Search

Migration is increasing at unprecedented rates worldwide, but inadequate mechanisms for granting citizenship or permanent residence have rendered many immigrants without legal status. We study the health of people without immigration status in Canada, building on a 2010 review on being without status and health. We employ an expanded definition of health, guided by the WHO Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) framework. Using a scoping review methodology, we reviewed literature from 2008 to 2018 on the SDoH of people without legal immigration status in Canada, selecting 33 articles for analysis. We found that structural determinants of health, such as stigmatization and criminalization, and intermediary determinants, such as fear of deportation and healthcare avoidance, produce ill health. We show how different social positions are produced by SDoH, finding immigration status to be the foundational determinant of health for people without status in Canada. We argue that lack of immigration status as a SDoH is missing from the WHO framework.

The current study investigated the impact of the COVID pandemic lockdown on gambling and problem gambling in Canada. The AGRI National Project's online panel participants (N = 3449) provided baseline gambling data 6 months prior to the pandemic. Re-surveying this sample during the lockdown provided an opportunity to make quantitative comparisons of the changes. Nearly one-third of gamblers reported ceasing gambling altogether during the lockdown. For the continuing gamblers, quantitative data indicated significant decreases in gambling frequency, time spent in gambling sessions, money spent, and the number of game types played. Qualitative perceptions of changes in gambling were examined and the accuracy of these reports were not closely aligned with actual changes in gambling. Gambling platform was the only gambling engagement metric where increases were found with ~ 17% of the gambling sample migrating to online gambling during the lockdown. Although problem gambling within the sample generally declined, consistent with previous literature, it was also found that gambling online-among other biopsychosocial factors-was a significant predictor for classification as a problem gambler during the lockdown. COVID-specific influences on health, employment, leisure time and social isolation were moderately associated with problem gambling scores but were not independent predictors of changes in gambling engagement during lockdown. Future studies are required to assess if the pandemic related changes in gambling evidenced in this study remain stable, or if engagement reverts to pre-pandemic levels when the pandemic response allows for the re-opening of land-based gambling venues.

The objectives of this study were to explore perceived social support, negative social interactions, and psychological distress in Canadian adults who experience lifetime abuse, or dependence on cannabis (ADC), and to determine whether, and the extent to which variables of interest predict psychological distress. Data were extracted from a cross-sectional, national datafile representing a sample of 1503 individuals who met the criteria for a lifetime prevalence of ADC. Levels of perceived overall social support, and several subtypes were measured using the Social Provisions Scale (SPS), negative social interactions were assessed using the Negative Social Interaction (NSI) scale, and psychological distress was examined using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). It was observed that Canadians with ADC had significantly lower SPS scores (overall, and by subtype) and significantly higher NSI and K10 scores compared with the overall Canadian adult sample. An exploratory stepwise regression revealed that NCI scores were the most significant, positive predictor of psychological distress, which alone accounted for 20 percent of the variance, followed by reassurance of worth, attachment, and social integration which were inversely related to psychological distress. With the recent legalization of cannabis in Canada, the results of this study suggest that abuse may strongly link with negative social consequences that might serve to exacerbate psychological distress. As such, it might be beneficial to clearly understand one's social context when considering medicinal purposes of cannabis for mental health symptom management. Further, the findings also suggest that patients with cannabis addiction will likely benefit from receiving particular forms of social support. Limitations of this study and future research are considered.

The scope and variety of video games and monetary gambling opportunities are expanding rapidly. In many ways, these forms of entertainment are converging on digital and online video games and gambling sites. However, little is known about the relationship between video gaming and gambling. The present study explored the possibility of a directional relationship between measures of problem gaming and problem gambling, while also controlling for the influence of sex and age. In contrast to most previous investigations which are based on cross-sectional designs and non-representative samples, the present study utilized a longitudinal design conducted over 2 years (2013, 2015) and comprising 4601 participants (males 47.2%, age range 16–74) drawn from a random sample from the general population. Video gaming and gambling were assessed using the Gaming Addiction Scale for Adolescents and the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, respectively. Using an autoregressive cross-lagged structural equation model, we found a positive relationship between scores on problematic gaming and later scores on problematic gambling, whereas we found no evidence of the reverse relationship. Hence, video gaming problems appear to be a gateway behavior to problematic gambling behavior. In future research, one should continue to monitor the possible reciprocal behavioral influences between gambling and video gaming.

As part of a mixed-methods study, this qualitative inquiry determined how adolescent participation in church or religious groups related to their health. We used grounded theory with a phenomenological approach to inquiry. Consistent with the quantitative findings, children (n = 12) involved in religious groups reported lower participation in risk behaviors, higher pro-social behaviors, but poorer levels of emotional well-being and physical health. Findings raise theological and practical questions about the practices and teaching of the church with respect to children’s ministry. They suggest an emphasis on teaching about behaviors and morality rather than a more integrative message involving the whole of life.

This paper represents the consensus views of a cross-section of companies and organizations from the USA and Canada regarding the validation and application of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods for bioanalysis of protein biotherapeutics in regulated studies. It was prepared under the auspices of the AAPS Bioanalytical Focus Group’s Protein LC-MS Bioanalysis Subteam and is intended to serve as a guide to drive harmonization of best practices within the bioanalytical community and provide regulators with an overview of current industry thinking on applying LC-MS/MS technology for protein bioanalysis. For simplicity, the scope was limited to the most common current approach in which the protein is indirectly quantified using LC-MS/MS measurement of one or more of its surrogate peptide(s) produced by proteolytic digestion. Within this context, we considered a range of sample preparation approaches from simple in-matrix protein denaturation and digestion to complex procedures involving affinity capture enrichment. Consideration was given to the method validation experiments normally associated with traditional LC-MS/MS and ligand-binding assays. Our collective experience, thus far, is that LC-MS/MS methods for protein bioanalysis require different development and validation considerations than those used for small molecules. The method development and validation plans need to be tailored to the particular assay format being established, taking into account a number of important factors: the intended use of the assay, the test species or study population, the characteristics of the protein biotherapeutic and its similarity to endogenous proteins, potential interferences, as well as the nature, quality, and availability of reference and internal standard materials.