Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the physical and mental health of people everywhere. The aim of the study is to understand how people living in 15 countries around the globe experience an unexpected crisis which threatens their health and that of loved ones, and how they make meaning of this disruption in their narratives. Methods: Data were collected through an anonymous online survey during May-September 2020, which was during or just after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, depending on the country. The questionnaire included demographic and three open-ended questions as prompts for stories about experiences during the initial months of the pandemic. The text was analyzed through inductive thematic content analysis and quantified for full sample description, demographic and subsequently international comparisons. Results: The final qualitative dataset included stories from n = 1685 respondents. The sample was 73.6% women and 26.4% men. The mean age of participants was 39.55 years (SD = 14.71). The identified four groups of overarching themes were: The presence and absence of others; Rediscovering oneself; The meaning of daily life; Rethinking societal and environmental values. We discuss the prevalence of each theme for the sample as a whole and differences by demographic groups. The most prevalent theme referred to disruptions in interpersonal contacts, made meaningful by the increased appreciation of the value of relationships, present in (45.6%) of stories. It was more prevalent in the stories of women compared to men (chi(2) = 24.88, p = .001). Conclusions: The paper provides a detailed overview of the methodology, the main themes identified inductively in the stories and differences according to select demographic variables. We identify several major ways of making meaning of the pandemic. The pandemic has impacted many aspects of people's lives which give it meaning, no matter where they live.

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on people the need to find meaning in many unprecedented ways. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how the general Italian population dealt with government restrictions and to understand personal experiences connected with the first wave of the pandemic in light of the personal construct theory (PCT) framework. One hundred and sixteen people (over 18 years old) completed an online survey between May and June 2020. Two independent researchers ran inductive thematic content analysis on data using a specifically developed international codebook. Five major themes were identified in the participants' narrations: difficulties, emotions, coping with lockdown measures, going back to normal, and change. The results, interpreted within the PCT transitions, showed that the pandemic represented a threat to participants' life plans, beliefs, and certainties. Some coped with it mainly by waiting for the pandemic to end and remaining firm in their beliefs and certainties, whereas others coped by trying to find alternative ways of giving sense to this experience and reconstructing personal meanings, claiming a change in their life and in society. Differentiating personal experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic is fundamental for designing personalised strategies to promote well-being.

At a time when the general standard of child welfare and mental health provision has been improving, some important groups in Massachusetts remain under-served. One such is children suffering from trauma. Despite various state-wide efforts to educate professionals about the evidence-based treatments available, trauma sufferers have typically faced long waits to receive these treatments, with average waiting times at some larger mental health agencies stretching to four or even six months. In this brief, we are presenting the implementation of a highly innovative Centralized Referral System – LINK-KID – developed at the Child Trauma Training Center (CTTC) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. LINK-KID referral system connects children in need of evidence-based trauma treatment with mental health providers who have been trained in these treatments.

Childhood trauma is well established as a major public health issue: statistics show that each year in the United States, upwards of one million youth experience violence, trauma and maltreatment and that by age 16 more than 67.8% of children witness or are victims of some type of violence. Almost half of children with a history of trauma do not receive any services because of the wait time and lack of properly trained providers. In this brief researchers from the Child Trauma Training Center (CTTC) show how the training of professionals is a swift and efficient way to impact large numbers of children with trauma histories and ultimately to improve their lives, health, and well-being.

