Mental Health Problems of Australian Aged 45-65 Pre-Retirement - Literature review Example

Literature Review on the Mental Health Problems of Australian Aged 45-65 Pre-retirement Name Institution Literature Review on the Mental Health Problems of Australian Aged 45-65 The levels of stress are much higher among working adults and pre-retirement Australians compared to those aged between 66 years and 75 years. Furthermore, the statistics showed that one in five Australians said that the stress levels had a strong impact on their mental health (Casey, 2013). These high stress levels are associated with development of cerebrovascular disease, hypertension, coronary heart disease and mortality (Hamer, Batty, Stamatakis & Kivimaki, 2010; Hamer, Kivimaki, Stamatakis & Batty, 2012; Nabi et al., 2010; Stafford & Berk, 2011). Therefore, mental health disorders are a significant problem affecting the older population since they lower the quality of life and social connectedness (Jacka et al. 2013). The paper will review literature on the mental health problems affecting Australians aged between 45 years and 65 years. The purpose of the systematic review is to reveal the factors contributing to the mental health problems and the challenges in addressing mental health issues among pre-retirement Australians. Methods A search strategy was developed to identify suitable scholarly articles on the topic. A search was conducted on databases such as Medline, PsychINFO, EBSCO Health, PubMed and the National Library of Australia. The search retrieved 1,562 articles related to the topic. The articles were then screened for publication date, quality of abstract and title. Articles that were published after 2010 were considered for the review. In addition, titles that mentioned mental health problems among pre-retirement adults living outside Australia were excluded from the study. Another exclusion criterion was articles published before 2010. This criterion ensured that the review considered current literature on mental health issues among pre-retirement adults in Australia. Inclusion criteria were articles published after 2010, peer-reviewed articles and those whose titles mentioned mental health problems among pre-retirement adults in Australia. The screening narrowed down the results to 20 articles. Sixteen articles were included in the review. Discussion Three categories were identified namely, the prevalence of mental health issues, mental health problems facing pre-retirement adults and challenges in resolving mental health problems among pre-retirement adults. Prevalence of Mental Health Problems among Pre-retirement Adults in Australia A mental health study showed that almost 50% of Australian males have been affected by mental illness. According to Misan (2013), the most common disorders were depression, affective disorder, anxiety and substance abuse disorder. The article showed that adults between 46 years and 65 years had very high levels of psychological distress including depression. High suicide rates were also observed among male adults between 25 years and 45 years in remote regions and among farmers aged between 30 years and 50 years. The strength of the study is it confirmed the prevalence of mental health disorders among the target population. The drawback is that the study did not explain the development on gender equity framework for mental disorder prevention. From a social worker perspective, the study describes how social isolation and determinants (such as life stage) can cause poor health outcomes for elderly Australian males. Brown et al. (2012) observed that Aboriginal populations had high rates of depression and emotional distress. The article reported that senior Aboriginal males had similar depressive symptoms as non-Aboriginal groups but expressed these symptoms as a weak spirit. The findings showed that reasons for the prevalence of depression among senior Aboriginals were lack of social networks, marginalisation, cultural factors and cumulative stress. The strength of the article is that it focused on minority groups in Australia. The weakness is that the article excluded senior Aboriginal females from the study. The article is relevant from a social worker perspective because it highlights socio-cultural aspects contributing to depression among this minority population. Jorm, Bourchier, Cvetkovski and Stewart (2012) concurred that psychological distress was prevalent among the indigenous communities in Australia. In particular, the article showed that older indigenous adults had greater risks of psychological distress as adolescents. The strength of the article is that it focused on mental health issues among indigenous Australians (Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginals) and risk factors for mental illness. The weakness of the article is that it included mental health statistics of younger populations as well as the target population. Nevertheless, the article was relevant to social work because it reveals the inequalities in mental health between the indigenous and the non-indigenous population, and highlights the need for preventive health services for older adults in the indigenous group. Mental Health Problems facing Australian Pre-retirement Adults Brownhill (2014) observed that adults between 45 years and 65 years had different mental health issues and outcomes compared to those aged between 25 years and 45 years. The article reported that the mental health problems for the target population were associated with loss of social bonds, unemployment due to age, reduced income and transition to retirement. The article was useful because it identified that the risk factors for mental illness in the target population. These risk factors were genetic, physical health related, childhood trauma, social isolation, work-related stress, poor socio-economic status and low self-worth (helplessness). The strength of the article was that it discussed the risk factors for mental illness and listed the strategies for promoting positive mental health. The weakness of the article is that it focused on mental health in men. Nevertheless, the findings were relevant to social work because they demonstrate how factors such as health status, life event, physical health, spiritual wellbeing, economic status, educational level, housing, employment and attitudes towards health practitioners or services determine the mental health of Australian males (Brownhill, 2014). Two studies reported that social networks influence the mental health of the target population. Schreiber, Maercker and Renneberg (2010) observed that social factors such as traumatisation hindered individuals from seeking mental health services. Their article on interpersonal traumatisation showed that an individual’s social network and nature of trauma affected their decision to seek mental health support. The strength of the study is that it revealed the social barriers to mental health utilisation among older adults. However, the article did not specifically address the target Australian population. Nevertheless, the article is relevant to social workers because it provides insight into traumatisation and its impact on individual perception towards formal mental health services. Pilkington, Windsor and Crisp (2012) examined the influence of social networks and volunteering on mental health of Australian adults in midlife. Their article confirmed that volunteering increased the number of positive social exchanges and expanded the social networks of the midlife adults. These positive social exchanges had a positive effect on mental and emotional wellbeing. The strength of the article was that it confirmed the importance of social