Supporting young people through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: a multi-site qualitative longitudinal study.

Background: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, youth have experienced substantial stress due to abrupt changes in education, finances, and social life, compounding pre-existing stressors. With youth (ages 15-26) often at critical points in development, they are vulnerable to long-term mental health challenges brought on by pandemic trauma.

Methods: To identify youth experiences throughout the pandemic and examine changes over time, we conducted semi-structured interviews among n = 141 youth in two Canadian provinces (Ontario and British Columbia) and across the country of Ireland at three time points over the course of more than one year (August 2020-October 2021).

'Is It Safe? Is it not?' A Youth-Led Photovoice Study of Youth Perspectives of COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence.

Background: Youth have been uniquely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite high rates of COVID-19 infection, youth had one of the lowest vaccine uptake rates. Certain characteristics can affect vaccine uptake, such as mental health and substance use, but it is important to understand uptake for an effective response to pandemics.

A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Interventions and Health-Related Services for Youth Who Use Nonmedical Opioids in Canada and the United States.

Purpose: This scoping review synthesizes the characteristics and outcomes of recent evidence-based treatments and services for youth with nonmedical opioid use/opioid use disorder in the context of the ongoing opioid crisis in Canada and the United States.

Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses - Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, empirical health databases were searched for literature describing treatments or health-related services for nonmedical opioid use/opioid use disorder among youth (ages 12-25). Two independent reviewers conducted study screening, selection, and data extraction.

Peer support for borderline personality disorder: A critical review of its feasibility, acceptability, and alignment with concepts of recovery.

Many organizations have adopted peer support to increase service alignment with recovery-oriented principles. Yet, few studies have scrutinized borderline personality disorder (BPD)-specific concepts of "recovery" and "recovery-oriented practice," nor evaluated the extent to which existing peer support services (PSS) align with these concepts. We addressed these knowledge gaps in four phases: (a) a literature review to understand BPD-specific concepts of "recovery" and "recovery-oriented practice," (b) a literature review and open web search to describe the implementation, feasibility, or effectiveness of PSS for people with BPD, (c) a landscaping survey of program administrators regarding their BPD-PSS programs, and (d) a critical review of the extent to which current peer support for BPD aligns with "recovery" and "recovery-oriented practice.

Understanding the factors related to how East and Southeast Asian immigrant youth and families access mental health and substance use services: A scoping review.

The objective of the review is to identify factors related to how East and Southeast Asian immigrant youth aged 12-24 and their families access mental health and substance use (MHSU) services. To address how East and Southeast Asian youth and their families access mental health and substance use services, a scoping review was conducted to identify studies in these databases: PubMed, MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Sociology Collection. Qualitative content analysis was used to deductively identify themes and was guided by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, the process-person-context-time (PPCT) model, and the five dimensions of care accessibility (approachability, acceptability, availability and accommodation, appropriateness, affordability).

Exploring How Youth Use TikTok for Mental Health Information in British Columbia: Semistructured Interview Study With Youth.

Background: TikTok (ByteDance) experienced a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for people to interact with others, share experiences and thoughts related to the pandemic, and cope with ongoing mental health challenges. However, few studies have explored how youth use TikTok to learn about mental health.

Objective: This study aims to understand how youth used TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic to learn about mental health and mental health support.

Health through the eyes of youths: a qualitative study.

Background: Emerging definitions of health have suggested a shift in focus to one's ability to manage their health condition, function, and social determinants of health. The construct of health for youths with mental health and substance use disorders (MHSU) is complex and multi-dimensional with interplay between biological, behavioral, and social conditions. Expanding definitions of health is crucial in the measurement of health and evaluation of integrated youth services (IYS) systems for people with MHSU disorders.

Weaving community-based participatory research and co-design to improve opioid use treatments and services for youth, caregivers, and service providers.

Integrating the voices of service users and providers in the design and delivery of health services increases the acceptability, relevance, and effectiveness of services. Such efforts are particularly important for youth opioid use treatments and services, which have failed to consider the unique needs of youth and families. Applying community-based participatory research (CBPR) and co-design can facilitate this process by contextualizing service user experiences at individual and community levels and supporting the collaborative design of innovative solutions for improving care.

Diagnostic services for developmental coordination disorder: Gaps and opportunities identified by parents.

Background: Affecting one in 20 children, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder impacting a child's ability to learn motor skills. Despite its high prevalence, DCD is under-recognized and under-diagnosed, causing unnecessary frustration and stress for families who are seeking help for their child. This study aimed to understand how parents procure diagnostic services and their perspectives on needed supports and services to improve early identification and diagnosis of DCD.

Participatory Research with Persons who Experience Mental Illness in Occupational Therapy: A Scoping Review.

