Search

Background: In the school year immediately following cannabis legalization in Canada, this paper investigated youth perceptions of school support for the prevention and cessation of substance use. Scant research has examined student perceptions in relation to school disciplinary approaches. This study was the first to classify school discipline approach styles using school-level measures. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine whether different school cannabis use-related disciplinary approaches are associated with student cannabis use and perceptions of school supportiveness for the prevention and cessation of substance use. Results: School- and student-level survey data from Year 7 (the 2018/2019 school year) of the COMPASS study were used, including 68,037 grade 9–12 (Secondary I–V in Quebec) students attending 131 Canadian secondary schools. Schools were classified as using different cannabis use-related disciplinary styles based on school-administrator reported approaches to student first-offense violations of school cannabis policies. We identified that although none of the cannabis use-related disciplinary approach styles examined were associated with cannabis use, they were associated with student perceptions. Students attending schools classified as using a Permissive/Supportive approach had a higher likelihood of perceiving their school as supportive for substance use prevention/cessation than their peers at Authoritarian schools. Students who perceived their school as supportive for substance use prevention/cessation were less likely to report current cannabis use than their peers who perceived their school as unsupportive. Conclusions: Unlike previous studies using school classification styles that are based on student perceptions, results do not support direct associations between school cannabis use-related disciplinary styles and student cannabis use. Future prospective research should examine whether supportive disciplinary approaches (e.g., counseling referrals, educational programs) promote student perceptions of school supportiveness, and in turn, deter student substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an increasingly globalized world, there have been mounting calls for social accountability with respect to recognizing Indigenous and nonwhite human rights within nation states. Thus, this perspective paper reflects on the Canadian occupational therapy journey for social change with a specific focus on Indigenous fieldwork experiences. First, we describe the importance of cultural safety in occupational therapy practice and partnership development. Then we profile a unique and successful fieldwork experience as a guide for facilitating transformative learning during an Indigenous fieldwork placement. The results of a national portrait evaluation of Indigenous fieldwork across Canada and considerations for future actions are also presented. The time is right to create further opportunities to develop creative, constructive dialogue and strategic thinking to engage in and evolve occupational therapy fieldwork education in forward-looking partnerships with Indigenous stakeholders, services and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two adult educator professors share reflections on their dialogues, spanning 15 years, focusing on their journey of work and learning at a research-intensive university. Authors refer to intrinsic principles, values, and a shared commitment to contributing to a community shaped and influenced by an intentional focus on 'relationality' in support of individual and collective well-being. By reflecting on dialogues, past and ongoing, an enduring commitment to co-creating learning spaces sustained by care, compassion, and positive regard for colleagues and students is realized. Authors advance a commitment to community as essential to support work and learning spaces that thrive. This discourse is located in the current neoliberal milieu where a focus on performance germane to teaching, securing research funding, scholarship productivity, and compliance pervades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infertility, and the choice to attempt assisted reproductive technology, is the source of significant stress for patients pursuing in vitro fertilization (IVF), and this compels many to identify and leverage psychosocial supports. Because the quality of social support individuals receive depends on the nature of the communication they share with the receiver, it is important to consider how disclosure builds social support. We explored the IVF patient and peer communication process and the disclosure of fertility-related and non-fertility-related information by conducting 23 interviews with first-time and recurring IVF patients. Results show that IVF patients share natural, immediate, and backward disclosure transitions; share a mutual understanding of engagement boundaries; have a propensity for reciprocal sharing; and prefer digital communication for their interactions. While participants reported disclosing a wide range of aspects of their condition and its treatment, such as treatment protocol, diagnosis/IVF attempts, medication and injections, financial questions, marital adjustment, family and social acceptance, emotional adjustment, and treatment milestones, they also reported a tendency to distance themselves during the post–embryo transfer waiting period and avoided sharing other aspects of their lives. Future support strategies should frame patient–peer support as a pragmatic channel that can adapt depending on disclosure and communication preferences of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite rising rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and inequitable access to education and services, few studies have addressed the unique sex education needs of newcomer youth in Canada and other increasingly demographically diverse Western countries. This study involved the design, implementation and evaluation of a novel and innovative participatory action research project, SExT: Sex Education by Theatre. SExT is a theatre-based, culturally empowering, peer education intervention piloted in a multicultural area of Toronto. Young people were trained as peer educators through participation in theatre-based workshops culminating in the performance of a new play for peers. Mixed methods evaluation involved surveys, focus groups, peer interviews and arts-based data collection. