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Description
The overall objective of the project is to improve the quality of life of people with mood disorders (anxiety/depression) through the increase of personal valuation, the assumption of social roles and the improvement of symptoms of depression and anxiety arising from the practice of skilled volunteering. Of the 30 volunteers, 50% are expected to improve their score on the PHQ-9 quality of life scale by the end of December 2023. For this, it is proposed to carry out at least 4 group training sessions, 2 individual Person-Centered Planning sessions and a total of 2100 hours of volunteering. By the end of December 2023, volunteers are expected to increase their self-esteem and sense of competence.
Summary of project results
Nowadays, mental health has become increasingly important in assessing the health of populations, both because of the recognition of its importance in the well-being of the individual and because of the reduction in stigma and social exclusion, which are often associated with marginalisation. In Europe, at the time of the project application, depressive and anxiety disorders were in 4th and 6th place respectively, out of a total of 10 causes of morbidity among disabling health problems. In 2018, almost 10.5 million packets of anxiolytics were consumed. Consumption of antidepressant drugs is on an upward trend, with 8.8 million packs sold in 2018. As a result, Portugal ranked 5th in Europe among the countries analysed in terms of consumption of antidepressant drugs. Given the high prevalence of psychiatric illnesses, the National Health Plan highlighted Mental Health as one of the main focuses of attention for Primary Health Care, which appears to be the first line of response for the diagnosis and treatment of this type of pathology.
Mental health problems have a significant impact on the individual, family and socio-economic levels, which is why it''s important to create initiatives that promote the well-being and social integration of these people, for example by liaising between the health sector and the social sector. Studies show that volunteering, through behavioural activation, promotes not only mental health but also social inclusion, being a way of improving personal appreciation/ satisfaction, physical health, social relationships and the notion of life purpose based on taking on social roles. In addition, in people with psychiatric illnesses, volunteering plays an active role in improving access to the labour market, developing skills, creating new social networks and improving self-esteem and self-confidence through a sense of competence. Although more studies are needed to corroborate this association, it is estimated that volunteering is related to lower levels of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression are the dimensions that best describe the majority of mental health problems in Primary Health Care. This type of disorder is part of the day-to-day consultation of a General Practitioner, who encounters daily challenges in monitoring and providing treatment for these patients. In this way, the proximity of Primary Health Care to its users and the community facilitates the promotion of comprehensive and intersectoral interventions, leading to a closer, more timely and more appropriate response to their needs, thus creating the opportunity for more promising results in terms of quality of life and social inclusion. Hence the importance of establishing a partnership with a Family Health Unit, working directly with health professionals to use volunteering as an opportunity to improve the quality of life of these patients, creating a synergy between the NHS and the community, medical care and social well-being.
The project had 33 beneficiaries, spread over 6 generations according to the recruitment that was carried out opportunistically at General Practitioner consultations. All of them underwent at least 5 hours of training (self-knowledge, empathy, volunteering and psychoeducation), with some completing 8 hours (with Person-Centred Planning sessions to prepare for their volunteering in autonomy, i.e. without being accompanied by a technician). After this training phase, those who wanted to and were available (28) started group volunteering activities according to their interests and skills. The beneficiaries who didn''t take part in voluntary activities made that decision for reasons of illness (periodic treatments, ill health and physical incapacity) or because their CIT/‘sick leave’ had been suspended and they had to return to their work duties. Of these 28, 14 have achieved their autonomy in volunteering, having shown the will, interest and ability to carry out their volunteering autonomously, in organisations of their choice, alone or in pairs, without the support of the PM technician. Three volunteers started the process but didn''t finish the training and left the project (for work reasons).
A total of 1,586 hours of volunteering were carried out in 9 NGOs in the Valongo area, which have welcomed the volunteers. In addition, some of the beneficiaries felt the need to prepare and organise a moment to raise awareness of mental health issues, namely the stigma associated with depression/anxiety, which resulted in the exhibition ‘’Once upon a time (my) mental health‘’, a result not foreseen in the application, but with an extraordinary result in terms of both raising community awareness and empowering the beneficiaries.
The face-to-face training of volunteer technicians in ‘Supported Volunteering Management - How to include people with depression and anxiety in your Volunteering Programme?’ took place in two editions, and a total of 31 people were trained, with very positive feedback. The pre- and post-training questionnaires showed an increase in the level of knowledge specific to this topic and great satisfaction with the format and dynamisation of the sessions.
The project''s methodological guide, which compiles not only the methodology used, but all the lessons learnt from its implementation, ‘Supported Volunteering Methodology Guide: people with depression/anxiety as agents of change’, was launched at an online event on 31 January 2024, attended by over 40 people from all over the country. This is free of charge on PM''s digital platforms and has been distributed in physical format by all the relevant partners.
During the project´s first half, a consultant refreshed the Organisational Diagnosis, since the measures in the Action Plan defined in the previous diagnosis were implemented as part of Project 13+, also supported by the Active Citizens Programme. The refresh of the organisational diagnosis inspired the definition of an action plan and new indicators, which were met in the second half of the project, as well as the registration of the Brand with the EU. All the relevant moments, as well as the results of the project, were publicised on Pista Mágica''s social networks, in line with the project''s communication plan.
Over the course of 12 months, the project set out to improve the quality of life of people with anxiety/depression as a result of volunteering.
Of the 33 participants reported by the organisation, 28 carried out volunteering activities in 9 NGOs in Valongo and only 15 participants did 30 or more hours of volunteering, totalling 1,586 hours of volunteering. Participation and involvement in the project ranged from 1 to 12 months, 5 to 8 hours of training and 3 to 316 hours of volunteering.
At the end of the project, screening tests for symptoms of anxiety and/or depression and questionnaires on the impact of the project on each participant were applied, which led to the conclusion that there had been improvements in 33 participants although without a specific statistical correlation with a higher/lower number of hours of volunteering but with the participation in the project overall.
The results show an unequivocal increase in the feeling of belonging and personal fulfilment, well-being and pleasure felt in activities of daily living; as well as the perception of lower levels of anxiety during the practice of volunteering.