A Study On Enhancing Mental Health Of Physically Disabled Groups In Poor Areas

Mental health enhancing for disability groups has long been an important topic in social work.Physical disability is the first major category of disability in China,accounting for more than 80%of the total number of people with disabilities.For individuals with physical disabilities,in addition to the physical health threats associated with impaired physical function,there are also mental and social challenges.Compared to the able bodied,individuals with physical disabilities are more likely to experience mental distress,such as depression,and mood disorders.This situation is exacerbated by the lack of professional and institutional help for the individuals with physical disabilities in some poor areas facing mental health difficulties.Individuals with physical disabilities are also faced with issues of social exclusion and social stigma.The low frequency of social activities due to physiological impairment and generally poor mental state further discourages social integration of this group,which in turn exacerbates the mental health crisis.As an important influencing factor of social support and physiological health,intervention and enhancement of mental health has positive significance to enhance social support and improve physiological health.Therefore,it is urgent to improve the mental health of physically disabled people in poor areas.Two sub-studies were conducted with the physically disabled group as the target populationand mental health promotion as the ultimate goal.Study 1 used a scoping review approach to search and filter the literature using "physical disability," "mental health," and "intervention" as keywords.The purpose of this was to explore the existing intervention studies focusing on this area,to summarize the relevant intervention strategies to extract strengths and weaknesses,and to develop a more applicable intervention strategy to enhance the mental health of the physically disabled population.After screening,a total of 45 papers were included in Study 1.It was found that(1)there is already a certain research base on mental health interventions for individuals with physical disabilities;(2)the use of integrated intervention strategies has gradually become the mainstream trend;(3)the measures of mental health cover various dimensions such as emotion,cognition,quality of life,social support,and subjective well-being.However,there are still shortcomings such as(1)the need for innovation in intervention theories;(2)the lack of deeper mental health indicators;(3)the lack of adequate exploration and measurement of individuals’intrinsic motivation.Based on Study 1,Study 2 constructed Strength-based Meaning Intervention(SMI)and used it as a theoretical guide for intervention practice.The intervention consisted of three stages:exploration,insight,and implement.Participants were first guided to discover their strengths and explore where they played their strengths in meaningful events.Secondly,they participated in activities composed of meaning and discovered the link between strengths and meaning.Finally,they made plans to use their strengths to achieve meaning,and achieved the internalization of strengths and meaning.After the intervention,the intervention group showed significant improvements in strengths knowledge,strengths use,and sense of meaning in mental health.