Transportations of space, time and self: the role of reading groups in managing mental distress in the community
| Autor: | Judith Shipman, Laura McGrath |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
media_common.quotation_subject 050109 social psychology Developmental psychology Mental distress Reading (process) Perception Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Qualitative Research media_common Mental Disorders 05 social sciences Dialogical self General Medicine Middle Aged Focus group Mental health Community Mental Health Services Psychiatry and Mental health England Reading Literature Psychotherapy Group 0509 other social sciences Thematic analysis 050904 information & library sciences Psychology Stress Psychological Clinical psychology Qualitative research |
| Zdroj: | Journal of mental health (Abingdon, England). 25(5) |
| ISSN: | 1360-0567 0963-8237 |
| Popis: | Background: The practice of reading and discussing literature in groups is long established, stretching back into classical antiquity. Although benefits of therapeutic reading groups have been highlighted, research into participants’ perceptions of these groups has been limited.\ud Aims: To explore the experiences of those attending therapeutic reading groups, considering the role of both the group, and the literature itself, in participants’ ongoing experiences of distress.\ud Method: Eleven participants were recruited from two reading groups in the South-East of England. One focus group was run, and eight individuals self-selected for individual interviews. The data were analysed together using a thematic analysis drawing on dialogical theories.\ud Results: Participants described the group as an anchor, which enabled them to use fiction to facilitate the discussion of difficult emotional topics, without referring directly to personal experience. Two aspects of this process are explored in detail: the use of narratives as transportation, helping to mitigate the intensity of distress; and using fiction to explore possibilities, alternative selves and lives.\ud Conclusions: For those who are interested and able, reading groups offer a relatively de-stigmatised route to exploring and mediating experiences of distress. Implications in the present UK funding environment are discussed. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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