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted to investigate changes in sexual health self-efficacy (protection, STI/HIV testing, sexual limit-setting) over three time-points (pre, post, 4-month follow-up). Thematic analysis was used to gain a deeper understanding of outcomes. Quantitative analysis demonstrated significant improvements in outcome measures from pre– to post-intervention that were maintained at follow-up. Qualitative data indicated increased sexual health self-efficacy attributed to SExT. Pilot study findings suggest that SExT may serve as a model for sexual health interventions in areas populated by newcomer and other priority youth groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging adults who engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) tend to share such experiences with peers. Thus, peers may represent a vital avenue for accessing recovery support and further help (e.g. encouraging professional help-seeking). With little known about how university students respond to NSSI disclosures from peers, the present study attempted to examine these experiences from the vantage point of disclosure recipients. Responses were gathered from a sample of undergraduate students who received an NSSI disclosure from a friend. Specifically, 104, primarily white female, emerging adults (M = 18.29 years of age, SD =.80) were recruited from a Canadian university. Demographics and open-ended questions asking about experiences receiving an NSSI disclosure from a friend were collected via online survey. Responses to the open-ended qualitative questions were examined using a thematic analysis. Responses fell broadly into four domains (intense emotional reactions, supportive responding, impact on peer relationship, and perceived insight about NSSI), which were each composed of two to four themes. Overall, findings point to several implications for researchers (e.g. developing accessible resources for peers of those who self-injure) and counselors (e.g. helping people who self-injure to understand the reactions of their peers). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bowen's Family of Origin training is extended to supervisory training in a Western Canada children's mental health setting with new team leaders. The training focused on worker life experiences and how they bring those experiences to the supervisory relationship to influence work with children, youth and families. Participant vulnerability, inherent in the training, provides significant insight for them in their leadership role to reveal awareness of self and other; how awareness of family of origin patterns can reduce stress and increase relationships across the organisation supporting therapeutic alliance. One-on-one interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Inductive thematic analysis identifies three emerging themes that speak to the awareness of self and other, shifting understandings of the supervisory role, and a parallel process of peer support. Findings are presented using participant quotes, followed by a discussion of implications for supervision within children's mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from elementary to middle or high school is an important experience common to most adolescents in North America. However, very little research has been conducted to understand the experiences of students with a disability status and the stakeholders involved in the transition. Clearly, there is a need to generate information that views the transition as a process between students and stakeholders that takes place over time. This investigation illustrates the utility of the action-project method for studying the transition to middle or high school. Three cases involving Canadian adolescents with different disabilities (learning, sensory/motor and emotional/behavioural) and their parents, as key stakeholders, are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to better understand the benefits of self-help group involvement by adults with hearing loss. Design: A secondary content analysis of interview transcripts of participants from a previous study on the impact of stigma on help-seeking was carried out. Study sample: Ten members (aged 55-76 years) of self-help groups for persons with hearing loss in the United States of America and Canada participated in the interviews. Results: Three themes describing the benefits of self-help group participation emerged: (1) Practical and accessible information about hearing loss; (2) Social belonging leading to personal transformation; and (3) A new and mutually beneficial direction. Conclusions: The findings are discussed in relation to the "helper therapy principle", as well as group audiological rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Descriptive alcohol norms refer to the perception of how frequently and how much peers consume alcohol. University students frequently overestimate descriptive norms, which is positively associated with their own alcohol consumption. Exposure to alcohol-related content on social networking sites (SNS) is also predictive of alcohol-related problems. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of descriptive norms as a potential mediator of the relationship between alcohol exposure via SNS and problematic alcohol consumption. Methods: A total of 175 students in a Canadian university completed the Alcohol and Social Networking Practice Questionnaire to assess activity on SNS, the degree of exposure to alcohol-related content on SNS via peers, and perceptions of the estimated frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed by other students. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was administered to assess a participant’s alcohol consumption patterns. Results: Both frequency and quantity norms partially mediated the relationship between alcohol exposure on SNS and drinking behavior. Conclusion: These results suggest that SNS may be useful to identify at-risk students and may serve as an effective platform for personalized normative feedback interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This qualitative research explores the dynamic roles of peer support in substance use disorder treatment. Interviews were conducted with 41 participants across three long term residential substance use disorder treatment programs in the Greater Toronto Area. Findings indicate four key themes of peer support: 1) Learning opportunities (that provide perspectives of oneself, perspectives of progress, and perspectives of positive social interactions); 2) Treatment opportunities from shared experiences (which help to create trust, provide a common understanding, and alignment based on shared experiences); and 3) Mutual support (which helps to prevent isolation, acts as an informal component of intervention, and supports reassurance and ongoing feedback). Together, the findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the specific nuances of peer support in longer term substance use disorder treatment centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of peer support group in the psychosocial adjustment of an adult who recovered from brain injury. It refers to the sociological concept of biographical disruption which is used to explain the relationship between the sudden onset of illness and its psychosocial impact on one's expected life trajectory. It notes that adult survivor faced issues related to their development stages such as career, education, relationships and caregiving responsibilities.

This study aimed to understand the role of group cohesion and alliance in LifeRing, a secular peer support group for substance misuse. Correlational analyses of quantitative data and content analysis of qualitative data from 50 participants assessed (a) the relationship between group cohesion, alliance with the meeting convenor, and active participation in the group; (b) the associations among group cohesion, alliance with the meeting convenor, and satisfaction with the group; and (c) what participants found helpful about LifeRing. Group cohesion was significantly associated with active group participation while convenor alliance was significantly associated with group satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]