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Background: Stress, depression, and anxiety affect 15% to 25% of pregnant women. However, substantial barriers to psychosocial assessment exist, resulting in less than 20% of prenatal care providers assessing and treating mental health problems. Moreover, pregnant women are often reluctant to disclose their mental health concerns to a healthcare provider. Identifying screening and assessment tools and procedures that are acceptable to both women and service providers, cost-effective, and clinically useful is needed., Methods/design: The primary objective of this randomized, parallel-group, superiority trial is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a computer tablet-based prenatal psychosocial assessment (e-screening) compared to paper-based screening. Secondary objectives are to compare the two modes of screening on: (1) the level of detection of prenatal depression and anxiety symptoms and psychosocial risk; (2) the level of disclosure of symptoms; (3) the factors associated with feasibility, acceptability, and disclosure; (4) the psychometric properties of the e-version of the assessment tools; and (5) cost-effectiveness. A sample of 542 women will be recruited from large, primary care maternity clinics and a high-risk antenatal unit in an urban Canadian city. Pregnant women are eligible to participate if they: (1) receive care at one of the recruitment sites; (2) are able to speak/read English; (3) are willing to be randomized to e-screening; and (4) are willing to participate in a follow-up diagnostic interview within 1 week of recruitment. Allocation is by computer-generated randomization. Women in the intervention group will complete an online psychosocial assessment on a computer tablet, while those in the control group will complete the same assessment in paper-based form. All women will complete baseline questionnaires at the time of recruitment and will participate in a diagnostic interview within 1 week of recruitment. Research assistants conducting diagnostic interviews and physicians will be blinded. A qualitative descriptive study involving healthcare providers from the recruitment sites and women will provide data on feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. We hypothesize that mental health e-screening in primary care maternity settings and high-risk antenatal units will be as or more feasible, acceptable, and capable of detecting depression, anxiety, and psychosocial risk compared to paper-based screening., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01899534.

This paper examines the attributes of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) as well as its theoretical foundations. Gay's (2018) work describes the eight attributes of CRT as validating, comprehensive and inclusive, multidimensional, empowering, transformative, emancipatory, humanistic, and normative and ethical. After unpacking each attribute, I present and discuss four dimensions of Gay's (2018) theoretical foundations of CRT which include culturally diverse curriculum, teacher caring, home and school connection, and academic achievement. Further, I write about how CRT and the epistemologies of Indigenous education can lead to healthy and transformative spaces for Indigenous students in Saskatchewan public schools. For the purposes of this paper, I define healthy and transformative spaces as spaces where students have their needs met in the four dimensions of spirit, mental, physical, and emotional health.

Campuses are becoming increasingly aware of the issues with mental health and well-being among students. This paper explores the context of mental health on campuses and examines the urgent issue of how to address this growing phenomenon. Institutions need to use a holistic perspective to view wellness, and the framework of multiple, interrelated dimensions of wellness may provide a structure to examine the strengths of services and programs provided on individual campuses, as well as help in the process of identifying gaps. In designing a holistic strategy, though, it is imperative that student voice is a fundamentally important piece of planning for the necessary supports for student well-being, including academic and non-academic programs and initiatives.

