ABSTRACT Young men's experiences of anxiety remain underexplored within mental health research, despite evidence that a substantial proportion report elevated distress. Recent national data indicate that around 30% of men experience heightened anxiety, yet studies focusing exclusively on young men are scarce. This pilot study addresses this by exploring how young men describe anxiety in everyday life and how distress becomes identifiable and expressible in their social contexts. Methods An online focus group was conducted with five young men aged 19–24, recruited through a UK Young Advisor network. A semi‐structured interview schedule guided the discussion, and reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) interpreted shared meanings in the data. The study took place during a period of heightened population anxiety following the COVID‐19 pandemic, which formed part of the wider context for participants' accounts. Findings Three interconnected themes were developed. Silencing men's anxiety describes how stigma, gendered expectations and anticipated judgement discouraged acknowledgement and disclosure. Literacy gaps for anxiety describe limited shared vocabulary and uncertainty about recognising or explaining distress. Stigma and barriers to help‐seeking describe experiences of dismissal, misrecognition and unclear support routes that made anxiety less visible and harder to communicate. Conclusion Participants reported internalised shame, misrecognition and insufficient support from families and professionals. The findings suggest that counsellors, psychotherapists and youth mental health practitioners may need to attend to indirect anxiety, gendered shame and young men's everyday distress language. Improved emotional literacy within families, educational settings and services may support earlier recognition. As a small pilot study, this work offers initial insight into young men's accounts of anxiety and highlights the value of further research with more diverse samples.
ABSTRACT Background Child sexual abuse (CSA) remains a significant public health and social justice concern, yet the experiences of survivors from racially minoritised communities in the United Kingdom remain underrepresented in research. African and Caribbean women may face additional barriers to disclosure and support due to cultural stigma, honour‐based expectations, racialised stereotypes and systemic inequities within statutory services. Aims This study explored the lived experiences of African and Caribbean female adult survivors of CSA in England and Wales, with particular attention to their interactions with statutory services and the sociocultural factors influencing disclosure, help‐seeking and meaning‐making. The research sought to understand how survivors interpret and navigate cultural, racial and institutional barriers throughout their recovery journeys. Materials and Methods A qualitative research design using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed. Four African and Caribbean female adult survivors of CSA participated in semi‐structured interviews lasting approximately 60–75 min. Interviews generated rich, idiographic accounts of trauma, resilience and identity. Asian survivors were also sought during recruitment; however, none came forward, which emerged as a noteworthy finding in itself. Data were analysed following IPA principles to identify shared and divergent aspects of participants' experiences. Results Analysis identified five superordinate themes: (1) Cultural Silence, Honour and Early Meaning‐Making; (2) Intersectionality and the Burden of Stereotypes; (3) Systemic Barriers and Retraumatisation within Statutory Services; (4) Between Silence and Sanctuary: Gaps in Support Services; and (5) “I Rise”: Resilience, Agency and Post‐Traumatic Growth. Participants described prolonged delays, inadequate communication and repeated recounting of abuse within statutory systems, experiences that often mirrored earlier feelings of powerlessness and retraumatisation. Despite these challenges, survivors demonstrated considerable resilience and highlighted the value of culturally attuned therapeutic support and community understanding. Discussion The findings illustrate how cultural narratives, intersectional identities and systemic inequities shape survivors' experiences of disclosure, engagement with services and recovery. The absence of Asian participants may also reflect particular cultural barriers to participation and disclosure that warrant further investigation. The study highlights the ongoing impact of institutional responses on survivor well‐being and underscores the importance of culturally responsive and trauma‐informed approaches across support services. Conclusion This study contributes to the limited literature on CSA among racially minoritised communities in the United Kingdom. Findings emphasise the need for trauma‐informed, culturally responsive practice within counselling, social care and justice settings. By centring survivors' voices, the research recognises their resilience while offering important insights for improving professional practice, reducing systemic barriers and promoting meaningful change for future survivors.
