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Background: Intentional interpersonal youth violence is a significant public health issue, causing acute and chronic health problems affecting individuals, families, and communities. Social emotional learning (SEL) programs, such as Roots of Empathy (ROE), delivered in schools decrease physical aggression and increase prosocial behaviours. These are risk and protective factors for later involvement in interpersonal violence. The purpose of this research is to study whether individuals who participated in ROE in childhood/early adolescence have a reduced risk of serious intentional interpersonal violent injury as youths between the ages of 16-24, and whether this relationship differs based on sex at birth (male/female) or grade level of exposure (K-3, 4-6, and 7-10). Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study uses data from Manitoba, Canada, relying on the linkable health and social databases through the Manitoba Center for Health Policy (MCHP). The participants in this study were born from 1986 to 2002; cases were identified as those who participated in the 2002-2007 Phase I and II ROE studies (n = 4,437). ROE youth were matched up to10:1 to youth who did not participate in ROE (n = 44,254). Severe interpersonal violent injuries in youths ages 16-24 was defined as a serious injury requiring admission to hospital or death due to interpersonal violence inflicted by others. Hazard ratios (HR) were obtained using survival analysis. Results: Youth in this study were followed for an average of 7.3 years (SD 1.8). The rates of intentional violent injury were 13.2 and 10.5 per 10,000 for the ROE and the control group, respectively (HR =1.26; 95% CI 0.91-1.73). This was non-significant. The relationship did not vary for males (HR = 1.34; 95% CI 0.95-1.89) or females (HR = 0.90; 95% CI 0.39-2.10). Additionally, the relationship between exposure to ROE and interpersonal intentional violent injury was non-significant for those who participated in grades k-3 (HR =

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is the leading non-genetic cause of developmental disability in Canada. Many challenges abound at the individual, family and societal levels. Much of the literature cites high quality home and caregiving environments as an important correlate to optimal outcomes for individuals with FASD, however, research is limited on this experience from a family perspective. Eight adoptive parents’ experiences of family well-being, within the context of having a child with FASD in the family, were explored through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) drew out four superordinate themes each with their collection of sub-ordinate themes describing participants’ experiences of 1) Managing Individuals with FASD; 2) Navigating Family Cohesion; 3) Psychological Warfare; and 4) Experiences of Supports. The Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response Model (FAAR) is used to illustrate how families attribute meanings and adjust to balance demands against capabilities. Findings highlight how this dynamic disability impacts all aspects of family life and has a constant and cumulative effect on families’ well-being. Subjective overall family well-being is less than what participants feel it should be given their capacity. The duality of this experience was evident as families strive to balance their philosophies of family cohesion with the logistics of managing this complex disability. Hope, community, and parents feeling successful in their efforts seem to have strong connections to well-being. The study contributes to a growing body of FASD research and highlights the importance of a family-centered approach to care. Participant-promoted recommendations for research and practice are outlined.

Parent-child interaction has been documented to promote child language development, and higher levels of language development better prepare children for academic success. The Abecedarian Program provides high-quality child care and enriching experiences to promote academic and social development of children living in low-income households. One aspect of the Abecedarian program focuses on enhancing language development through the daily intentional use of language. This program has been demonstrated to raise children’s language levels, however, increased parent-child interaction at home has not been tested. This thesis evaluated the impact of the Abecedarian Program on levels of parent-child interaction at home and, in turn, the impact of parent-child interaction levels on language development among a sample of families living in a low-income neighbourhood. A relationship was found between program participation and parent-child interaction levels at home; however, there was no statistically significant interaction between parent-child interaction at home and language development.

Depression has been cited as the most prevalent of the Axis I disorders affecting upward of 16% of American adults in their lifetimes (Kessler et al., 2005). The literature on effective treatments for depression is substantial, however the follow-up literature that speaks to what happens after treatment ends is much smaller. This thesis describes two studies. The first is an overview of reviews of post-treatment outcomes for adults treated for major depressive disorder (MDD). The second is a narrative systematic review of studies of long-term (at least 12 months) post-treatment outcomes after the completion of treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). These studies synthesize the available evidence concerning post-treatment outcomes and discuss the limitations of these data. Relapse is a significant issue for many people who respond to treatment with upwards of 50% of people relapsing within a year of the end of treatment, depending on the type of treatment. Some treatments have significant relapse prevention effects, including continued medication treatment, acute and continuation phase CBT, and variations of CBT designed specifically for addressing residual symptoms after acute treatment or specifically aimed at relapse prevention. Given that the risk of relapse after treatment is significant, it should be discussed during acute treatment, as should approaches to reducing the risk of relapse. Recommendations for future research are discussed. Within the overview of reviews, there was considerable consistency across reviews which aided in the formulation of practical recommendations for clinicians and for patients. Examples include provision of education about the probability of relapse and planning for relapse prevention during acute phase treatment. Engaging in continuation and maintenance treatments that are aimed at reducing relapse, and whenever possible, continuing treatment until patients are considered to be in recovery, and not just for a certain peri