Objective: In the context of COVID-19, Canadian healthcare workers (HCWs) worked long hours, both to respond to the pandemic and to compensate for colleagues who were not able to work due to infection and burnout. This may have had detrimental effects on HCWs' mental health, as well as engagement in health-promoting behaviours. This study aimed to identify changes in mental health outcomes and health behaviours experienced by Canadian HCWs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: Nine representative samples (N total = 1615 HCWs) completed the iCARE survey using an online polling firm between April 2020 (Time 1) and February 2022 (Time 9). Participants were asked about the psychological effects of COVID-19 (e.g., feeling anxious) and about changes in their health behaviours (e.g., alcohol use, physical activity)., Results: A majority of the HCWs identified as female (65%), were younger than 44 years old (66%), and had a university degree (55%). Female HCWs were more likely than male HCWs to report feeling anxious (OR = 2.68 [1.75, 4.12]), depressed (OR = 1.63 [1.02, 2.59]), and irritable (OR = 1.61 [1.08, 2.40]) throughout the first two years of the pandemic. Female HCWs were more likely than their male counterparts to report eating more unhealthy diets (OR = 1.54 [1.02, 2.31]). Significant differences were also revealed by age, education level, income, parental status, health status, and over time., Conclusion: Results demonstrate that the impacts of COVID-19 on HCWs' mental health and health behaviours were significant, and varied by sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., sex, age, income)., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Despite the potential instructional benefits of integrating devices such as cell phones into schools and classrooms, research reveals that their improper use can negatively impact student behaviour, learning, and well-being. This paper reviews the literature and litigation on cell phone use in schools due to controversies over cheating, cyberbullying, sexting, and searches of student cell phones. Recent studies suggested that the presence of cell phones and related technologies in classrooms could detract from students' academic performances while contributing to higher rates of academic dishonesty and cyberbullying. The growing prevalence of cyberbullying is especially concerning because it can have severely negative, even tragic, effects on student mental health and safety. However, given the relatively discreet nature of cell phone use, regulations about their use can be difficult to enforce. After reviewing literature and litigation on the potential risks associated with inappropriate cell phone use in schools, this paper offers suggestions for educators to consider when devising or revising policies balancing students' individual rights with their safety and well-being before ending with a brief conclusion.

This paper examines embedded counseling programs across ten Post-Secondary Canadian counseling centers. We highlight common drivers for developing embedded counseling programs, commonalities and differences across programs, successes and challenges in implementation, and recommend a common set of metrics. Our overview demonstrates variability in program structure that reflects the host faculty or department and the culture, expectations, and realities they each face. Based on lessons learned, we highlight emerging and promising practices for university counseling centers.

The purpose of this review study was to conduct a thematic exploration of prior studies related to the transition between primary and secondary school. The aim of the paper was to discover (1) the extent of earlier research, (2) how earlier research thematises social and emotional issues, and (3) suggestions of those studies concerning how to improve schools. Searches were conducted across four international databases of peer-reviewed research to identify articles published in the last decade on the topic 'transition between primary and secondary school'. Articles related to social and emotional issues were further selected, and thematic analysis was conducted on the selected 29 articles to identify the topical focus. This review study draws attention to the importance of understanding challenges related to the transition between primary and secondary school. Overall, the analysed studies indicate that this is an important focus for educational research. Key issues related to support and wellbeing/bullying have emerged, which clarify the importance of further research in this field. The present study may also contribute to increasing awareness among policy makers and school leaders of the challenges related to the transition between primary and secondary school.

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented disruption to education and schooling at the end of the 2019-20 school year. Operating in a context of great uncertainty, education leaders were tasked with making key decisions with potentially far-reaching impacts on the educational and mental and physical health of students and families. Drawing on 9 cross-sectoral focus groups with school board administrators, representatives from education industry partners, and K-12 educational policy research organizations, this paper provides a historical record of the evolution of decision-making and points to promising lines of inquiry and lessons that can be learned from this moment in education.

International students in Canada make enormous contribution to the Canadian economy. As domestic students' enrolment has declined, international students' admissions have compensated for economic losses that Canadian universities incur from the decline of domestic students' enrolment. The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting international students' admissions to Canadian universities. Drawing on various secondary data sources, this article argues that international students in Canada are vulnerable due to their temporary immigration status. They are excluded from most governments' relief programs aimed at supporting Canadians during this pandemic. Most international students experience psychological and financial difficulties amid the pandemic. The situation is triggering a further decline in international students' admission, creating economic implications for Canadian universities. By exploring the challenges facing international students and the strategies required to strengthen international students' resilience and universities' capacities, the paper contributes to our understanding of the plights of international students and educational institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ethic of care is a moral philosophy that has been used to describe and guide the work of educators, especially those working with students with special education needs (SEN). In this study, 36 principals and vice principals from four provinces in Canada were interviewed about their work with students with SEN during the pandemic. Responses were analyzed using the ethic of care framework. Accordingly, responses indicated that principals were particularly aware of, and responsive towards, the wide range of need experienced by students, their families, and school staff. Principals appeared especially concerned about the social needs of their students with SEN, the emotional support needs of the students' families, and the teachers' distress at not being able to meet all the educational needs of their students. Although most principals described the emotional toll of their work during the pandemic, none identified efforts directed towards self-care. This paper considers these findings in regard to motivational displacement as it relates to an ethic of care and calls for a broader consideration of need within education, such that support is extended to students, school staff and school leaders as the most effective means to foster healthy, future-ready schools. Key words: pandemic, principal, inclusive education, ethic of care, mental health.

