NCT04203966

Mental Health and Well-being of People Who Seek Help From Their Member of Parliament

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 662 (actual)
• Sponsor: King's College London · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This is an observational study to assess the prevalence of common mental disorders and alcohol use disorders in a population of individuals seeking help from their Member of Parliament (MP) in the UK.

Detailed description

Members of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom (UK) represent the interests of their constituents. Constituents may contact their MP for assistance if they feel that they have been treated unfairly by a government department or agency, have concerns relating to their local area, or are wanting support from their MP for a campaign they are involved in. In order to fulfil their duty to constituents, MPs hold regular surgeries which allow anyone with a concern to meet with them to discuss the issue in question further. Given the role of the MP in representing people who may be in the midst of stressful events, such as a dispute, it is possible that mental health problems may be more prevalent in this population. However, at present MPs are not given any additional training in recognising mental distress, and may not know how to appropriately sign-post people to appropriate supportive services, nor do MPs receive advice in supporting such individuals. To the best of the investigator's knowledge, there have been no prior studies in this area. The findings of this study will inform initiatives to improve MP working practices, to and raise awareness of the mental health challenges faced by their constituents, with the aim of better meeting the mental health needs of constituents who attend MP surgeries in the future.

Conditions

• Common Mental Disorders
• Alcohol Use Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)	Structured validated screening tools to assess for the presence of CMDs, administered to participants who have consented to take part in the study by completing responses either via survey monkey, or if they prefer through paper questionnaires posted to them
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	WHO AUDIT (World Health Organization- Alcohol Use Disorders Inventory Tool)	Structured validated screening tools to assess for the presence of alcohol use disorders, administered to participants who have consented to take part in the study by completing responses either via survey monkey, or if they prefer through paper questionnaires posted to them

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-09-24
• Primary completion: 2019-09-18
• Completion: 2019-09-18
• First posted: 2019-12-18
• Last updated: 2021-03-11

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom