We investigated the most important mental health facilitators and barriers for a Nigerian sample ... more We investigated the most important mental health facilitators and barriers for a Nigerian sample during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected data from 122 participants (72% females) using Online Photovoice (OPV) method. We used Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (OIPA) approach and found nine facilitator themes. The four most reported facilitators were social support (34%); hobbies (26%); creating space for or experiencing enjoyable feelings, bodily sensations, and comfort (25%); and spirituality/religiosity (9%). Nine main barrier themes emerged (e.g. unenjoyable feelings, 53%; COVID-19 restrictions, 30%; inadequate social interaction, 19%; and financial issues, poverty, 18%). We discussed the implication and limitations of the findings.
The pandemic has challenged couples and family relationships and resulted in conflict. Albeit the... more The pandemic has challenged couples and family relationships and resulted in conflict. Albeit the challenges, some positive outcomes on people may have been possibly protecting and repairing their relationships. The current study aimed to explore the potential barriers and facilitators for individuals. Online Photovoice method was applied to 118 individuals, who were in a romantic relationship. Data were analyzed using the Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to identify themes. The findings revealed 16 facilitators and 13 barrier themes. Among those themes, spending more time with the loved ones, finding opportunities to develop spirituality and peace, and using technology to sustain a sense of connectedness, were the most frequently reported facilitators. On the other hand, the most expressed barriers were reported as the Covid-19 restrictions, home confinement, separation from family, and having destructive feelings. Implications for future research and mental health p...
The Muslim population is increasing in the U.S., yet this population has been marginalized due to... more The Muslim population is increasing in the U.S., yet this population has been marginalized due to three main factors: Misinformation or disinformation by the media, the lack of factual understanding regarding Islamic spiritual and religious practice on the part of counseling professionals, and the acts of a very small number of radicals. Thus Muslims avoid being assertive in seeking and staying in counseling due to overt and unintentional discrimination. It is the counseling profession's responsibility to extent its knowledge base and understanding about the issues and concerns of the Muslim community, including the religious and spiritual tenets of Islam. The author has three main goals in this paper. The first one is to cultivate awareness of multicultural and spiritual aspects and their role in the counseling process for Muslim clients. The next one is to enumerate particular tenets of Islam to increase awareness of Muslim spiritual practices and to provide a basic framework ...
The Muslim community in the Southeastern U.S., being a small part of the larger Muslim population... more The Muslim community in the Southeastern U.S., being a small part of the larger Muslim population in the U.S., faces many psychosocial issues and underutilizes mental health services. Muslims’ underutilization of mental health services to address their psychosocial issues affect both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Given today’s highly interconnected world, the issues of one individual or community often impact others in ways not experienced at other times in history. However, there is lack of research on Muslims and especially for those in the Southeastern U.S. regarding their approach toward mental health issues and seeking formal mental health services. Researchers stress the necessity to understand Muslims’ approach toward mental health issues and seeking the services by utilizing well-grounded theories to create and/or shape contextual theoretical frameworks (models). However, few researchers have utilized clear theoretical frameworks to ground their studies, which creates an un...
School bullying is a serious psychosocial problem due to its detrimental effects on youth school ... more School bullying is a serious psychosocial problem due to its detrimental effects on youth school functioning and adjustment. The present study explored the effects of victimization and perpetration experiences on positive psychological orientations, mental health problems, and subjective wellbeing in high school students. Participants of the study included 456 adolescents studying in two public high schools in a city of Turkey. They were 52.5% (239) female and 47.5% (217) male, and their ages ranged between 13 and 19 years (M = 15.53, SD = 1.13). Findings from the analyses indicated that adolescents in victim and perpetrator groups reported significantly fewer positive psychological orientations, diminished subjective wellbeing, and greater emotional and behavioral problems compared with their non-involved peers. Further outcomes revealed that positive psychological orientations mediated the link between school bullying and mental health problems as well as wellbeing, suggesting the importance of these constructs in developing effective intervention strategies to prevent school bullying and promote youth mental health and wellbeing in school settings.