African immigrant women are underrepresented in health research on maternal mental health. Thus, there is a need to highlight successful recruitment strategies to engage African women in health-oriented research. This paper offers insights on recruitment strategies utilized in recruiting African immigrant women in Alberta (Canada) with infants 2 years of age or under for a survey study on maternal mental health. We recruited 136 African immigrant women. Most participants were recruited by using already established social networks in the community. Other successful strategies included referral from community partners (i.e., immigrant organizations, cultural association, religious institutions), participants, utilizing an online survey tool (i.e., Qualtrics), and through family and friend networks (i.e., word-of-mouth). This study evidently highlights the importance of utilizing multiple recruitment strategies to successfully meet the desired sample size for a survey study. We believe the lessons learned during the process of recruitment will be helpful for others working with other African immigrant women populations in Canada and in other Western societies., (© 2021. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

This paper examines issues that Yazidi refugee students face upon arrival to Canada, and interventions that schools can implement to support these students. Due to traumatic experiences, Yazidi students suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, school staff need training to recognize the symptoms of PTSD, and schools must provide targeted counselling services and connections to community-based services. Yazidi students are often illiterate or have gaps in education, so schools need to incorporate inclusive practices to increase engagement, and provide instruction that focuses on emergent literacy and functional language. Teachers require specific training that addresses the academic needs of Yazidi students.

The COVID-19 pandemic brings to the fore strengths and weaknesses in many public policies, including higher education. There are at least three separate but related areas where institutions of higher learning have been stressed by COVID-19: financing, issues related to the logistics of learning, and inequality. These problems are especially pronounced in countries that suffer from high levels of inequality, such as Chile. This editorial offers a review of some of these challenges and their implication for long-term education policy, touching on the cases of Chile, Canada, and the United States.

Mental health challenges among students remain a complex and widespread problem facing school leaders. Though schools are a front-line pathway for providing mental health services, many struggling youth are not receiving the professional help they need (Atkins, Hoagwood, Kutash, & Seidman, 2010; Findlay, 2017). Creative and collaborative solutions are needed to bridge the mental health gap. School leader support is essential to the successful implementation of mental health interventions (Forman, Olin, Hoagwood, Crowe, & Saka, 2009). This paper summarizes the novel approach taken by school and community leaders in one rural Ontario community who jointly piloted a school-based social worker (SBSW) role to support secondary schools in two districts. Interviews with five district leaders (four involved in designing the intervention and the SBSW who piloted the role) reveal conditions necessary for the pilot to take place, as well as leader involvement in setting up, supporting, monitoring the new role. Interviews highlighted multiple ways which the pilot improved student mental well-ness: one-on-one and group counselling sessions, charting fresh pathways networks of support available to students, creating a safe space for student and staff drop-ins, among other benefits to schools and stakeholders involved in the pilot. Results also detail three challenges leaders encountered along the way: stakeholder agreement, role clarity, and the temporary design of the role. Findings underscore how school-based social workers show promise in addressing rising mental health challenges.

Trans and non-binary youth (TNBY) face high levels of interpersonal and social adversity as well as disproportionate rates of mental health issues such as depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation. Among protective factors, context plays a key role. In addition to parental support, access to gender-affirming medical care begins to emerge as crucial for young people needed them. This paper compares, through thematic analysis, the experiences of TNBY with regard to access and experiences to care in Canada, Switzerland, England, and Australia. It identifies similarities and differences in barriers to access to care, as well as impacts of gender affirming care on young people and their well-being. The article concludes with a discussion on the importance of prompt and easier access to gender-affirming medical care, of training of professionals, and a hypothesis about the role of context in TNBY well-being.

