Digital Commons Network^™

Predicting Patterns Of Service Utilization Within Children's Mental Health Agencies, Graham J. Reid, Shannon L. Stewart, Melanie Barwick, Jeffrey Carter, Alan Leschied, Richard W.J. Neufeld, Jeff St. Pierre, Juliana I. Tobon, Evelyn Vingilis, Gregory S. Zaric

Paediatrics Publications

Background: Some children with mental health (MH) problems have been found to receive ongoing care, either continuously or episodically. We sought to replicate patterns of MH service use over extended time periods, and test predictors of these patterns. Methods: Latent class analyses were applied to 4 years of visit data from five MH agencies and nearly 6000 children, 4-to 13-years-old at their first visit. Results: Five patterns of service use were identified, replicating previous findings. Overall, 14% of cases had two or more episodes of care and 23% were involved for more than 2 years. Most children (53%) were seen …

Assessing Self-Identified And Meta-Perceived Social Groups For Predicting Day-To-Day Discrimination And Examining Psychological Distress Based On Identity Mismatch, Emily C. Nunez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The way that people are socially assigned may influence how they are targeted for discrimination. Whether self-identified (SI) or meta-perceived (MP) (i.e. perceptions of how one is classified by others) and visibly expressed (VE) (e.g. clothing) social identity better predict day-to-day discrimination is an important question that has not been addressed in previous research. Identity mismatch based on SI and MP social groups may cause psychological distress, and racial ambiguity may contribute to ethnoracial identity mismatch. This thesis utilized a cross-sectional survey conducted in Canada and the United States to assess how levels of day-to-day discrimination varied based on SI …

Adolescents’ Perceptions And Responses To Peer Mental Health Challenges And Problematic Behaviours Following A Social-Emotional Learning Program, Jessica Sommers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Vulnerable youth may be more susceptible to developing problematic behaviours and mental health challenges, including anxious and depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, substance misuse, and unhealthy relationships. Social-emotional learning programs like The Healthy Relationships Plus Program (HRPP) can foster positive youth development by including training on mental health literacy, developing skills in help-seeking, and providing opportunities to practice difficult conversations. This study explored youth’s responses to hypothetical challenges faced by peers with a group of sixty-three adolescents who had participated in the HRPP. Responses to four distinct scenarios were collected to examine youths’ perceptions of various challenges and problematic behaviours, including …

The Interrelated Nature Of Trauma: Exploring The Narratives Of Persons Living With A Family Member Who Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Emily Johnson

MA Research Paper

The study of the relationship between work-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the family has commonly been approached from both a psychological and psychiatric perspective. Moreover, these studies have primarily focused on how PTSD impacts familial relationships from the perspective of the individual who has PTSD, while little attention has been placed on the viewpoint of family members. By using data obtained from Beyond Blue and Reddit, the current study aims to redress this gap by directly exploring the perceptions of family members living with an emergency service worker who has PTSD. A qualitative content analysis was conducted using …

Pathways To Homelessness: Exploring The Mental Health Experiences Of Refugees Experiencing Homelessness In Canada, Bridget Annor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

BACKGROUND: Homelessness among refugees continues to be a growing issue in Canada. Recent reports indicate the rapidly growing population of refugees, most especially refugee claimants, accessing emergency shelters in Canada. Research to date has been limited on how the diversity of factors, such as refugee’s mental health experiences, could potentially play a role as pathways to shelter. The purpose of this study therefore is to explore the mental health experiences of refugees through their pathways to homelessness in Canada.

METHODS: This study, a secondary analysis, is framed within the critical theoretical perspective and an intersectional lens. The study sample …

Post-Secondary Students’ Perceptions Of Mental Health Messages Conveyed By Video Storytelling And Informational Approaches, Hung Quang Huynh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study’s aim was to examine how Western students perceive mental health messages conveyed by video storytelling and informational approaches. In focus group discussions, participants’ perceptions of help seeking behaviors were unchanged by either approach. However, discussions suggested that messages enhanced understanding and awareness, which potentially reduced stigma. Participants who watched the storytelling videos asserted that they were open and receptive to the messages and expressed perceptual changes. Four facilitators appeared to contribute to effective mental health messages: diversity; explicit instructions; shift toward understanding societal and biological causes of mental health conditions; and a combination of storytelling and information. Future …

One Size Does Not Fit All: An External Leader’S Process Towards Supporting Positive Mental Health In Schools, Alexandra Fortier

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

With the growing societal, personal, and financial costs related to unaddressed mental health issues (Smetanin et al., 2011), the World Health Organization [WHO] (2004) urges stakeholders to start with preventative work. The premise is to focus upstream of the plethora of potential consequences and to address these issues before they become problematic. The WHO (2004) further suggests starting with children and youth, which are, for the most part, in schools. While this seems a logical starting place, research suggests that it is essential to be well in order to teach others to be well (Acton & Glasgow, 2015; Ontario Principals’ …

The Relationship Between Perceived Sedentary Behaviour And Psychological Health, Kelsey Sick

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The present study examined relationships between individuals’ perceptions of their level of sedentary behaviour, as compared with other people their age, and mental health and well-being. Adults (n = 374, M_age= 60% between 18 and 24) completed the online Perceived Sedentary Behaviour and Psychological Health Survey which assessed perceptions of sedentary behaviour on a typical weekday and weekend day, mental health and well-being (i.e., depression, state anxiety, perceived stress, mental well-being, mental health function), and potential covariates that have known associations with mental well-being (e.g., sociodemographic characteristics, health status factors, actual sitting time). Perceived sedentary behaviour …