Muslims across the word underutilize mental health services for addressing their wellbeing and bi... more Muslims across the word underutilize mental health services for addressing their wellbeing and biopsychosocial, spiritual, and contextual issues. By 2030, the global Muslim population is expected to reach 2.2 billion people. This indicates that Muslim mental health is gaining importance and would require contextually (i.e., spiritually, culturally, empirically) more effective services. Practitioners used Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Ecological Systems Theory (EST) to promote wellbeing and address psychopathology for diverse groups. However, rigorous and comprehensive literature from 1986 to 2019 did not produce research addressing how ACT could be consumed to serve Muslims. Researchers in Muslim mental health have suggested benefitting from EST yet only few have mentioned using ACT. ACT is one of the most effective therapies based on randomized control trials to enhance wellbeing and address psychopathology. The main purposes of this paper are to (a) explain how ACT i...
There are three main research goals in this study including (a) understanding the most important ... more There are three main research goals in this study including (a) understanding the most important facilitators (support, strength) and complicators (barrier, concern, issues, problems) for online or distance education during COVID-19 from the unique perspective of college students, academicians, and teachers through Online Photovoice (OPV); (b) advocating with the volunteer participants and partners as allies to share the results with the key people and institutions through online avenues to enhance facilitators and address complicators; and finally, (c) investigating participants’ attribution of facilitators and complicators based on Ecological Systems Theory (EST) levels. The researchers utilized the adapted Turkish version of OPV to collect and used Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (OIPA) to analyze the data. Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) grounded in EST constructed the theoretical framework for the research. In total, 115 participants completed and ...
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is currently a global health threat attributed to negatively ... more The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is currently a global health threat attributed to negatively affecting the mental health and well-being of people globally. The purpose of the present study is to examine the mediating role of optimism-pessimism and psychological inflexibility in the relationship of coronavirus stress with psychological problems among Turkish adults. The sample of the study included 451 adults (55% women). Participants mainly consisted of young adults with a mean age of 23.30 years, ranging from 18 to 65 years (SD= 6.97). A mediation model indicated that coronavirus stress had a significant predictive effect on optimism-pessimism, psychological inflexibility, and psychological problems. Further, optimism-pessimism and psychological inflexibility mediated the effect of coronavirus stress on psychological problems in adults. Lastly, optimism-pessimism predicted the psychological problems of adults through psychological inflexibility. These results elucidate our unde...
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) became a pandemic and is causing unprecedented biopsychosocial, sp... more Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) became a pandemic and is causing unprecedented biopsychosocial, spiritual and economic issues across the world while mostly affecting unprivileged populations. Turkey has gradually implemented new regulations, which slowly affected the entire country and increased the need for mental health services disproportionally. We conducted a comprehensive literature review on mental health in Turkey during COVID-19. There was no well-grounded peer-reviewed manuscripts or projects utilized a framework. Therefore, we wrote this manuscript to provide a conceptual framework grounded in ecological systems theory, acceptance and commitment therapy, and community-based participatory action research to introduce contextually evidence-based online mental health services: hotline, psychiatric interview, counseling, and Read-Reflect-Share group bibliotherapy. The framework aims to (1) address biopsychosocial spiritual and economic issues, (2) enhance wellbeing, and (3) em...
International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies
In this study, the researchers (i) determined the perception levels of candidate teachers about S... more In this study, the researchers (i) determined the perception levels of candidate teachers about Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD) using Online Photovoice (OPV) methodology, (ii) shared the research results with relevant researchers and practitioners in order to contribute to increase the knowledge level of candidate teachers about SLD, and finally (iii) discussed the results of the research in order to lay the groundwork for more meaningful and useful research and services. OPV technique was used in the data collection phase, and Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (OIPA) was used in the data analysis phase. A total of 367 teacher candidates studying in different teaching programs participated in the study; the answers of 42 students were removed from the analysis for various reasons, and the remaining 325 students formed the final sample. The participants were asked about the most important factor/concept that defines SLD in order to measure their perceptions about S...