International students leave their countries to pursue their educational goals in a different country and must adapt to succeed. However, they may face challenges when adapting to and learning a new culture. This study investigates the challenges common to international students in their host countries and summarizes the publishing trends. A literature search of peer-reviewed articles published in Scopus, Taylor & Francis, EBSCO Host, Web of Science, Springer, PubMed, and Wiley Online over 21 years (2002-2022) was done for data collection. After the screening, a total of 175 articles were included in this review and analyzed with content analysis. The findings show that the top four destinations for international students (USA, UK, Australia, and Canada) produced the most articles about international students' challenges. Additionally, most papers investigated more than one challenge, and sociocultural (82.9%) and academic challenges (82.3%) were the most researched, with language issues as the primary cause. The results also show no changes or improvement in the challenges of international students in 21 years, and areas such as psychological and economic challenges need more research. These challenges and other trends found in the articles are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.

Young people's ongoing, necessary confrontation with painful and distressing realities exacerbated by ecological precarity in diverse contexts has profound implications for formal education systems. Additionally, educational policy in many contexts has been slow to respond to the urgency of addressing climate change, nor has most policy robustly conceptualized a vision for climate justice education. Centering the voices of three young climate justice activists (ages 16-20) in Canada through a qualitative study, this paper explores possible educational responses that recognize the embodied consequences of climate injustice and inaction on youth mental health and well-being. Through their encounters with activism in collective, justice-centered movements, these young people articulate how their commitments to creating more life-affirming and equitable realities by challenging current economic and political structures and discourses are integral dimensions of their efforts to be and feel well (hopeful and purposeful) in a context of pronounced uncertainty and distress. Despite these possibilities, youth participants describe the overwhelming and complex emotions they are grappling with as they face dispiriting projections for the future. These growing challenges are an opportunity to reconsider common "apolitical" and individualized approaches to citizenship, climate and environmental education. Findings suggest that supporting youth to act thoughtfully and impactfully in transforming cultural, economic and political structures and systems that reproduce harm can be a way to nurture meaning, purpose and hope. Additionally, youth participants advocate for integrating robust resources and support within formal education institutions to assist in collectively processing the emotional and psychological impacts of climate injustice. At the same time, findings suggest that the participating youth did not yet integrate conceptions of ecological interrelationship or interconnection in their approaches, offering possible avenues for further pedagogical development.

While the numbers of newcomer youth continue to grow in Canada, few studies have sought to critically capture experiences of school integration and access to school-based psychosocial support services during their transition. Guided by a critical social justice lens, this research seeks to investigate issues of inequity due to the marginalization of newcomer youth in schools. The intent of this critical narrative review is to summarize, interpret, critique, and synthesize what is currently known about the ways newcomer youth access and experience school-based psychosocial support services (S-BPSS) throughout the process of school integration. This paper presents the critical narrative literature review process, a discussion of the themes that emerged from the review, and a discussion of the literature within the context of school integration. The following themes that underscore the experiences of newcomer youth accessing school-based psychosocial support services were identified: (a) underutilization/discrimination, (b) culture shift, (c) transition planning, and (d) lived experience. Important directions for future research, including the importance of studies that prioritize the perspectives of newcomer youth themselves and the implications of their lived experience for S-BPSS are provided.

During the COVID-19 pandemic numerous institutions around the world have surveyed students to gain an understanding of their experiences. While these surveys are valuable at a local institutional level, it is unclear as to which findings from individual surveys reflect the broader higher education environment, and which patterns may be consistent across student surveys. It is worthwhile to synthesize survey findings in order to explore patterns and potentially new understandings that may arise from such analysis. In this paper, we reviewed and synthesized 21 surveys examining the impacts of COVID-19 and emergency remote learning on approximately 155,000 student respondents in Canada. Findings reveal that the impacts of COVID-19 and emergency remote learning on students centered around (1) educational experiences, (2) mental health and wellbeing, (3) financial concerns, (4) impact on future plans, and (5) recommendations for future practice.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether family income and education have a causal effect on psychological distress among Canadian adults., Methods: We executed fixed-effects regression analyses using data from the Longitudinal and International Study of Adults (LISA). We investigated whether changes in family income and education from wave 2 (2014) to wave 3 (2016) corresponded with changes in psychological distress during this same time period. We also investigated whether changes in these socio-economic resources from wave 1 (2012) to wave 2 (2014) corresponded with lagged changes in psychological distress from wave 2 (2014) to wave 3 (2016). These models controlled for all time-invariant confounders with time-invariant effects, as well as the time-varying factors age, marital status, household size, and employment status., Results: Obtaining a postsecondary degree corresponded with lagged decreases in psychological distress among women ages 18 to 32 (b = -1.97; 95% CI = -3.53, -0.42) and men over the age of 32 (b = -1.86; 95% CI = -3.57, -0.15). The effect of postsecondary education was stronger when considering adults who stayed married throughout the three waves (b = -2.29; 95% CI = -4.37, -0.21)., Conclusion: Completing postsecondary education may have a lagged causal effect on psychological distress, and the life course timing for when postsecondary completion reduces distress is different for women and men., (© 2021. The Canadian Public Health Association.)