Exploring The Mental Health Care Experiences Of Youth Transitioning From Paediatric To Adult Psychiatric Services Using The Photovoice Method: A Participatory Analysis Of The Photostream Project, Brianna Jackson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The transition from adolescence to adulthood brings with it many new challenges and stressors that may negatively impact psychosocial wellbeing. Unfortunately, the disjointed progression from paediatric to adult psychiatric services leaves transitional-aged youth (TAY) vulnerable to its deleterious sequelae, including social isolation, self-harm, substance use, and suicidal ideation. As devised, the Canadian mental health sector is ill-equipped to meet the care demands of emerging adults, resulting in undue suffering. Current evidence validates the need for clinical practice reform and policy revision to address this issue, yet the perspectives of young people are consistently underrepresented in conversations regarding youth-oriented psychiatric program …

Living The Interdiscipline: Natalie Alvarez Speaks With Kim Solga About Conceiving, Developing, Managing, And Learning From A Large-Scale, Multidisciplinary, Scenario-Based Project Supporting Police De-Escalation Training In Ontario, Kim Solga, Natalie Alvarez

Department of English Publications

Ryerson University theatre professor Natalie Alvarez is currently helming a large, interdisciplinary team in southern Ontario that is testing the power of Forum Theatre to build better, more responsive scenarios for police officer training in de-escalation and mental crisis response. In this interview, Alvarez sits down with issue editor Kim Solga to talk about where this project came from, what challenges arise when working in an intensively interdisciplinary way – and how theatre and performance can serve effectively as a methodology at the heart of a wide range of scholarly investigations, both inside and outside of the arts and humanities.

Working With Youth As Stakeholders In Mental Health System Transformation: An Institutional Ethnography Of A Service Organization In Access Open Minds, Eugenia Canas

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

As national system- and research-agendas invest heavily in the improvement of youth mental health services delivery, the discursive and policy impetus for the inclusion of youth as advisors has increased. However, we know little about the work of youth engagement (YE) in the everyday realities of a care-delivery organization. Does the engagement of youth advisors ultimately inform care?

This dissertation addresses the knowledge concerns of YE with a detailed account of the experiences of youth advisors, service providers, and an organization in the process of services reform. I used institutional ethnography to (1) reveal the day-to-day work of engaging young …

Performing Identities, Performing Possibilities: A Music-Centered And Relational Perspective On Performance In Community Music Therapy And Music Education, Elizabeth Mitchell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

All humans are born with musical capacity, yet many individuals have minimal access to active music-making and its affordances. This integrated-article dissertation explores the impact of participation in musical performance as it pertains to self-identity and relationship for participants who face barriers in accessing artistic engagement. Drawing upon music-centered theory from music therapy, this research celebrates the fundamentally performed and relational nature of musicking and the self and explores implications for music therapy and music education.

The first two articles explore the “Coffee House”, a community music therapy event at an adolescent mental health facility, through the voices of youth …

Extending Our Promise: Providing Help To Mentally Ill Accused As Soon As Practicable, Cassandra Demelo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examines the current state of the criminal law’s interaction with mentally ill persons, with a specific interest in this interaction during pre-trial phases such as arrest and bail. It argues that the current provisions in the Criminal Code of Canada that allow for limited instances of pre-trial mental health assessments for adults are insufficient. The current options, including assessments to determine “not criminally responsible for reasons of mental disorder” or “fitness”, are not applicable in many situations. Other options available to accused outside of the Criminal Code are also lacking, as they are limited to the Mental Health …

A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Evaluation Of A Universal Healthy Relationships Promotion Program For Youth, Deinera Exner-Cortens, David Wolfe, Claire Crooks, Debbie G. Chiodo Ms.

Journal Articles

Bullying and mental health problems are pressing concerns for adolescents. Given their burden, we need to find efficacious ways to prevent these experiences. However, existing prevention programs tend to be single-issue and may not focus on the universal capacities required to reduce these problems among youth. To this end, we evaluated the universal, small groups Healthy Relationships Plus (HRP) program, which focuses on the promotion of positive mental health and the reduction of bullying and substance misuse. A sample of 212 youth from Southwestern Ontario were randomly assigned to the HRP or an attention-control condition over an 8-day period during …

A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Evaluation Of A Universal Healthy Relationships Promotion Program For Youth, Deinera Exner-Cortens, David Wolfe, Claire Crooks, Debbie Chiodo

Education Publications

Bullying and mental health problems are pressing concerns for adolescents. Given their burden, we need to find efficacious ways to prevent these experiences. However, existing prevention programs tend to be single-issue and may not focus on the universal capacities required to reduce these problems among youth. To this end, we evaluated the universal, small groups Healthy Relationships Plus (HRP) program, which focuses on the promotion of positive mental health and the reduction of bullying and substance misuse. A sample of 212 youth from Southwestern Ontario were randomly assigned to the HRP or an attention-control condition over an 8-day period during …

Detecting Fine-Grained Population Codes In Human Prefrontal Cortex, Brainscan, Western University, Marieke Mur, Julio Martinez-Trujillo, Ravi Menon, Joe Gati

Project Summaries

In this project, we will develop techniques for improving our measurement resolution so that we can gain access to prefrontal population codes. We will combine high-field fMRI with pattern analysis techniques to unlock population coding in the prefrontal cortex. This is essential for understanding how the brain supports higher-order cognition, and ultimately, for treating dysfunctions of cognitive flexibility in the clinic.