https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/9153 2026-04-04T23:05:45Z 2026-04-04T23:05:45Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/143993 2026-02-23T14:49:09Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Navigating complexities : social workers’ experiences in providing mental health services to asylum seekers in Malta Abstract: In the recent years, Malta has received a high influx of asylum seekers. Most of these asylum seekers have gone through trauma, which impacts their mental health, which is further worsened by the difficulties faced even after arrival. Social workers are usually their first contact point of help. However, social workers often struggle to assist them due to various challenges. This study aims to capture the lived experiences of social workers in Malta who support asylum seekers with mental health challenges. IPA qualitative approach was employed. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews with six social workers selected through purposive homogeneous sampling. Each interview lasted between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours, which was then transcribed in verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings indicate that uncertainty, lengthy asylum procedures, and inability to access services are major factors that increase mental health challenges of asylum seekers in Malta. Findings also reveal that challenges like limited resources, language barriers, and cultural differences affect the social workers’ ability to support their clients effectively. These challenges not only negatively affect service provision but also contribute to workforce issues like frequent staff turnover, high emotional stress, and high caseloads. Ultimately, this study underscores the importance of addressing cultural and language barriers, increasing resources and workplace support, and reforming policies and provides valuable recommendations to help reduce stigma and improve asylum seekers’ access to mental health services in Malta. Recommendations include greater involvement with interpreters and collaboration with relevant entities, establishing centralised service hub and specialised multidisciplinary team, simplifying the Mental Health Act and mental health care processes, and promoting continuous mental health care even for those who are under appeal or subsequent application process. Description: M.Sc.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/143992 2026-02-23T14:46:44Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Educators' perspectives on non-suicidal self-injuries as experienced by secondary school students Abstract: Background: Mental health disorders among adolescents are estimated to affect 10% to 20% of this population. Additionally, Non-Suicidal Self-Injuries (NSSIs) are a growing concern for this demographic. Despite this alarming rise, no local study on the educators’ perspectives on NSSIs in secondary school students has been conducted to date. This study sought to explore educators’ perspectives on NSSIs experienced by secondary school students. The main objectives were to identify how participating educators viewed their roles in providing support to their students’ challenges in relation to NSSIs; to identify if NSSIs affect youngsters’ lives and academic performance; and to explore whether educators seek more professional development courses to be better equipped to support their students better. Design Methodology: A qualitative research design was used, following the principles underpinning Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Eight educators, three male and five female educators who taught at the Gozo College, Secondary School participated in the research study. Semi-structured interviews were used as a data collecting tool with a purposeful sample of (n=8). The eight in-depth interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. IPA was used to analyse the collected data. Findings and Conclusion: The data analysis yielded three superordinate themes, namely emotional impact behind NSSI; factors related to NSSI; and the need and importance of mental health safety and awareness measures. This dissertation provided an opportunity for educator participants to share their experiences and discuss the way forward to promote better mental health and well-being to better support their students. Description: M.Sc.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/143991 2026-02-23T14:44:08Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Mental health needs of children in Gozo : an exploratory study Abstract: Background: Childhood is a critical period for mental health, marked by rapid biological, psychological, and social development, as well as heightened vulnerability to environmental factors. While the importance of providing supportive environments is well recognised, mental health services in Gozo – like those in many international settings – continue to face challenges, particularly in ensuring consistent accessibility to services and resources. Aim: To explore the mental health needs of children in Gozo from the perspectives of healthcare professionals who work in a psychiatry department in Gozo. Design: A qualitative research design. Method: Five healthcare professionals were recruited through an intermediary who followed the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, and the data was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic framework. Results: The findings identified four key themes: mental health services provisions: accessibility and adequacy, parental barriers in acknowledging and addressing children’s mental health, societal challenges children face in accessing mental health services, and empowering nurses and leaders in mental Health. The findings highlighted gaps in mental health services, resources, and training. It also identified the need for improved collaboration between healthcare and educational settings to reduce stigma and increase awareness. Conclusion: The study provided key insights into the mental health needs of children in Gozo from the professionals' perspectives. This emphasised the need for systemic improvements in service delivery, professional development, community engagement, and leadership. The results are intended to inform practice and policy, to help contribute to better mental health outcomes for children in Gozo. Description: M.Sc.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/143990 2026-02-23T14:36:14Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Co-design in mental health services planning : the perspectives of the stakeholders in Malta Abstract: Background: Despite increasing international endorsement of co-design as a participatory approach in mental health services development, its practical adoption remains inconsistent, particularly in systems historically dominated by hierarchical and medicalised models of care. In Malta, co-design has yet to be systematically implemented, and the emotional, cultural, and structural readiness for such reform is largely unexplored. Objective: This study aimed to explore how co-design could be implemented in the Maltese mental health system by examining the perspectives of key stakeholders, namely service users, healthcare professionals and managers, on the implementation feasibility, perceived benefits and possible barriers. Design: A qualitative, exploratory, single embedded case study design, incorporating withincase analysis, underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm and informed by the frameworks of Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation, the Four Key Elements of Co-Design, Critical Theory and Systems Theory. Setting: Four mental health-service organisations were chosen to carry out this study, which included state-run, private and non-governmental services. Participants: A purposive sample made up of 23 participants was recruited from the different services: 11 service users, 4 managers and 8 healthcare professionals with diverse roles within the mental health sector. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Data were coded using structural coding techniques in ATLAS.ti, with emerging themes examined in relation to the study’s theoretical frameworks. A reflexive, iterative approach was employed throughout the study to ensure transparency, credibility, and emotional sensitivity. Results: Five themes emerged from the findings: (1) Valuing Lived Experience: A Foundation with Fractures, (2) Trust and Psychological Safety: The Emotional Prerequisites, (3) Structural and Logistical Barriers: The Weight of the System, (4) Relational Barriers: Communication Breakdowns and Conflicting Visions, and (5) Motivational Drivers and Perceived Impact of CoDesign. Whilst participants generally expressed support for co-design in principle, embedded mistrust, emotional fatigue, systemic resistance and pragmatic challenges were identified as potential hindrances to meaningful implementation. Service users often prioritised basic needs and emotional safety over participatory involvement, and concerns about tokenism, underrepresentation, and institutional inertia were recurrent. Conclusion: Even if it is theoretically embraced by stakeholders, the study identifies that codesign requires significant systemic transformation for it to move beyond tokenistic engagement and be meaningfully implemented in Malta. The process needs fundamental structural changes, leadership buy-in, emotional readiness and trauma-informed practice. These findings provide a foundational understanding for developing contextually appropriate participatory mental health strategies in Malta. Description: M.Sc.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z