Terapide mudahale teknikleri gun gectikce cesitlilik arz etmektedir. Herhangi bir terapi kuramind... more Terapide mudahale teknikleri gun gectikce cesitlilik arz etmektedir. Herhangi bir terapi kuraminda hangi tekniklerin kullanildigi ve nasil kullanildiginin iyi bilinmesi alanda calisan uzmanlarin isini kolaylastirici bir rolu olacagi varsayilmaktadir. Bu perspektiften yola cikilarak, soz konusu bu calismada hem bireysel hem de cift terapilerinde kullanilan paradoksal mudahale teknikleri irdelenmistir. Calismanin temel amaclarindan birisi, ruh sagligi uzmanlarinin terapide paradoksal mudahale tekniklerinin arka plani hakkinda detayli bilgi edinmelerini saglamaktir. Bir diger onemli amac ise paradoksal mudahale tekniklerinin nasil kullanildigi, hangi istenmeyen davranislar uzerinde daha etkili oldugunu sistematik bir sekilde ele alarak, ruh sagligi uzmanlarinin bu mudahalelerden faydalanmasini saglamaktir. Paradoksal mudahale teknikleri, danisanlarin yasadiklari problemlere farkli (mizah, abartma, umutsuzca bakma, yaratici umutsuzluk gibi) bakis acilarindan yaklasarak problemle ilgili ...
In this study, psychological well-being and life satisfaction were used as predictors of quality ... more In this study, psychological well-being and life satisfaction were used as predictors of quality of life. In addition, quality of life, psychological well-being and life satisfaction were examined according to demographic variables.According to the analyses, the quality of life, life satisfaction and psychological well-being differed significantly according to satisfaction with college major. Quality of life, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being did not differ significantly based on community membership, accommodation style, frequency of technology use, and number of friends. While the quality of life and life satisfaction levels did not differ significantly with respect to time spent for sleeping, psychological well-being levels were found to differ significantly. There was a positive and medium level relationship between quality of life and life satisfaction, a positive and medium level between quality of life and psychological well-being, and a positive and medium leve...
We investigated the most important mental health facilitators and barriers for a Nigerian sample ... more We investigated the most important mental health facilitators and barriers for a Nigerian sample during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected data from 122 participants (72% females) using Online Photovoice (OPV) method. We used Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (OIPA) approach and found nine facilitator themes. The four most reported facilitators were social support (34%); hobbies (26%); creating space for or experiencing enjoyable feelings, bodily sensations, and comfort (25%); and spirituality/religiosity (9%). Nine main barrier themes emerged (e.g. unenjoyable feelings, 53%; COVID-19 restrictions, 30%; inadequate social interaction, 19%; and financial issues, poverty, 18%). We discussed the implication and limitations of the findings.
The pandemic has challenged couples and family relationships and resulted in conflict. Albeit the... more The pandemic has challenged couples and family relationships and resulted in conflict. Albeit the challenges, some positive outcomes on people may have been possibly protecting and repairing their relationships. The current study aimed to explore the potential barriers and facilitators for individuals. Online Photovoice method was applied to 118 individuals, who were in a romantic relationship. Data were analyzed using the Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to identify themes. The findings revealed 16 facilitators and 13 barrier themes. Among those themes, spending more time with the loved ones, finding opportunities to develop spirituality and peace, and using technology to sustain a sense of connectedness, were the most frequently reported facilitators. On the other hand, the most expressed barriers were reported as the Covid-19 restrictions, home confinement, separation from family, and having destructive feelings. Implications for future research and mental health p...
The Muslim population is increasing in the U.S., yet this population has been marginalized due to... more The Muslim population is increasing in the U.S., yet this population has been marginalized due to three main factors: Misinformation or disinformation by the media, the lack of factual understanding regarding Islamic spiritual and religious practice on the part of counseling professionals, and the acts of a very small number of radicals. Thus Muslims avoid being assertive in seeking and staying in counseling due to overt and unintentional discrimination. It is the counseling profession's responsibility to extent its knowledge base and understanding about the issues and concerns of the Muslim community, including the religious and spiritual tenets of Islam. The author has three main goals in this paper. The first one is to cultivate awareness of multicultural and spiritual aspects and their role in the counseling process for Muslim clients. The next one is to enumerate particular tenets of Islam to increase awareness of Muslim spiritual practices and to provide a basic framework ...
The Muslim community in the Southeastern U.S., being a small part of the larger Muslim population... more The Muslim community in the Southeastern U.S., being a small part of the larger Muslim population in the U.S., faces many psychosocial issues and underutilizes mental health services. Muslims’ underutilization of mental health services to address their psychosocial issues affect both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Given today’s highly interconnected world, the issues of one individual or community often impact others in ways not experienced at other times in history. However, there is lack of research on Muslims and especially for those in the Southeastern U.S. regarding their approach toward mental health issues and seeking formal mental health services. Researchers stress the necessity to understand Muslims’ approach toward mental health issues and seeking the services by utilizing well-grounded theories to create and/or shape contextual theoretical frameworks (models). However, few researchers have utilized clear theoretical frameworks to ground their studies, which creates an un...
