A literature-based intervention for women prisoners: preliminary findings

Shared reading as an intervention to improve health and well-being in adults: a scoping review

Background

Shared reading (SR) is a group reading concept consisting of weekly meetings led by a trained facilitator where literary fiction and poetry is read aloud and discussed. SR requires no previous knowledge or homework and has been tried out as a health intervention to different vulnerable populations.

Objectives

The present study undertook a scoping review of research evaluating SR as an intervention to improve health and/or well-being in adults. The aim was to map the existing knowledge, identify research gaps, and suggest how these gaps can be addressed in future research.

Method

We followed the PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews. Online data bases were searched for publications on SR published between Jan 1, 2005, and Dec 31, 2024. Studies were eligible if they used SR as an intervention for adults, reported outcomes for health and/or well-being, and were published in Danish, English, Norwegian, or Swedish in peer-reviewed journals. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies could be included.

Results

The search returned 179 records. We identified 15 studies, all written in English, that met the inclusion criteria. The studies were conducted in UK (67%; n = 10) and in the Scandinavian countries (33%; n = 5). Participants were mostly vulnerable populations such as people with dementia, mental illness, or chronic pain. The number of included participants varied between 4 and 61. Quantitative data were reported in 47% (n = 7) of the studies, showing improvements in quality of life and well-being and reduced symptoms of depression. Most quantitative studies were limited by small sample sizes and lack of comparison. All but one study (n = 14; 93%) reported qualitative outcomes. The qualitative data showed that the group community was a valued aspect, and participants reported positive outcomes related to health and well-being. In-depth analysis found that participation in SR groups may lead to a renewed sense of personal identity and improved capacity for mentalization.

Conclusion

SR was reported to be a feasible and promising intervention for several groups in different settings. However, available evidence is limited, and research gaps exist. Current findings can serve as a foundation for future studies with larger samples and longer follow-up.

Quantitative methods for group bibliotherapy research: a pilot study

Background

Bibliotherapy is under-theorized and under-tested: Its purposes and implementations vary widely, and the idea that 'reading is good for you' is often more assumed than demonstrated. One obstacle to developing robust empirical and theoretical foundations for bibliotherapy is the absence of analytical methods capable of providing sensitive yet replicable insights into complex textual material. This pilot study offers a proof-of-concept for new quantitative methods including VAD (valence-arousal-dominance) modelling of emotional variance and doc2vec modelling of linguistic similarity.

Methods

VAD and doc2vec modelling were used on conjunction with qualitative coding to analyse transcripts of reading-group discussions plus the literary texts being discussed, from two reading groups each meeting weekly for six weeks (including 9 participants [5 researchers (3 authors, 2 collaborators), 4 others] in Group 1, and 8 participants [2 authors, 6 others] in Group 2).

Results

In-text-discussion similarity was inversely correlated with emotional volatility in the group discussions (arousal: r = -0.25; p = ns; dominance: r = 0.21; p = ns; valence: r = -0.28; p = ns). Enjoyment or otherwise of the texts was less significant than other factors in shaping the significance and potential benefits of participation. (Texts with unpleasant or disturbing content that strongly shaped subsequent discussions of these texts were still able to sponsor 'healthy' discussions of this content.).

Conclusions

Our methods and findings offer for the field of bibliotherapy research both new possibilities for hypotheses to test, and viable ways of testing them. In particular, the use of natural language processing methods and word norm data offer valuable complements to intuitive human judgement and self-report when assessing the impact of literary materials. We also share observations on facilitation protocols, interpretative practices, and how our group reading model differs from other trials of group reading for wellbeing.

Well-being programmes in prisons in England and Wales: a mixed-methods study

PURPOSE

In the past decade, there has been growing awareness of well-being and its importance and an increase in the development of activities or programmes aimed at improving well-being. The purpose of this study is to investigate what well-being programmes were being offered to prisoners in England and Wales and what benefits and other outcomes were experienced.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

The study used a mixed-methods exploratory design in two phases. Phase 1 was a questionnaire survey of all adult prisons in England and Wales, completed by prison staff. In Phase 2, a sample of survey respondents took part in in-depth interviews.

FINDINGS

The programmes identified in Phase 1 included physical activities, creative arts, mindfulness, horticulture, reading and animal-assisted activities. Prison staff reported a range of universally positive outcomes shared by all programmes, including enthusiasm from prisoners, enjoyment of the activities and being able to do something different from the usual prison routine. However, in Phase 2, interviewees rarely mentioned direct health and well-being benefits. The impetus for programmes was varied and there was little reference to national policy on health and well-being; this reflected the ad hoc way in which programmes are developed, with a key role being played by the Well-being Officer, where these were funded.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

The literature on well-being programmes in prisons is limited and tends to focus on specific types of initiatives, often in a single prison. This study contributes by highlighting the range of activities across prisons and elucidating the perspectives of those involved in running such programmes.