coping. The main coping strategies were denial/scepticism, self‐management, spirituality and religion. Within each population, there was variation in ways of coping. The review highlights the complex role of religion in influencing coping strategies. It demonstrates how personal and minority ethnic populations' experiences of service use are connected with stigma, fear and mistrust, which also act as barriers to seeking help and to coping. Coping with a chronic or mental health condition in the Irish and African Caribbean populations is under‐researched. Stigma, fear and mistrust in services act as key barriers to help‐seeking and religion is a prominent coping strategy. However, few detailed examples were given on how it was used to assist individuals when managing a chronic or mental health condition. Also due to a lack of research, firm conclusions cannot be drawn for the Irish population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth unemployment rates in the United Kingdom are almost triple that of adults (11.3% vs. 4%), particularly impacting the employability of young people with complex needs, of whom 61.8% are unemployed. Interventions facilitating transition into work can operate at individual, community and government levels. The main objectives of this review were to explore current practices, identify factors affecting and strategies used to improve employability, and classify strategies at multi-levels. Findings suggest that collaborative strategies covering training, work practices, therapeutic support and creating appropriate work environments, with active involvement of young people, are key in supporting young people with complex needs into employment. Classification of factors indicated four categories: skills-based approaches, job/work experience accessing approaches, therapeutic interventions, and supportive working environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]