Associations between health literacy, cognitive function and general literacy in people with schizophrenia attending community mental health clinics in Australia.

Background: Health literacy (HL) has been defined as the ability of individuals to access, understand, and utilise basic health information. HL is crucial to patient engagement in treatment through supporting patient autonomy, informed consent and collaborative care. In people with physical disorders, poor HL is associated with poor health outcomes, but less is known about HL in people with severe mental illness.

Associations Between Work-Related Factors and Psychological Distress Among Construction Workers.

Objective: Identify work-related factors associated with the mental health and well-being of construction workers.

Methods: We completed eight key informant interviews, six worker focus groups, and a survey, informed by the interviews and focus groups, of 259 construction workers on five construction sites. Negative binomial regressions examined associations between psychological distress and work-related factors including safety climate, work-to-family conflict, psychological demands, social support, harassment, and job security.

Prevalence and Predictors of Limited Literacy in Public Mental Health Care.

Literacy is an important predictor of health care utilization and outcomes. We examine literacy among people seeking care in a state funded mental health clinic (Site 1) and a safety-net hospital clinic (Site 2). Limited literacy was defined as literacy at or below the 8th grade level.

Mental Health Stigma and Wellbeing Among Commercial Construction Workers: A Mixed Methods Study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between mental health stigma and wellbeing in a sample of commercial construction workers.

Methods: A sequential quantitative to qualitative mixed methods study was conducted. First, 264 workers were surveyed and logistic regression examined the associations between mental health stigma and psychological distress, substance abuse, and sleep; then, data from eight key informant interviews and six focus groups with workers were analyzed thematically.

What matters: Factors impacting the recovery process among outpatient mental health service users.

Objective: Understanding factors that promote and hinder the recovery process for people living with serious mental illness remains of critical importance. We examine factors, including limited literacy, associated with mental health recovery among public mental health service users.

Method: This study uses data from a mixed-methods, service-user informed project focused on the impact of limited literacy in the lives of people with serious mental illness.

The need for trauma-sensitive language use in literacy and health literacy screening instruments.

The authors recently began a research study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, aimed at increasing the understanding of the ways in which limited literacy affects the lives of people with serious mental illness. In preparing for the study, the authors reviewed many health literacy screens and assessments for their appropriateness in public urban mental health settings. The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, perhaps the most frequently used assessments of health literacy, involve assessments that include lists of words that the test-taker must choose from or read.

What the ANPRM missed: additional needs for IRB reform.

Institutional Review Boards are mandated to carry out the requirements of the Common Rule, and it is widely agreed that they are appropriate and necessary mechanisms to ensure the ethical conduct of human research. In this paper, we suggest that the changes proposed in ANPRM, although generally helpful, fail to take into consideration how IRBs actually review applications and therefore do not adequately address some of the problems that may be leading to ineffective human subject protection.