School bullying is a serious psychosocial problem due to its detrimental effects on youth school ... more School bullying is a serious psychosocial problem due to its detrimental effects on youth school functioning and adjustment. The present study explored the effects of victimization and perpetration experiences on positive psychological orientations, mental health problems, and subjective wellbeing in high school students. Participants of the study included 456 adolescents studying in two public high schools in a city of Turkey. They were 52.5% (239) female and 47.5% (217) male, and their ages ranged between 13 and 19 years (M = 15.53, SD = 1.13). Findings from the analyses indicated that adolescents in victim and perpetrator groups reported significantly fewer positive psychological orientations, diminished subjective wellbeing, and greater emotional and behavioral problems compared with their non-involved peers. Further outcomes revealed that positive psychological orientations mediated the link between school bullying and mental health problems as well as wellbeing, suggesting the importance of these constructs in developing effective intervention strategies to prevent school bullying and promote youth mental health and wellbeing in school settings.
Muslims across the word underutilize mental health services for addressing their wellbeing and bi... more Muslims across the word underutilize mental health services for addressing their wellbeing and biopsychosocial, spiritual, and contextual issues. By 2030, the global Muslim population is expected to reach 2.2 billion people. This indicates that Muslim mental health is gaining importance and would require contextually (i.e., spiritually, culturally, empirically) more effective services. Practitioners used Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Ecological Systems Theory (EST) to promote wellbeing and address psychopathology for diverse groups. However, rigorous and comprehensive literature from 1986 to 2019 did not produce research addressing how ACT could be consumed to serve Muslims. Researchers in Muslim mental health have suggested benefitting from EST yet only few have mentioned using ACT. ACT is one of the most effective therapies based on randomized control trials to enhance wellbeing and address psychopathology. The main purposes of this paper are to (a) explain how ACT i...
There are three main research goals in this study including (a) understanding the most important ... more There are three main research goals in this study including (a) understanding the most important facilitators (support, strength) and complicators (barrier, concern, issues, problems) for online or distance education during COVID-19 from the unique perspective of college students, academicians, and teachers through Online Photovoice (OPV); (b) advocating with the volunteer participants and partners as allies to share the results with the key people and institutions through online avenues to enhance facilitators and address complicators; and finally, (c) investigating participants’ attribution of facilitators and complicators based on Ecological Systems Theory (EST) levels. The researchers utilized the adapted Turkish version of OPV to collect and used Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (OIPA) to analyze the data. Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) grounded in EST constructed the theoretical framework for the research. In total, 115 participants completed and ...
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is currently a global health threat attributed to negatively ... more The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is currently a global health threat attributed to negatively affecting the mental health and well-being of people globally. The purpose of the present study is to examine the mediating role of optimism-pessimism and psychological inflexibility in the relationship of coronavirus stress with psychological problems among Turkish adults. The sample of the study included 451 adults (55% women). Participants mainly consisted of young adults with a mean age of 23.30 years, ranging from 18 to 65 years (SD= 6.97). A mediation model indicated that coronavirus stress had a significant predictive effect on optimism-pessimism, psychological inflexibility, and psychological problems. Further, optimism-pessimism and psychological inflexibility mediated the effect of coronavirus stress on psychological problems in adults. Lastly, optimism-pessimism predicted the psychological problems of adults through psychological inflexibility. These results elucidate our unde...
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) became a pandemic and is causing unprecedented biopsychosocial, sp... more Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) became a pandemic and is causing unprecedented biopsychosocial, spiritual and economic issues across the world while mostly affecting unprivileged populations. Turkey has gradually implemented new regulations, which slowly affected the entire country and increased the need for mental health services disproportionally. We conducted a comprehensive literature review on mental health in Turkey during COVID-19. There was no well-grounded peer-reviewed manuscripts or projects utilized a framework. Therefore, we wrote this manuscript to provide a conceptual framework grounded in ecological systems theory, acceptance and commitment therapy, and community-based participatory action research to introduce contextually evidence-based online mental health services: hotline, psychiatric interview, counseling, and Read-Reflect-Share group bibliotherapy. The framework aims to (1) address biopsychosocial spiritual and economic issues, (2) enhance wellbeing, and (3) em...