Introduction: Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general population. Higher rates of smoking, alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, obesity, lack of preventive healthcare, and other modifiable risk factors, as well as side effects associated with certain antipsychotic medications, place individuals with SMI at high physical health risk. They are designated a health disparity population by the US National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and as a vulnerable group worldwide by the World Health Organization. While the Internet provides intriguing opportunities to support person-centered health care, web-based resources often convey new barriers and consequently, contribute to greater health disparities for individuals with SMI. Many individuals with disabilities or a chronic illness, report feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and confused using the Internet. Web design accommodations for this population have been recommended, but not generally applied. Methods: Phase one of this three-year project focused on an environmental scan of available resources and needs assessment. We conducted six IRB-approved focus groups (n=42) with individuals with SMI and with health information providers (librarians, researchers and practitioners) with the goal of embracing user experience and design accommodations required for individuals with SMI. Conclusion: Through the results of the focus groups, we identified central themes regarding the general usage of online resources among people with SMI (e.g., types of online sources used, criteria for choosing the appropriate website, types of information searched) as well as themes identifying the specific needs and requirements that this population have in gathering information (e.g., the need for holistic information, suggestions for coping skills, content encouraging hope, and language that avoids labeling and stigma)). We can conclude that people with SMI lack literacy skills on how to appropriately select and use online health information. There is a need for online tools providing holistic information about how to manage physical and mental health.

High unemployment among young adults with serious mental health conditions (SMHCs) should not only be attributed to their mental health conditions. Research should take an intersectional approach where, in addition to looking at mental health condition factors, other indicators of social and demographic inequalities are also taken into account. A Spanish translation of this publication is available for download.

Objectives: A health literacy focused web site review survey was designed as an initial step in a multi-institutional project to build a website for persons with serious mental illness to help them better understand issues relating to their physical health. This presentation will describe the design, testing, implementation and results of this survey tool. Methods: The literature shows that persons with serious mental illness (SMI) approach the use of online health information differently than the general population. In 2015, the University of Massachusetts, in collaboration with other academic medical institutions, received a grant to build a new website for persons with SMI that will teach them how to find high quality online health information and will specifically guide them to information about their physical health. As a first step, the project team created a health literacy based survey tool to evaluate current health websites for their utility with an SMI audience. The survey was designed using and building upon an existing validated instrument. It was administered to experts on mental and physical disease. Results will be used to determine quality indicators of the new site and to selected sites to which it will link. Results: 13 reviewers were identified to complete the survey. Four of the identified participants did not complete the task and others were identified to take their places. Ten participants ultimately completed the surveys. Participants were asked to review between four and five websites focusing on four different topics – cardiovascular health, diabetes, obesity and smoking – all comorbidities with prevalence in the SMI community. The websites were chosen based on Google searches that were performed using examples of layperson searches observed in preliminary focus group activities. The top five non-advertiser-supported sites were included. The survey consisted of 61 questions. The questions were developed using existing open access survey tools (e.g., the DISCERN instrument) and findings on website usage by people with SMI that were discovered in the existing literature. Questions focused on format, navigation, usability and credibility of the sites. Questions were also asked about any etiologic, diagnostic, therapeutic or prognostic information contained in the sites. 65 responses were received. Conclusion: Results of the survey demonstrated a sampling of health websites that met the criteria for effective use with an SMI population. The authors believe that this survey could also be adapted and used as a general comprehensive health website evaluation tool. It will be made available as an open access document.

In 2015, the Lamar Soutter Library and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School received a grant from the National Library of Medicine to design an online tool that will provide persons with serious mental illness a means to acquire resources that will assist them in learning about co-morbidities often faced by this population. One of the first steps in creating this tool is to identify health-related websites that will meet strict quality measures applicable for use by our target audience. To facilitate this process, subject experts with skills in both mental health and physical health have been identified and will be asked to complete a comprehensive survey that will evaluate the identified websites. The survey will address aspects of each website reviewed such as content and credibility, format, usability and interactivity plus the evaluation of etiologic, diagnostic, therapeutic and/or prognostic information contained on the site. This poster will describe the evidence-based methodology used in developing and testing this survey instrument. Preliminary results, discussion of evaluative data and next steps will also be discussed.

The eMental Health Bridges project will promote health literacy by developing, testing, and implementing: 1) eMH4me training modules to provide guidance for individuals with SMI on web-based information searching, judging source and site credibility, and interpreting data; and 2) web site prototypes that will serve as a connection to essential physical health information for individuals living with SMI. eMental Health Bridges will embrace user experience and design accommodations required for individuals with SMI to benefit fully from eHealth resources. A Spanish translation of this publication is available for download.