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Introduction Objective Design Findings Discussion Conclusion Growing the mental health peer workforce holds promise for rural communities, but we currently lack an understanding of the guidance available to support the development, implementation and sustainability of this workforce in rural settings.Study aims are to: (1) determine the extent and nature of the literature that provides guidance for growing the peer workforce in rural mental health services; and (2) identify and explore any guidance relevant to rural peer work services dedicated to First Nations communities, including those promoting social and emotional well‐being within this body of literature.A scoping review method was employed to identify relevant peer‐reviewed and grey literature published between 2013 and 2022 across PsychInfo, Medline, Embase and CINAHL, Scopus and Informit HealthInfoNet databases, as well as targeted organisation websites and Google Advanced Search.A total of 26 unique studies/projects were included from the US, UK, Canada and Australia with public mental health, non‐government/for purpose and private sector service settings represented in the literature. Grey literature, such as reports of evaluations and frameworks, formed the majority of included texts. While there is a lesser volume of rurally focused literature relative to the general peer work literature, this is a rich body of knowledge, which includes guidance concerning services dedicated to First Nations communities. Via synthesis critical considerations were identified for the development, implementation and sustainability of peer work in rural mental health services across six domains: ‘Working with community members and stakeholders’, ‘Organisational culture and governance’, Working with others and in teams, Professional expertise and experience, Being part of and working in the community and ‘Local mental health services capacity’.While there are considerations relevant across a range of settings, the domains of: ‘working with community members and stakeholders’, ‘being part of and working in the community’ and ‘local mental health services capacity’, capture additional, distinct and nuanced challenges and opportunities for growing the peer work in rural services.The literature offers insights valuable for service planning, policy development and the allocation of resources to support rural peer workforce growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundYoung-onset colorectal cancer is a contemporary issue in need of substantial research input. The incidence of colorectal cancer in adults younger than 50 years is rising in contrast to the decreasing incidence of this cancer in older adults. People with young-onset colorectal cancer may be at that stage of life in which they are establishing their careers, building relationships with long-term partners, raising children, and assembling a financial base for the future. A qualitative study designed to facilitate triangulation with extant quantitative patient-reported data would contribute the first comprehensive resource for understanding how this distinct patient population experiences health services and the outcomes of care throughout the patient pathway. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to undertake a mixed-methods study of qualitative patient-reported data on young-onset colorectal cancer experiences and outcomes. MethodsThis is a study of web-based unsolicited patient stories recounting experiences of health services and clinical outcomes related to young-onset colorectal cancer. Personal Recollections Organized as Data (PROD) is a novel methodology for understanding patients’ health experiences in order to improve care. PROD pivots qualitative data collection and analysis around the validated domains and dimensions measured in patient-reported outcome and patient-reported experience questionnaires. PROD involves 4 processes: (1) classifying attributes of the contributing patients, their disease states, their routes to diagnosis, and the clinical features of their treatment and posttreatment; (2) coding texts into the patient-reported experience and patient-reported outcome domains and dimensions, defined a priori, according to phases of the patient pathway; (3) thematic analysis of content within and across each domain; and (4) quantitative text analysis of the narrative content. ResultsRelevant patient stories have been identified, and permission has been obtained for use of the texts in primary research. The approval for this study was granted by the Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Committee in June 2020. The analytical framework was established in September 2020, and data collection commenced in October 2020. We will complete the analysis in March 2021 and we aim to publish the results in mid-2021. ConclusionsThe findings of this study will identify areas for improvement in the PROD methodology and inform the development of a large-scale study of young-onset colorectal cancer patient narratives. We believe that this will be the first qualitative study to identify and describe the patient pathway from symptom self-identification to help-seeking through to diagnosis, treatment, and to survivorship or palliation for people with young-onset colorectal cancer. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/25056

Sexual, gender, and erotic minorities experience oppressions that psychologically harm and impact help seeking. The aim of this review was to integrate available evidence on the uptake, barriers, and facilitators of mental health help seeking in sexual, gender, and erotic minorities. Systematic searches were conducted in CINAHL, Medline, and Scopus for peer-reviewed articles and in Google for gray literature using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies published in English in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries between 2008 and 2018 regarding sexual, gender, and erotic minorities older than 18 years were eligible. Quality assessments were conducted and extracted data were analyzed thematically. Ninety documents were included in the review. Uptake is generally greater among sexual, gender, and erotic minorities, but worse in those who experience intersecting oppressions. Barriers to care manifest systemically, in services, and in individual mental health professionals (MHP) and contribute to psychological distress and impede help seeking. Protective factors (resilience, inclusion) and trained MHP counter these barriers. Despite the general prevalence and risk of mental illness among sexual, gender, and erotic minorities due to external, modifiable oppressions, opportunities for inclusive psychological care exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex workers experience risk and protective factors that affect their psychological well-being, yet little is known about sex workers' mental health and their experiences with related services in rural and remote Tasmania, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six current or former sex workers with pre-existing mental health problems, and thematic analysis was used to identify their experiences with mental health and related care. Generally, sex work does not contribute to participants' mental health concerns; rather, social exclusion and systemic issues cause psychological harm. Ineffective mental health professionals and the lack of tailored or culturally competent support serve as barriers to care. Significantly, widespread stigma was both a risk factor to participants' mental health and a barrier to help seeking and resulted in isolation and identity concealment. Resilience, self-awareness and social inclusion reduce the psychological impact of exogenous oppression and encourage help seeking. The decriminalisation of sex work could improve sex worker mental health and reduce stigma by normalising sex work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores and identifies the different challenges for both antenatal and postnatal fathers that might act as precursors for poor paternal perinatal emotional well-being. Twelve fathers living in Sydney, aged over 18 years, identified as either an antenatal or postnatal father were interviewed concerning their experiences. Interview data were thematically analysed to identify challenges faced by expectant and new fathers. Five main challenges were identified – father–mother relationship, father–child relationship, life changes, lack of support and birth event. The results of this study indicate possible differences between antenatal and postnatal challenges, with postnatal fathers being confronted by additional challenges. These findings provide valuable insight for health professionals to better target treatment interventions by considering the actual precursors for poor emotional well-being in fathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the experiences of teaching undergraduate psychology students in an Australian context. The degree course the students take has no community or critical units, but it is one of very few in Australia that has a compulsory standalone unit in qualitative methods. While qualitative methods are by no means necessarily inherently critical or community focused, it has presented an opportunity to the teachers of the unit (the authors of this paper). The authors of this paper, who employ community critical methodologies in their research, aim to design teaching which is also grounded in such theory, wherever possible and despite significant limitations. Such teaching is informed by: challenging taken for granted assumptions; deconstruction and problem posing; making things uncomfortable; and relating differently. The paper describes a design of teaching where all the students undertake research projects exploring the research question: "what does psychology offer community?" Following a description of the methodologies and teaching practices, the authors reflect subjectively on their experiences working with the students, on opportunities which arose and on structural boundaries which appear to make community critical methodologies in university teaching very difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]