Refugee youth: A review of mental health counselling issues and practices.
A global migration crisis has resulted in unprecedented numbers of refugees coming to Canada and other countries. A third of these refugees are youth, arriving with family members or alone. Although specific circumstances differ widely, refugee youth need support with language learning, education, and adjusting to a new country; a significant number also need mental health services. For this review paper, we focused on mental health issues and challenges refugee youth face, as well as counselling practices that have been found to be effective with these youth. There has been very little research specifically focused on ref...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 30, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Marshall, E. Anne; Butler, Kathryn; Roche, Tricia; Cumming, Jessica; Taknint, Joelle T. Source Type: research
Challenges facing East Asian immigrant children in sexual abuse cases.
Immigrants from East Asia make up 14.21% of the total number of immigrants in Canada. These families face many challenges as they acculturate to North America, but, sadly, some of these children may be at risk for sexual abuse. In this article, we outline the ways in which East Asian children, compared with Western nonimmigrant children, are at a particular disadvantage when considering prosecution of those who perpetrate abuse. We focus specifically on 3 areas of concern: (1) cultural differences that can shape children ’s memory recall, (2) cultural differences that can impact the path of disclosure of sexual abuse, an...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 30, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Roberts, Kim P.; Qi, Hongyuan; Zhang, Huan Huan Source Type: research
Well-being after trauma: A review of posttraumatic growth among refugees.
Refugees experience a host of traumatic events and stressors in their countries of origin, during flight, and during resettlement. The impact of these experiences on both their physical and mental health is well documented in the literature. However, the potentially positive effects of trauma on well-being are less well understood. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize the literature on refugee posttraumatic growth. Posttraumatic growth (PTG) occurs when refugees coherently make sense of their traumatic experiences. As a result of engaging in this reflective process, some experience positive intra- and inte...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 30, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Chan, K. Jacky; Young, Marta Y.; Sharif, Noor Source Type: research
Fitness to stand trial evaluations in immigration proceedings.
Fitness to stand trial evaluations are the most commonly conducted mental health examination in Canada (O ’Shaughnessy, 2007; van der Wolf, van Marle, Mevis,& Roesch, 2010). As the concept of fitness is defined in 1992 in the revision of the Canadian Criminal Code, these evaluations are limited to criminal settings and do not directly apply in other potentially relevant legal areas. However, a similar criterion exists for those in immigration proceedings. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) requires that those members who are responsible for hearing and deciding the cases designate a representative for fore...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 30, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Ramos-Gonz ález, Nishma N.; Weiss, Rebecca A.; Schweizer, Jillian; Rosinski, Amanda Source Type: research
Les pratiques de recherche d ’informations en matière de santé (PRIMS) chez des immigrants de première génération dans la région de Montréal. L’incidence du type d’acculturation, du niveau de scolarité et du temps écoulé depuis l’immigration. / The health information seeking practices (PRIMS) among first-gener ation immigrants in the Montreal region. The impact of the acculturation type, education level and time since immigration.
The objective of this article is to learn the practices for gathering information about health used by first generation immigrants whose mother tongue is not French. Group interviews were conducted with 125 immigrants and 506 others completed a questionnaire dealing with changes in their life habits after immigration. We first present a balanced analysis of the acculturation model and then show how the type (strategy) of acculturation influences the ways immigrants search for information about health and nutrition. However, other factors also play a role in those practices including the length of time since immigration and...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 30, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Girard, Alain; Boucher, Vincent G.; Sercia, Pierre Source Type: research
Telling the story: A psychological review on assessing adolescents ’ asylum claims.
Unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) are separated from caregivers, have often been exposed to significant additional past and ongoing adversities, and seek protection from war, organized violence, or persecution in a new country. Obtaining a more secure legal position by achieving recognition of the asylum claim and legal rights may involve arduous interviews with officials who appear disbelieving. Assessing a minor ’s claim to asylum is an important and difficult task. UASC often arrive with little “proof” or documentation to justify their claims and can only provide their account in making their claim. Wit...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 30, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Given-Wilson, Zoe; Herlihy, Jane; Hodes, Matthew Source Type: research
Immigrant acculturation and wellbeing in Canada.
Much international research has examined the various ways in which immigrants engage both their new society and their heritage culture, and the relationship between these ways of engagement and their wellbeing. The present study examines these ways of engagement and this relationship in a representative sample of 7,000 immigrants to Canada. Immigrants ’ sense of belonging to their source country and to Canada was used to assess their 2 cultural engagements; life satisfaction and self-rated mental health were used to assess their wellbeing. The study created 4 acculturation strategies from the 2 sense of belonging measure...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 30, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Berry, John W.; Hou, Feng Source Type: research
Posttraumatic stress disorder in Syrian refugees: A review.