ABSTRACT Background Adolescents in Lebanon, particularly those affected by displacement, live under challenging conditions shaped by conflict, poverty, uncertainty and disruptions to everyday life. Against this backdrop, ClimbAID developed YouCLIMB, a psychosocial bouldering intervention for adolescents from refugee and host communities. An earlier quantitative study demonstrated significant improvements in well‐being and reductions in psychological distress among participants. Building on these findings, the present qualitative study explored participants' life circumstances as context for their engagement with the intervention, perceived mechanisms of psychosocial change and the transfer of programme‐related learning to everyday life. Methods YouCLIMB is a group‐based, 8‐week programme integrating principles of bouldering therapy and experiential education. Thirty‐eight semi‐structured interviews were conducted with adolescents from Syria, Palestine and Lebanon residing in Central Bekaa. Data were analysed with qualitative content analysis. Results The availability of social support emerged as a key theme of participants' life circumstances, acting as either a resource or a vulnerability. Three mechanisms of change were identified: bouldering as a source of well‐being, social connection in a safe space and the development of problem‐solving and coping strategies. Participants reported multiple transfer effects, indicating that learning experiences at YouCLIMB generalised to enhance their abilities to navigate everyday challenges. Discussion YouCLIMB offered a safe and engaging psychosocial space for fostering both individual and relational growth. As a low‐threshold intervention, structured bouldering programmes may reach adolescents with limited access to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), highlighting a promising pathway for sports‐based mental health interventions in settings affected by displacement and protracted crisis. Trial Registration All procedures were approved by the Antonine University Baabda ethics committee (approval number: 279‐2022) in February 2022, and the study was registered prospectively in April 2022 (ISRCTN13005983)
ABSTRACT Objective Effective treatment of personality disorders (PDs) should target not only symptom reduction but also the enhancement of mental well‐being. Compassion‐Based Positive Psychology Group Intervention (CB‐PPGI) has shown promising effects in other clinical populations, yet little is known about how individuals with PDs experience this intervention. This qualitative study explored participants' motivations for engaging in CB‐PPGI, experienced benefits, perceived mechanisms of change and facilitators and barriers to intervention success. Methods Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants (12 completers, 4 non‐completers) who received CB‐PPGI while awaiting specialised treatment for PDs. Data were analysed using Reflexive Content Analysis. Results Participants were motivated by a desire to restore daily functioning, balance and self‐control. Experienced benefits included a more positive outlook, greater emotional awareness, increased self‐kindness, stronger personal agency, a greater sense of shared humanity, improved balance between activity and rest and reduced stress. Perceived mechanisms of change included group connection, a strengths‐based focus, experiential learning, acceptance and self‐compassion, emotional depth without pressure and a sense of safety fostered by therapist presence. Facilitators and barriers to intervention success included readiness for change, timing, motivation, group composition, trust, resilience and cognitive resources. Conclusion Participants experienced CB‐PPGI as supportive in strengthening agency, emotional awareness, self‐kindness and mental well‐being. These findings suggest that CB‐PPGI may complement established PD treatments by fostering recovery‐oriented and well‐being‐related processes alongside symptom‐focused therapeutic goals.
ABSTRACT Objective Although it is thought likely that clinical supervision places relational and emotional demands on the supervisor, supervisors' emotional and interpersonal experiences when delivering supervision are not well understood. This study investigated these ideas through interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Method Semi‐structured interviews were used to explore eight registered psychologists' experiences of providing clinical supervision. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim for analysis. Results Group experiential themes included supervisor vulnerabilities, inter‐ and intra‐personal processes and the importance of reciprocity. Supervising evoked a strong sense of vulnerability in the participants, something many attempted to mitigate through demonstration of their skill and competency or self‐regulation. Participants also described the fundamental importance of supervisor–supervisee relationships to supervision processes. Positive supervisory relationships engender epistemic trust, where rupture repair can occur readily and reciprocal learning can happen. Conclusion The findings have implications for supervisor training platforms, highlighting the need to further consider interpersonal and relational elements of supervision and acknowledging the feelings of vulnerability that can be engendered, even in experienced supervisors. Interpersonal interactions in an emotive relational space like supervision could be understood through the lens of mentalisation theory.
