Public Health Commons^™

Ontario Adults' Mental Health, Wellbeing, And Prosocial Behaviour During The First 16 Months Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study, Katie J. Shillington

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The overall purpose of this dissertation was to provide a detailed assessment of the mental health, wellbeing, and prosocial behaviour of Ontario adults aged 30–59 (those at highest risk for losing years of healthy life due to chronic disease) during the first 16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020–August 2021). To address this dissertation’s purpose specifically, four distinct yet thematically connected articles were written. Article 1 provides the starting point of this program of research via an overview of Ontario adults’ inter-related health behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and dietary intake) and outcomes including, mental health, and wellbeing …

Smart Indigenous Youth, Jamin Patel

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

There is evidence that indicates the immense benefits of physical activity for the physical and mental health of youth. To respond to the youth mental health crisis in Indigenous communities in Canada, a culturally appropriate, land-based active living program called Smart Indigenous Youth (SIY) was developed by the Digital Epidemiology and Population Health Laboratory (DEPtH Lab). SIY is a longitudinal digital health community trial that applies the concept of citizen science to assess land-based active living’s impact on Indigenous youth mental health. My project examined the challenges to mental health faced by youth living in Indigenous Rural Communities during the …

The Impact Of Interruptions In Gender-Affirming Medical Care During Covid-19 On Anxiety And Depression Among Trans And Non-Binary People In Canada: A Longitudinal Study, Sara Todorovic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background. Transgender and non-binary (TGNB) populations experience disproportionally high levels of anxiety and depression; it is imperative we investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the mental health of TGNB communities. Methods. Among a Canadian sample of TGNB persons aged >=15 years, we used multiple linear regression to examine whether interruptions in gender-affirming care were associated with anxiety and depression, and whether that effect was modified by pre-pandemic mental health. Results. Anxiety and depression levels were high both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. Approximately a quarter of TGNB persons experienced interruptions in hormonal care. After adjusting for confounders, there …

Adolescent Girls Physical Activity Engagement And Body Image Development, Vanessa Coulbeck

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This summer I looked more into adolescent girls’ physical activity engagement and its’ relationship to weight-based teasing. This topic intrigued me because from my own sport experiences, I saw first-hand how compared to boys, adolescent girls dis-engage from sport and exercise at a disproportionately higher rate and are at higher risk for body shame and self-objectification. This gender inequity in sport and physical activity is first observed in adolescence and tracks well into adulthood. The purpose of this summer's research activities examined how self-compassion and weight-related teasing relate to self-conscious emotions and sport and physical activity participation.

Residential Greenness And Substance Use, Evan R. Wiley

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

INTRODUCTION: Research has identified positive associations between green space and health and green space and mental health. Substance use outcomes, however, have received considerably less attention.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between residential greenness and patterns of substance use among transitional aged youth (age 15-25) in Canada.

METHODS: This study utilized three waves (2016-2018) of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) as well as residential greenness data from the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Consortium (CANUE). Multivariable regression was used to explore variation in the pattern of substance use between greenness quartiles. The sample included 14,070 …

The Association Between Ethnicity And Caregiver Health, Adetola Aboyeji

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Existing research shows that caregiving is associated with several adverse health outcomes. Despite the growing number of caregivers in Canada, little research has been conducted on caregivers' potential unique experiences and outcomes based on their ethnicity. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether ethnicity was associated with a caregiver’s health.

Methods: To address these research gaps, we used data from the 2012 Canadian General Social Survey (GSS) Caregiving and Care Receiving. Focusing on caregivers (n=9,552), we examined the association using three measures of health – self-reported overall health, self-reported mental health, and the Health Utility Index3 …

Interplay Between Social Media Use, Sleep Quality, And Mental Health In Youth: A Systematic Review, Rea Alonzo, Junayd Hussain, Saverio Stranges, Kelly K. Anderson

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

Social media applications are increasingly prominent among youth. This systematic review provides a comprehensive assessment of the literature on the relationship between active social media use, sleep quality, and common mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, and psychological distress) among youth. MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE and Scopus were searched for observational studies investigating this relationship among youth (aged 16–25). Thirty-six cross-sectional studies and six prospective cohort studies met the inclusion criteria. Among cross-sectional studies, significant associations between excessive social media use with poor mental health outcomes (n = 33), poor sleep quality (n = 24), and significant associations between poor sleep quality …

Correlates Of Positive Mental Health Among Migrants In Canada, Branka Vujcic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Introduction: Positive mental health is of increasing interest as a public health measure, and is understudied among migrants.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to examine positive mental health and associated factors among migrants in Canada.

Methods: We used the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2011-2012 cycles. A total of 28,051 respondents identified as migrants, which accounted for 23.2% of the entire sample. Using multivariable regression models, positive mental health among migrants was compared to non-migrants, and the effects of sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related factors were examined.

Results: The present study found that time spent in Canada since migration …

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 …

Self-Disclosure Among Male Survivors Of Child Sexual Abuse: Service Providers’ Perspective, Marudan Sivagurunathan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Previous research regarding child sexual abuse (CSA) indicates significant gender differences in disclosure rates: specifically, males are less likely to disclose their child sexual abuse in comparison to females. CSA can have lasting impact on a child’s emotional, physical, and psychological wellbeing. Trauma studies show support and early intervention is necessary for CSA survivors to re-establish a sense of safety and to experience better quality of life. Service providers play a key role in providing care and support for male CSA survivors. However, little is known about service providers, who work with male CSA survivors, and their perceptions and attitudes …

The Stress Process Model For Community-Dwelling Adults With Mental Disorders, Samantha Davie

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Although stress has been linked to poor mental health outcomes for various populations, less is known about the impact of stress on individuals already diagnosed with mental disorders. Objective: Explore the association between stress and general psychological distress (GPD), using the stress process model. Design: Data were collected in 2011 from community-dwelling adults who have had at least one diagnosed mental disorder for at least one year in their lifetime (n=380), and are cross-sectional in nature. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the association between stress and GPD, with various psychological resources, such as coping, social support, and …

Cannabis Use In Cape York Indigenous Communities: High Prevalence, Mental Health Impacts And The Desire To Quit, India Bohanna, Alan R. Clough

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Anecdotal reports suggest that high rates of cannabis use and dependence are significant issues in Indigenous communities in north Queensland; however, there is little scientific evidence to support or refute this.The Cape York Cannabis Project seeks to investigate cannabis use rates, cannabis dependence and mental health impacts for the first time in three Cape York Indigenous communities.

Social And Emotional Outcomes Of Australian Children From Indigenous And Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds, Naomi Priest, Jennifer Baxter, Linda Hayes

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objectives: 1) profile the living environments and 2) examine the social and emotional outcomes of Australian children from Indigenous and cultural and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds at school entry. Method: Secondary analysis of cross- sectional data collected in Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n=4,735). Child mental-health outcomes were measured using parent report of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: Significant differences in family and neighbourhood characteristics, including parental income, maternal education, maternal parenting quality and neighbourhood safety, were found in children of Indigenous and CALD backgrounds compared to the reference group of Australian-born, English-speaking children. …