This rapid systematic review examined the reported effects of large-scale online education on the behaviour and, ultimately, practice of health and social care professionals. Electronic databases of health and education literature were searched, 193 unique records were screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria, 31 papers were accessed for full text reading and six were included. Identified studies reported primarily qualitative results, which were synthesised according to outcomes. Factors that contributed to the results were also identified. All papers reported that participation in e-learning programmes resulted in changes in behaviour and practice, including: increased awareness, changes in attitudes, improved communication, increased confidence and the actual changes applied in a workplace. Observed benefits of these programmes ranged from gaining new insights into own practice, through feeling empowered to apply changes, to eventually being able to provide more person-centred services and willing to adopt and spread a more humane evidence-based practice. While the current study is an early indication of the potential of large-scale online education to effect practice change, further research is recommended as is further in-depth investigation into how these changes are achieved and what factors contribute to success.

In response to provincial and national calls for whole school approaches, and in the hope to support new teacher competencies aimed at promoting mental health, this paper considers the changing dynamics within the current classroom through elements and implications of a participatory study conducted in an Alberta urban elementary school. Specifics from this research with young "girls," who engaged in ritual, ceremony, arts-integrated, contemplative, and somatic practices, target the on-going conversation on mental health and best practices in schools. Images of and from their life-size body maps are imbedded into the discussion, promoting the inclusion of body-centred, emotional, and imaginal dynamics to be integrated throughout teaching and learning. The discussion calls for the conscious shift of teachers, counselors, and leaders into more integral and ecological paradigms that understand health through the multifold relations with others and the environment. This argument is supported by trauma literature that calls for affective embodied experience, greater inclusion of right hemispheric activities, relational ethics, and teacher professional learning.

University students today are preparing for a more precarious future than previous generations, and the global pandemic has exacerbated their sense of insecurity and vulnerability. Drawing on data from a longitudinal study of undergraduate students at a large Canadian university, this paper examines the narratives of working students, before and since the pandemic lockdowns began in early 2020. Narratives focus on students' attempts to handle the diverse rhythms of multiple activities, and how they respond to precariousness in work, family, and academic studies. Findings illustrate intractable tensions within higher education between logics of competition and care, and between access and selectivity. Further, universities, as well as employers, can be seen to contribute to the precarity of students, and to a 'crisis of care' in society more generally. Our analysis suggests the need for a more expansive and generous vision for higher education, which recognizes and supports students in their diversity.

The purpose of this discussion paper is to explore the existing literature from Canada on transitioning from military to civilian life for veterans of recent deployments. A number of topics relating to the transition experience emerged: interpersonal readjustment, emotional including mental health needs, school needs, and social needs. Implications for nursing will be discussed in terms of veterans as a cultural group and culturally competent nursing care. Recommendations for future nursing research include how well current services are meeting the needs of the younger, more recent veterans transitioning to civilian life; conducting longitudinal studies on the impact of transitioning to civilian life for veterans and their families; comparing the transition experience at an international level; developing a transition model that situates the veteran culture as the overarching framework for testing and understanding the experience of transitioning to civilian life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on food insecurity among students attending a university in rural Nova Scotia. In 2015, 1,030 students completed an online, 38-item cross-sectional survey. The results report that 38.1% of students experienced food insecurity during the previous 12 months. Food insecurity was statistically associated with living arrangements, source of funds for schooling, meal plans, and year of study. Poor overall health, poor mental health, high stress, and poor academic performance were significantly higher for food-insecure students. Students employed multiple coping strategies, with implications for academic success and long-term debt. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes related to insufficient money for food: inability to cover basic needs, health-related outcomes of persistent worry, loss of time from learning, and impacts on social life. This research demonstrates the need to re-evaluate funding policies for post-secondary education in Canada to ensure students can afford the costs of basic needs and educational costs.