International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies
In this study, the researchers (i) determined the perception levels of candidate teachers about S... more In this study, the researchers (i) determined the perception levels of candidate teachers about Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD) using Online Photovoice (OPV) methodology, (ii) shared the research results with relevant researchers and practitioners in order to contribute to increase the knowledge level of candidate teachers about SLD, and finally (iii) discussed the results of the research in order to lay the groundwork for more meaningful and useful research and services. OPV technique was used in the data collection phase, and Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (OIPA) was used in the data analysis phase. A total of 367 teacher candidates studying in different teaching programs participated in the study; the answers of 42 students were removed from the analysis for various reasons, and the remaining 325 students formed the final sample. The participants were asked about the most important factor/concept that defines SLD in order to measure their perceptions about S...
Terapide mudahale teknikleri gun gectikce cesitlilik arz etmektedir. Herhangi bir terapi kuramind... more Terapide mudahale teknikleri gun gectikce cesitlilik arz etmektedir. Herhangi bir terapi kuraminda hangi tekniklerin kullanildigi ve nasil kullanildiginin iyi bilinmesi alanda calisan uzmanlarin isini kolaylastirici bir rolu olacagi varsayilmaktadir. Bu perspektiften yola cikilarak, soz konusu bu calismada hem bireysel hem de cift terapilerinde kullanilan paradoksal mudahale teknikleri irdelenmistir. Calismanin temel amaclarindan birisi, ruh sagligi uzmanlarinin terapide paradoksal mudahale tekniklerinin arka plani hakkinda detayli bilgi edinmelerini saglamaktir. Bir diger onemli amac ise paradoksal mudahale tekniklerinin nasil kullanildigi, hangi istenmeyen davranislar uzerinde daha etkili oldugunu sistematik bir sekilde ele alarak, ruh sagligi uzmanlarinin bu mudahalelerden faydalanmasini saglamaktir. Paradoksal mudahale teknikleri, danisanlarin yasadiklari problemlere farkli (mizah, abartma, umutsuzca bakma, yaratici umutsuzluk gibi) bakis acilarindan yaklasarak problemle ilgili ...
In this study, psychological well-being and life satisfaction were used as predictors of quality ... more In this study, psychological well-being and life satisfaction were used as predictors of quality of life. In addition, quality of life, psychological well-being and life satisfaction were examined according to demographic variables.According to the analyses, the quality of life, life satisfaction and psychological well-being differed significantly according to satisfaction with college major. Quality of life, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being did not differ significantly based on community membership, accommodation style, frequency of technology use, and number of friends. While the quality of life and life satisfaction levels did not differ significantly with respect to time spent for sleeping, psychological well-being levels were found to differ significantly. There was a positive and medium level relationship between quality of life and life satisfaction, a positive and medium level between quality of life and psychological well-being, and a positive and medium leve...
In this study, the researchers (i) determined the perception levels of candidate teachers about S... more In this study, the researchers (i) determined the perception levels of candidate teachers about Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD) using Online Photovoice (OPV) methodology, (ii) shared the research results with relevant researchers and practitioners in order to contribute to increase the knowledge level of candidate teachers about SLD, and finally (iii) discussed the results of the research in order to lay the groundwork for more meaningful and useful research and services. OPV technique was used in the data collection phase, and Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (OIPA) was used in the data analysis phase. A total of 367 teacher candidates studying in different teaching programs participated in the study; the answers of 42 students were removed from the analysis for various reasons, and the remaining 325 students formed the final sample. The participants were asked about the most important factor/concept that defines SLD in order to measure their perceptions about SLD. Thirteen main themes were created regarding the most important factor/concept that defined SLD; the most important main themes and percentages were as follows: It is a situation in which the individual has difficulties in cognitive (reading, writing and mathematics) skills (51%), a situation that needs support (16%), and a situation that causes differences in learning style (12%). At the end of the study, the researchers made suggestions to the relevant researchers and practitioners in order to increase their knowledge level about SLD. With this research, the researchers used the OPV technique for the first time in the field of SLD, and they brought a new breath to future research.
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Papers by Ahmet Tanhan