support in lowering the risk of mental illness among the target population. The weakness of the article is that it did not describe the social support aspect in detail. Nevertheless, the article was relevant to social workers because it provides insight into the role of social networks and volunteering in promoting positive mental wellbeing among adults in midlife. Challenges in Addressing Mental Health among Australian Pre-retirement Population Goncalves, Coelho and Bryne (2014) reported that older Australians aged 55 years and above with mental health problems were reluctant to seek assistance. Reasons for this reluctance include lack of contact with a healthcare professional, perception of the health problem and an unmet health need. The strength of the article is that it emphasises the role of psychotherapy and medication in meeting the mental health needs of the target population. The weakness of the article is the low population sample. The article is relevant to social work because it discusses strategies for lowering the reluctance towards mental health services among older Australians. Three studies focused on the barriers to the utilisation of mental health services while another focused on attitudes towards mental health among the older population. Mills, Hooff, Baur and McFarlane (2011) argued that mental health was a problem for older adults because of various factors such as socio-demographics, problems with physical health, childhood trauma. Their epidemiological study showed that age, nature of the affective disorder, type of health issues, rural living, marital status and childhood trauma affected the utilisation of mental health services among older adults in Australia. The strength of the article is that it explained the predictors associated with lower mental health service utilisation and higher mental health problems among Australian adults. The drawback is that the epidemiological sample was restricted to South Australia and that the regression method used could have affected the association between the research variables. McDaid and Park (2011) concurred with Mills et al. on the need to address the predictors affecting the utilisation of mental health services. Their article used data from DataPrev project to show that there was a need to invest in the mental health of the population. Although their study did not focus on Australian older adults exclusively, it provided useful insight into the importance of mental wellbeing and the need for mental health services. Both article were relevant from a social worker perspective they demonstrated the challenges of mental health service use (such as childhood trauma). Markwick, Ansari, Sullivan, Parsons and McNeil (2014) and Gubhaju et al. (2013) looked at barriers of mental health utilisation among indigenous populations in Australia. Their article revealed that barriers for Aboriginal Victorians (such as financial stress, unemployment, food insecurity and lower social capital) contributed to higher prevalence of anxiety and depression. The strength of Markwick’s study was that it focused on mental health challenges for minority populations. However, it included younger populations in the study. The strength of Gubhaju et al. (2013) was that it focused on the mental health status among individuals above 45 years to reveal the greater mental health need among Aboriginals. Both articles were relevant to social work because it calls for evidence-based policies that address the link between the prevalence of anxiety and depression and the health inequalities among Aboriginals. Brown et al. (2013) also examined barriers among Aboriginals. The author revealed that lack of language-based psychological constructs created a language barrier that lowered the use of mental health services. The article was useful because it provides insight into the role of language in developing psychological constructs for testing mental health. However, it focused on minority populations. The article was useful to social workers because it provided an adapted questionnaire for collecting data on mental health of indigenous people. Bryant et al. (2012) examined the attitudes towards mental health. Their cross-sectional study showed that Australian respondents had a positive attitude towards aging. However, those with a negative attitude towards the physical changes from the aging process had higher psychological distress and greater risks of developing mental disorders. Manocha, Black, Sarris and Stough (2011) proposed meditation as a strategy for lowering work-stress, depression and anxiety for full-time workers. The article observed that mediation such as Yoga was effective in dealing with depression and anxiety. The strength of Bryant et al.’s article is that it showed the link between self-perceptions of aging and actual psychological wellbeing. The article’s major weaknesses were low survey return rate and small sample size that affected the generalisabilty of the results. From a social work perspective, Bryant et al. addresses the question whether self-perception/attitudes towards the aging process affect an individual’s psychological wellbeing. Similarly, Manocha et al. (2011) provide an effective strategy for dealing with psychological distress in the target population. Conclusion The purpose of the review was to identify the factors that cause mental health problems and the challenges in addressing mental health issues among pre-retirement Australians. The articles confirmed that psychological distress was prevalent in the 45-65 age group and among indigenous populations in Australia. This distress was caused by social, cultural, economic and psychological factors. The review revealed challenges to mental health utilisation include self-perceptions, traumatisation, negative attitudes and socio-demographic challenges. The articles revealed the need to invest in the mental health of pre-retirement age populations especially males and indigenous adults in Australia. References Brown, A., Scales, U., Beever, W., Rickards, B., Rowley, K., & O’Dea, K. (2012). Exploring the expression of depression and distress in Aboriginal men in central Australia: A qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry, 12, 97. Brown, A., Mentha, R., Rowley, K., Skinner, T., Davy, C., & O’Dea, K. (2013). Depression in Aboriginal men in central Australia: Adaptation of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9. BMC Psychiatry, 13, 271. Brownhill, S. (2014). Practitioners’ guide to men and mental health. Men’s Health Resource Kit 4, Penrith, Western Sydney: Men’s Health Information and Resource Centre. Bryant, C., Bei, B., Gilson, K., Komiti, A., Jackson, H., & Judd, F. (2012). The relationship between attitudes to aging and physical and mental health in older adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 249(10), 1674-1683. Casey, L. (2013). Stress and wellbeing in Australia survey 2013. Melbourne, Victoria: Australian Psychological Society Limited. Goncalves, D., Coelho, C., & Bryne, G. (2014). The use of healthcare services for mental health problems by middle-aged and older adults. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 59(2), 393-397. Gubhaju, L., McNamara, B., Banks, E., Joshy, G., Raphael, B., Williamson, A., & Eades, S. (2013). The overall health and risk factor profile of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants from the 45 and up study. BMC Public Health, 13, 661-668. Hamer, M., Batty, G., Stamatakis, E., & Kivimaki, M. (2010). Hypertension awareness and psychological distress. Hypertension, 56, 547-550. Hamer, M., Kivimaki, M., Stamatakis, E., & Batty, G. (2012). 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