Schools are an excellent setting through which to promote mental health and well-being, and teachers are well positioned to provide related instruction and support in the classroom. However, teachers often report that they lack the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver social emotional learning instruction and to support students who struggle with mental health challenges. Professional learning initiatives that build teacher capacity in this area are increasing in quantity, but not all of the offerings are evidence based, relevant, scalable, and sustainable. This paper explores the approach being implemented in school districts within Ontario, Canada to enhance mental health literacy for educators. A description of the mental health literacy strategy within the Thames Valley District School Board is provided to illustrate how school districts can align with broad directions while at the same time contextualizing efforts to address local priorities and perspectives. The paper offers a synthesis of lessons learned from this early adopter case study, and from the implementation of the broader provincial approach.

Consideration of risk and liability in outdoor educative practice has normally been limited to the narrow risks, usually to physical health, of incidents that can cause a particular injury. In this view of risk management, the more readily controlled the circumstance, the less likelihood of risk and consequent liability. Thus, to reduce risk, learning in the natural world is often avoided because it occurs in far more complex and less controllable contexts than human-created ones. However, wider and more grave risks to physical, emotional and mental health that may accrue through a life that is lived in separation from the natural world are not often considered or evaluated. In part, this may be because these kinds of risks are less immediately evident, and liability for negative outcomes may be more difficult to measure. Thus, there is less incentive to consider them. However, delayed outcomes are still outcomes. To consider easily discerned "narrow risk" alone, while ignoring more complex and longer-term "wide risk," is no excuse for avoiding the ethical responsibility that public education carries to provide both the safest "and" most fecund context for learning. This paper introduces the concept of wide risk as a counterpoint to the narrow risk calculations now performed, and argues that in incorporating an understanding of wide risk in educative practice, at least two results are likely. The first is that learning outdoors will frequently be discovered to be a less risky alternative, if a broad range of outcomes over time are considered. The second is that the value of embracing risk in all aspects of learning ought to become a part of the learning process, and part of what is taught in public schools.

This paper offers a review of the research literature on the experiences of young children and their families who left Syria as refugees and resettled in Canada. We identify five key factors that influence Syrian refugees' experience of social inclusion within the context of the public-school systems as well as unveil the silences in and across the current studies. The five factors are pre-arrival experiences, mental health, social supports, acquisition of English language skills, and lack of preparedness of teachers and schools. Based on limited availability of research, we outline needed research to better understand social inclusion of Syrian refugee families with young children in Canada. There is a call to pay particular attention to their educational and social encounters.

This paper is a response to the language, learning, and life needs of the increasing number of international students studying in Canada. In addition to introducing two "real-life" international students who chose to live in Canada to learn English and otherwise study, the paper presents what the literature tells us about: international students in general; culture shock and acculturation; the struggle of international students for identity, based on the International Student Identity model; and mental health issues among this learner group. It then juxtaposes key themes found in the literature with the life experiences of the aforementioned students. Implications for students, extracurricular and preparatory program planners, and classroom instructors are shared. Given the role of many continuing education centres in providing ESL instruction and supports, the paper holds particular value for educators and administrators in the continuing education sector.

Despite marked improvements, intervention for students with a mental health problem or illness in Canadian higher education settings remains not yet successful, mature, or sustainable. A number of challenges have been identified as contributory to the shortcomings surrounding student mental health in colleges and universities. In this paper, I explore some of the more common barriers that currently limit the development, implementation, and sustainability of student mental health support practices. The barriers of focus include, prevailing stigma and stereotypes, underdeveloped policies, and minimal opportunities for professional development and training. I specifically highlight how these barriers frame the challenges for teaching faculty and academic staff in promoting or supporting student mental health and well-being. Following an identification and discussion of barriers, I offer suggestions on how they can be overcome, or at the very least minimized, and what this would mean for teaching and learning in relation to post-secondary student mental health. For example, in an attempt to clarify current policies surrounding mental health, I suggest and explore how institutions can assign particular individuals (i.e., a designated "task force") as responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of mental health policies. Ultimately, the first step to better mental health support practices is to acknowledge how they are challenged.

