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Oral Health Inequalities In Adolescents And Young Adults In Ontario, Maria Rahman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Oral health is consistently linked to physiological, psychological, and social aspects of well-being in adolescents and young adults. In this thesis, I aimed to examine the social determinants of oral health and dental care utilization. First, I conducted a scoping review of the literature, demonstrated the multifaceted nature of oral health and its connections to broader social and economic factors. Then, I conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian Community Health Survey which showed a social gradient in oral health and dental care utilization among adolescents and young adults in Ontario. When stratified by age, there was a protective association …

Describing Healthcare Concerns Of Young People And Adults With Cerebral Palsy, Christina M. Winger

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to identify healthcare concerns of young people and adults with cerebral palsy (CP) in the Transitional and Lifelong Care (TLC) program, and determine whether there were patient factors associated with the number of healthcare concerns. A retrospective chart review of initial TLC consultations was completed (n = 241). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to explore and explain patterns in the sample population. The participants reported a high number of concerns of varied nature that were not easily predicted by condition-specific or demographic variables. This study may better healthcare delivery for young people …

Patterns Of Problem Behaviours Among A Representative Sample Of Youth In Ontario, Chantal Williams

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Behavioural addictions among adolescents are becoming a growing public health concern. It is well established that problem behaviours, particularly substance use behaviours, tend to cluster together. Some research indicates that gambling is associated with substance use, aligning with Problem Behaviour Theory, which suggests that problem behaviours stem from an underlying disposition toward deviance. This study sought to assess whether a) behavioural addictions, including gambling, video gaming and technology use, cluster together and with substance use and b) profiles of problem behaviours are associated with age, race, socioeconomic status, grade achievement, school connectedness, and antisocial behaviour in the total sample and …

Exploring The Relationship Between Early Severity Of Epilepsy And Depressive Symptoms In Youth Ten Years After Diagnosis, Samanpreet Brar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study assessed the association between early severity of epilepsy and subsequent depressive symptoms in youth and the extent to which family and clinical factors mediated this relationship. Data were obtained from the Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy Study, a multi-centre prospective study of children with new-onset epilepsy. A multiple linear regression analysis revealed severity of epilepsy 2 years post-diagnosis to be positively associated with depressive symptoms 10 years post-diagnosis (b=2.10, 95%CI:0.42,3.79). The results of generalized estimating equation models found family functioning, family resources, parental depressive symptoms, and antiepileptic drug use to not be mediators. Five-year seizure …

Fatigue In Children And Adolescents With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Basmah El-Aloul

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Fatigue was recently reported to be the largest predictor of poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The objectives of this thesis were to describe fatigue from patients’ and parents’ perspectives and to explore associations of patient characteristics with fatigue in children and adolescents with DMD using a multicentre cross-sectional study design. Eligible patients and their parents were identified via the Canadian Neuromuscular Disease Registry and received mailed paper questionnaires. Children and adolescents with DMD experienced greater fatigue compared to healthy controls from published data. Fatigue was a significant issue in children …

A Link Between Paediatric Asthma And Obesity: Are They Caused By The Same Environmental Conditions?, Phylicia Gonsalves

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The highly associated paediatric conditions of asthma and overweight have seen dramatic increases over the past few decades. This thesis explored air pollution exposure as a potential underlying mechanism of co-morbid asthma and overweight among adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey were merged with a database containing estimates of air pollution as assessed by particulate matter ≤ 2.5 microns (PM_2.5) concentrations at the postal code centroid in southwestern Ontario. Logistic regression was used to conduct the analysis. Adolescents were more likely to be overweight as PM_2.5 concentrations increased. There was …

Identification Of Participation-Related Activities To Be Used As Part Of The Development Of A Self-Efficacy Questionnaire For Adolescents With Hearing Loss, Sahar S. Zimmo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Investigating self-efficacy beliefs among adolescents with hearing loss is imperative as these perceptions affect a broad range of age-related functioning. Validated self-efficacy questionnaires for use with persons with hearing loss are currently limited to four adult measures. Development of an adolescent-relevant questionnaire aims to quantify self-efficacy for participation in daily activities and to individualize treatment interventions for adolescents with hearing loss.

Developing the self-efficacy questionnaire was based on a scoping literature review to develop a list of activities performed by typically developing adolescents. The questionnaire was piloted on a sample of youth with hearing loss.

The Adolescent Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for …

Rural Heterosexual Female Adolescents' Decision-Making About Sexual Intercourse And Pregnancy In Ontario, Paulina Ezer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Rural areas in Ontario tend to have higher rates of adolescent pregnancy. A constructivist grounded theory methodology was used to gain an in-depth understanding of rural female adolescents’ decision-making process regarding sexual intercourse and their reproductive health, and how they view rural factors and circumstances influencing this process. The adolescent sexual decision-making process that emerged from the analysis involved prioritizing four influences that affect and are affected by the rural context: personal values and circumstances, family values and expectations, friends’ influences, and community influences. Findings will improve our understanding of how rural female adolescents make choices regarding their reproductive health. …

An Exploration Of Parental Experiences With Interventions For Children And Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kaity Gain

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined as a group of pervasive developmental disorders that cause clinically significant impairments in social, occupational and overall functioning. The current body of research highlights the importance of community based interventions, programs and services for this population across their lifespan. This dissertation explores parental experiences with interventions, programs and services for their children and adolescents with ASD.

This dissertation contains three manuscripts in addition to the introductory and concluding chapters. The first manuscript explores the current literature on occupational therapy based interventions for school aged children with ASD. Manuscript two presents the findings of an …