War is a disaster that has both acute and long-term effects, which often results in refugee migration, as has been the case in the Syrian war. Most agencies and organizations concentrate on providing necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. However, mental health must not be forgotten among other important needs of the refugees. This review explores the mental health needs of refugees, with a focus on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), finding that refugees appear especially susceptible to PTSD and PTSD symptoms, especially women and children. Although PTSD can lead to other negative consequences such as physica...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 30, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Ghumman, Usman; McCord, Carly E.; Chang, Jessica E. Source Type: research
Evidence-based care for Iraqi, Kurdish, and Syrian asylum seekers and refugees of the Syrian civil war: A systematic review.
We conducted a systematic review of literature reporting on the prevalence of assessment measures, treatments, and biomarkers used in the diagnosis and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Iraqi, Kurdish, and Syrian refugees. We performed a search of medical, psychological, and sociological databases on all relevant literature published between January 2011 and March 2016. Seventeen manuscripts met the study inclusion criteria. Seven assessment measures were used in more than 1 study, 4 of which were clinically administered (Vivo Checklist of War, Detention, and Torture; Clinically Administered PTSD Scale (...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 30, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Nakeyar, Cisse; Frewen, Paul A. Source Type: research
A survey of clinical psychology doctoral students in Quebec.
Interns in clinical psychology in Quebec are the only interns in North America who are not remunerated during their mandatory predoctoral internships. To understand the ramifications of the nonremuneration of these internships, we surveyed 503 doctoral students in clinical psychology in Quebec (i.e., students pursuing either a PsyD or PhD in clinical psychology). In particular, we focus on the socioeconomic situation of these students as well as future work intentions following internship training. Results demonstrate that Quebec doctoral students in psychology amass substantial debt during their studies. Furthermore, wher...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 9, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jauniaux, Josiane; Schoemaker, Doroth ée; Middleton, Jerry Source Type: research
What are the opportunities and challenges for Canadian psychology?
The various sections within the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) represent many subdisciplines of the field of psychology. Each section has its own unique opportunities and challenges for practice, research, and education. The aim of this paper is to begin a dialogue about these opportunities and challenges. Colleagues who chair a CPA section were contacted via e-mail and asked to provide their opinion on 3 opportunities and 3 challenges within their section of psychology. Many of these leaders also consulted the members of their section in order to get a broader perspective. Moreover, the presidents and directors ...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 9, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Beaulieu, Leah; Schmelefske, Emma Source Type: research
Reporting practices and use of quantitative methods in Canadian journal articles in psychology.
With recent focus on the state of research in psychology, it is essential to assess the nature of the statistical methods and analyses used and reported by psychological researchers. To that end, we investigated the prevalence of different statistical procedures and the nature of statistical reporting practices in recent articles from the 4 major Canadian psychology journals. The majority of authors evaluated their research hypotheses through the use of analysis of variance, t tests, and multiple regression. Multivariate approaches were less common. Null hypothesis significance testing remains a popular strategy, but the m...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 6, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Counsell, Alyssa; Harlow, Lisa. L. Source Type: research
Findings all psychologists should know from the new science on subjective well-being.
Recent decades have seen rapid growth in the science of subjective well-being (SWB), with 14,000 publications a year now broaching the topic. The insights of this growing scholarly literature can be helpful to psychologists working both in research and applied areas. The authors describe 5 sets of recent findings on SWB: (a) the multidimensionality of SWB; (b) circumstances that influence long-term SWB; (c) cultural differences in SWB; (d) the beneficial effects of SWB on health and social relationships; and (e) interventions to increase SWB. In addition, they outline the implications of these findings for the helping prof...
Source: Canadian Psychology - October 6, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Diener, Ed; Heintzelman, Samantha J.; Kushlev, Kostadin; Tay, Louis; Wirtz, Derrick; Lutes, Lesley D.; Oishi, Shigehiro Source Type: research
Psychology in and out of the shadows.
The first few years of the new millennium have thrust an assortment of troublesome social issues on Western societies, from immigration to gun control to torture of military prisoners. Organized psychology has taken stands on some of these public matters. In this article I will discuss 3 such issues and the way they were handled by the Canadian Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association: capital punishment, marriage and adoption rights for gay and lesbian parents, and the relationship between ethics and international law regarding the treatment of prisoners. On the first 2 issues the 2 association...
Source: Canadian Psychology - August 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: O ’Neill, Patrick Source Type: research
Affirmation de la profession: Quels sont les d éfis pour les psychologues québécois? / Affirmation of the profession: What are the challenges for Quebec psychologists?
Assertion and promotion are essential if the future of our profession is to be assured. In terms of salary and the true nature of their work, psychologists in Quebec receive little recognition. Administrative pressures focused on “measurable” and quotas do not reflect the complexity of their daily duties, and recent Quebec legislation concerning the practice of psychotherapy has created confusion about the unique contribution of psychologists in the field of care and intervention. Moreover, psychologists have begun to wo nder whether the professional unions that represent them can properly carry out their role on behal...
Source: Canadian Psychology - August 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Roy, Charles Source Type: research