Over 18.5% of military personnel returning from war zones to civilian life suffer mental health issues, which can lead to family breakdown, homelessness and other problems. Almost 4000 Australian soldiers have returned home from active service in the last decade suffering from combat stress and mental health conditions. A 2009 Australian independent government review warned that a new generation of veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severe mental health disorders will emerge in the next five years, with as many as one in four likely to need mental health treatment. "The Difficult Return: arts-based approaches to mental health literacy and building resilience with recently returned military personnel and their families" is a three-year Australian Research Council funded arts project aimed at supporting the mental health and well-being of recently returned veterans in Australia, USA and Canada. The project combines a range of arts-based strategies to help returning veterans, including online digital films to improve awareness and help seeking motivation, a performance project with ex-soldiers and actors, and a process-based group work programme. The paper will focus specifically on the development of the Veterans Transition Programme (VTP) a partnership between Griffith University and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. The VTP leverages the resilience and resources of veterans, providing help to participants attempting to better understand the impact of military experience on their lives. It draws on a range of psycho-educational and action-based approaches, including life review and drama enactments to engage participants in ways of dealing with disturbing events from their lives. The paper will describe and reflect on a number of the strategies used in the VTP, for example, how the drama enactments help to integrate emotion, cognition and embodied awareness, the significance of contact when working with trauma, and the importance of a therapeutic milieu in constructing "units" of support for the veterans.

Background: This manuscript is coauthored by 15 young adult Patient RESearch partners (PARES) with lived and living mental health experiences and three institutional researchers across Canada involved in a patient-oriented research (POR) study called the HEARTS Study: Helping Enable Access and Remove Barriers To Support for Young Adults with Mental Health-Related Disabilities. We share our reflections, experiences and lessons learned as we grapple with the field of POR for its lack of clarity, hierarchical structures, internalized ableism, and accessibility challenges, among others. To mitigate the difficulties of POR, we started by laying the groundwork for equality by embracing the principle of Primus Inter Pares: First Among Equals as the foundation of our approach. In this way, we began with what we know for certain: the inherent worth and dignity of young adults as equal partners, recognizing their expertise, worldviews, creativity, and capacity to contribute meaningfully and intentionally to the research that affects their lives and futures. Main Body: The manuscript underscores the need to reconceptualize meaningful engagement in POR, advocating a shift from traditional, biased paradigms that fail to address the complexities faced by young adults with mental illness. It introduces what we have termed Adaptive and Differential Engagement, underscoring the necessity of tailoring participation to individual preferences and circumstances alongside a Tripartite Compensation model that promotes fair and holistic remuneration in research collaborations. Then we discuss the approaches we have conceptualized, such as Equitable Dialogue, Trust Architecture, Community Continuum, Unity in Diversity, Shared Stewardship, and Agile Frameworks that collectively aim to overcome barriers like language intimidation, power imbalances, framework fatigue, consultation burnout, trust deficits, and systemic discrimination and exclusion. The manuscript does not seek to prescribe any universal or standardized solutions; in fact, it seeks the opposite. Instead, it offers a thoughtful and transparent contribution to the POR canon, providing resources for young adults eager to engage in research and institutional researchers aspiring to collaborate with them. Conclusion: This manuscript is a product of our collective learning and critical self-evaluation. By integrating theoretical insights with practical strategies, we present a justice-oriented blueprint for an inclusive and egalitarian approach to POR. We advocate for applications of POR that are responsive to the individualized contexts of young adult PARES, ensuring their perspectives are central to the research with the resources to take the lead should they choose. Plain Language Summary: Together with a graduate student, co-supervisors, and 15 young people from across Canada who have experience with mental health challenges, this paper looks at how research involving young adults as patient research partners can be better. We feel that the types of research that are supposed to include us are often not clear enough and make it hard to join, especially those with unique life situations and health issues. So, in this paper, we suggest a few new ways of doing things where everyone is treated equally. We call it Primus Inter PARES: First Among Equals. This means young people are just as important as anyone else in research. We want to change the old ways that do not consider our unique experiences as young people with mental health issues. We came up with new ideas like 'Equitable Dialogue' and 'Trust Architecture' to ensure everyone understands the research and feels that they can trust the process. We also suggest ways to make sure different voices are heard and that everyone has a fair chance to contribute. We do not just offer a one-size-fits-all solution; instead, we share many ways to improve research to help young adults who want to be part of research and for the researchers who want to work with us. Our paper is about making research fair and including everyone's point of view. We hope this will make the research better for everyone, especially for young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: HIV or AIDS remains invisible and dismissed by most South Asians living in Canada as HIV or AIDS issues are perceived as an offshoot of Western lifestyle linked with drug use and promiscuity. This paper aims to look into how people living with HIV or AIDS (PLWHA) cope with prejudice and stigma. Design/methodology/approach: To guide this research, a constructivist grounded theory approach was adopted as the theoretical and methodological framework. The authors reached the participants through a Toronto-based group that works with PLWHA. The authors chose their respondents in a snowball method and interviewed them both in person and online. Findings: This paper identifies how South Asian immigrants and refugees/refugees with HIV or AIDS claimants are vulnerable to discrimination in Canada due to the following factors, which include but are not limited to: a lack of information about HIV and AIDS incidence in the community; and the Canadian health system's inability to respond appropriately to the lack of information. Practical implications: HIV service engagements should take place within the context of a constellation of local traditions, or standardized expectations of patient engagement with HIV services can be counterproductive. Originality/value: It is critical that governmental action prioritizes increasing public understanding of stigma. To minimize the consequences of HIV-related discrimination and stigma, misconceptions about HIV transmission must be debunked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.

