Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project

Post date: Feb 13, 2013 4:25:49 PM

Policy

Review

These linked reports (and the associated scientific research), provide an in-depth analysis of the challenges, issues and economic impacts of mental capital and wellbeing, and make clear recommendations for future government policy and for further research. The Executive Summary (October 2008) provides a useful overview of the whole project and its findings. It and its feeder reports can be downloaded from the government's BIS website archive at:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.bis.gov.uk/foresight/our-work/projects/current-projects/mental-capital-and-wellbeing

where contributing scientific reports and findings can also be found, which makes this a very useful resource for those interested in evidence-based policy around wellbeing. The summary includes all the main findings, but you can find more detail in the individual reports. There is also a linked report commissioned to inform the project: Five Ways to Wellbeing by the New Economic Foundation (nef, 2008) identifies five simple wellbeing messages along the lines of the 5-a-day healthy eating promotion, which are described as 'key to the promotion of “positive mental health”' (p.23).

The Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project is a government commissioned project which is concerned with the wellbeing of individuals and of society as a whole, and measures which could improve wellbeing and promote 'flourishing'. It aims to make recommendations to government on the basis of scientific evidence. They conclude that:

'Mental capital and wellbeing … are vitally important for the healthy functioning of families, communities and society. Together they fundamentally affect behaviour, social cohesion, social industry and our prosperity.' (MCW, 2008, p.10)

Recommendations include:

• Promotion of mental capital and mental wellbeing for everyone (the Five Ways to Wellbeing have been developed for this purpose)
• Better use of scientific evidence to plan centrally coordinated, cross-government interventions that affect mental capital and wellbeing and to assess the impact of policies on social inclusion and social cohesion.

Priorities identified relate to the life stages (from pre-natal through to older people) include:

• educating children
• a focus on positive mental health (and not solely on mental illness)
• policies related to key life areas affecting wellbeing; for example, work-life policies should have 'a more conscious focus on reducing stress and pressures at work' (MCW, 2008, p.32)
• actively promoting wellbeing in older people (for example in enhancing mental capital and reserve for the reduction of dementia risk) and establishing protective lifestyles for those in middle age

The final sentence of the Executive Summary emphasises the importance of policy whuch takes account of its impact on wellbeing , when it states:

'This central importance of mental capital and wellbeing to the future of individuals and to wider UK society argues strongly for them to be considered at the heart of policy development in the UK.' (MCW, 2008, p.47)

Academic interest

These reports are academically rigorous with detailed supporting evidence available online on the BIS project website. The reports themselves are referenced throughout with footnotes and a full reference section. Within the reports, methodology, choices, evidence and conclusions are clearly explained and referenced. These reports are therefore extremely relevant to academics and researchers.

Practitioners

The 'Five Ways to Wellbeing' on page 23 of the executive summary provide a tool for employers; educators; policy-makers; health practitioners, including mental health practitioners; and service providers. They are relevant to anyone involved in community initiatives, inclusion and social cohesion projects. Practitioners would also find the nef (New Economics Foundation) 'Five Ways to Wellbeing' evidence and report documents useful. They continue to influence government policy-making.

Self-helpers

These reports are not designed for self-helpers.

Best Bits

The project examines wellbeing throughout life, identifying the importance of building mental capital at all stages of life. In terms of dementia, the importance of building mental capital in mid-life and later years is emphasised, as it can help to protect against dementia. The concept of mental capital is defined as

“the totality of an individual's cognitive and emotional resources, including their cognitive capability, flexibility and efficiency of learning, emotional intelligence (e.g. empathy and social cognition), and resilience in the face of stress.” (Kirkwood et al, 2008, p.7)

Workplace recommendations:

'Employers should be encouraged to foster work environments that are conducive to good mental wellbeing and the enhancement of mental capital... [they] should therefore be encouraged to carry out an annual stress and wellbeing audit, and to act on the findings.' (Dewe & Kompier, 2008, p.28)

Regarding workplace bullying, the project identified 'a fine line between firm autocratic management styles and bullying ' (CIPD, 2005 in WW , 2008 p 41-2) and concluded that:

'..“work-life” policies should have a more conscious focus on reducing stress and pressures at work.' (ibid p32)

and that we should '...design jobs to optimise engagement' – the term for the state of 'flow' described by Csikszentmihalyi (ibid, p 43)

Their findings indicate that work conditions are vitally important to wellbeing and that:

'..the potential for dissatisfaction and stress are at their greatest when jobs constrain: the control that employees exercise over their work; the flexibility to manage their working arrangements; the challenges they get from work; their engagement at work; and the spill-over between work and life.' (ibid, p.43)

A significant conclusion concerns the economic value of political investment in mental capital and wellbeing:

'The final Project report demonstrates a clear economic case and... there are cost effective measures it [Government] can take where economic and social benefits are likely to significantly exceed the costs involved.' (Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project, 2008, p.39).

About the authors

The Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project was commissioned to report to the then Department of Business, Innovation, Universities and Skills in 2008. It was overseen by labour MP John Denham (then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) who received the Project on behalf of DIUS. Bill Rammell MP, formerly Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education sponsored the Project and chaired the Project High Level Stakeholder Group, which advised the project. An Expert Advisory Group helped ensure that the highest quality science was used in the work. Professor John Beddington was the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government was the Project Director; Professor Cary Cooper CBE , pro-vice-chancellor at the University of Lancaster, chaired the Project's Science Co-ordination team. Each report has named authors, and correct citation in indicated in each.

References:

Dewe, P. and Kompier, M. (2008) Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project.Wellbeing and Work: Future challenges. London: The Government Office for Science.

Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project (2008) Final Project Report: Executive Summary. London: Government Office for Science.

Jenkins, R., Meltzer, H., Jones, P.B., Brugha, T., Bebbington, P., Farrell, M., Crepaz-Keay, D., and Knapp, M. (2008) Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project. Mental Health: Future Challenges. London: The Government Office for Science.

Kirkwood, Tom; Bond, John; May, Carl; McKeith, Ian; Teh, Min-Min. (2008) Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project. Mental Capital Through Life: Future Challenges. London: The Government Office for Science.