Health and wellbeing

Improving the health and wellbeing of Deaf sign language users has been a core theme in our research work for the past 10 years. This includes evidence-based evaluations of interventions, development and validation of standard instruments in BSL, and the development and testing of new service provision.

 
Our work has focussed on primary mental health care, common mental health problems and dementia. The titles of the relevant research projects are listed below and you click on each to be taken to its detailed description, its major academic outputs, and its general resources for service users and service providers. Access to the BSL standard psychological/health instruments can be found in the Resources section.

Projects and research outcomes included in this section are:

• Deaf people and mental wellbeing: Exploring and measuring mental wellbeing in British Sign Language
• The Translation of Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7, and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale into British Sign Language, Followed by a Pilot Study.
• Evaluating the Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of BSL (British Sign Language) IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies)
• Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) in British Sign Language (BSL)
• Telemedicine as a Treatment for Deaf people with common mental health problems who use British Sign Language: A Mixed Methods Feasibility Study
• Consultation with Deaf People with Dementia in Northern Ireland.
• Neighbourhoods and Dementia: A Mixed Methods Study.
• Overcoming Obstacles to the Early Identification of Dementia in the Signing Deaf Community.
• Deaf Life Narratives in Times of Transition: Towards a cross-cultural instrument for life story telling
• Translating the Deaf Self.
• Translating the Deaf Self: Engagement and Exploration through Artistic Transformations.