This paper examines geographic variations in sense of community belonging in Hamilton, Ontario. It also identifies the most significant health and social factors associated with belonging in the city. The research employs data from the 2007/08 Canadian Community Health Survey for respondents aged 18 or over living in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. The primary unit of geography is the forward sortation area (FSA), which correspond with the boundaries comprising the first three digits of the postal code. The paper found that, overall, residents of Hamilton enjoy a strong sense of belonging to their community, one of the highest rates in Canada. Consistent with research at the national level, the paper revealed a strong and clear association between lower sense of belonging and lower self-perceived mental health. Age (45-64) and household type (couples with children) were associated with higher sense of belonging. The mapping analysis revealed that sense of belonging was generally strongest among residents of rural Hamilton and became weaker moving towards the city centre, with particularly low levels evident in the Lower City. The presence of lower sense of belonging and lower mental health was clearly visible in three FSAs comprising the central portion of the Lower City.

The concept of sense of place has received considerable attention by social scientists in recent years. Research has indicated that a person's sense of place is influenced by a number of factors including the built environment, socio-economic status (SES), well-being and health. Relatively few studies have examined sense of place at the neighbourhood level, particularly among communities exhibiting different levels of SES. This article investigates sense of place among three neighbourhood groups in Hamilton, Ontario representing areas of low, mixed and high SES. It analyses data from a 16-point sense of place scale derived from the Hamilton Household Quality of Life Survey carried out in 2010-2011 among 1,002 respondents. The paper found that sense of place was highest among residents of the high SES neighbourhood group as well as among home owners, people residing in single-detached homes, retired residents and those living in their neighbourhood for more than 10 years. From a health perspective, the paper found that a strong association existed between sense of place and self-perceived mental health across the three neighbourhood groups. Furthermore, by way of regression modeling, the paper examined the factors influencing health-related sense of place. Among the sample of respondents, a strong connection was found between housing, particularly home ownership, and high levels of health-related sense of place. (Contains 5 tables and 1 footnote.)

Social capital has been studied by academics for more than 20 years and within the past decade there has been an explosion of growth in research linking social capital to health. This paper investigates social capital in Hamilton, Ontario by way of a telephone survey of 1,002 households in three neighbourhood groups representing high, mixed and low socio-economic status (SES). A Social Capital Measurement Tool is proposed as a straightforward way to account for differences in social capital perceptions and actions among residents. Consistent with the literature, the paper found that there was a strong association between social capital perceptions and health, particularly mental health and life stress. Social capital was greater in the high and mixed SES neighbourhoods and much weaker in the low SES neighbourhoods. With respect to social capital actions, both volunteering and voting was associated with positive overall health and mental health. Finally, the paper identified the social capital "elite"--respondents with high or above average perceptions and who participated in the two social capital actions--voting and volunteering. Prominent among the social capital elite in Hamilton is the "health wealthy" senior, a positive development for the continued social well-being of the city.