Persons who experience mental illness also face stigma and discrimination that frequently lead to a loss of ability to exercise autonomy and agency in their lives. The range and breadth of literature exploring participatory research with persons living with mental illness are unknown in occupational therapy and occupation science. We initiated this study to fill this gap in the existing occupational therapy and occupational science literature.

Caregiver burden and mental health: Parent perspectives when raising a child with developmental coordination disorder.

Background: Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) are at high risk for mental health disorders, stemming from challenges participating in motor activities. Parents of children with DCD report increased caregiver burden exacerbated by insufficient support and services for their child. A paucity of literature exists on parent and child mental health associated with a DCD diagnosis.

Perspectives on implementing Individual Placement and Support (IPS) within primary health care settings for adults living in British Columbia, Canada.

Background: Individual placement and support (IPS) is an evidence-based practice (EBP) designed to help people with severe mental illness re-enter the labour market. Implementing an IPS program within a new context (e.g.

Patterns of service utilization among youth with substance use service need: a cohort study.

Background: Integrated youth services (IYS) are vital to addressing the needs of youth who use substances. Evidence on the characteristics of youths accessing these services and the types of services accessed have been limited. The objectives were to identify sociodemographic, self-reported health and mental health, patterns of service utilization (service type and frequency of visits) among youths with different levels of substance use service needs (low, moderate, and high), and to estimate the extent to which substance use service needs, self-reported health and mental health influenced the frequency of visits and types of service utilized.

Métis health in Canada: a scoping review of Métis-specific health literature.

Background: Métis are a culturally unique and distinct population, yet little research has evaluated their health separate from the broader Indigenous population. We sought to explore current literature regarding the health of Métis Peoples in Canada and identify potential trends and gaps.

Methods: Using the Arksey-O'Malley, 5-stage, scoping review method, we searched PubMed, MEDLINE, iPortal Indigenous Articles Portal Research Tool and pertinent reference lists using the terms "Métis," "health" and "Canada.

Associations over the COVID-19 pandemic period and the mental health and substance use of youth not in employment, education or training in Ontario, Canada: a longitudinal, cohort study.

Background: The economic shutdown and school closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have negatively influenced many young people's educational and training opportunities, leading to an increase in youth not in education, employment, or training (NEET) globally and in Canada. NEET youth have a greater vulnerability to mental health and substance use problems, compared to their counterparts who are in school and/or employed. There is limited evidence on the association between COVID-19 and NEET youth.

A scoping review of resilience among transition-age youth with serious mental illness: tensions, knowledge gaps, and future directions.

Introduction: The study of resilience among transition-age youth (aged 16-29 years) living with serious mental illness (SMI) has provided a promising new direction for research with the capacity to explore individuals' strengths and resources. However, variability in how resilience is defined and measured has led to a lack of conceptual clarity. A comprehensive synthesis is needed to understand current trends and gaps in resilience research among this population.

Success or Failure? Are We Meeting the Needs of Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder?

Current international clinical practice guidelines indicate that children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) should receive therapy, yet school and community-based occupational therapy is not standard of care. To understand parent perspectives on best practice for treatment and what supports and services are required to meet their children's needs. An online cross-sectional survey (impACT for DCD) was distributed to parents of children <18 years with self-reported suspected or diagnosed DCD living in British Columbia.

"A peer support worker can really be there supporting the youth throughout the whole process": a qualitative study exploring the role of peer support in providing substance use services to youth.

Background: Youth (ages 12-24) rarely access services and supports to address substance use concerns. Peer support can facilitate service engagement and has been associated with positive substance use recovery outcomes in adults, yet few studies have examined this role among youth specifically. As such, this qualitative study explored the role of peer support in providing substance use services to youth in British Columbia and how best to support them in their role.

Evaluating the Psychometric Properties and Clinical Utility of a Digital Psychosocial Self-Screening Tool (HEARTSMAP-U) for Postsecondary Students: Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Existing screening tools for mental health issues among postsecondary students have several challenges, including a lack of standardization and codevelopment by students. HEARTSMAP-U was adapted to address these issues.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of HEARTSMAP-U as a self-screening tool for psychosocial issues among postsecondary students by evaluating its validity evidence and clinical utility.

Implementing integrated-youth services virtually in British Columbia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Foundry responded to support youth across the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, by creating a virtual platform to deliver integrated services to youth. In this paper, we report on the development of Foundry Virtual services, initial evaluation results and lessons learnt for others implementing virtual services.

Methods And Analysis: In April 2020, Foundry launched its virtual services, providing young people and their caregivers from across BC with drop-in counselling services via chat, voice or video calls.

Rasch analysis of the beck depression inventory in a homeless and precariously housed sample.

The approach to analysis of and interpretation of findings from the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a self-report questionnaire, depends on sample characteristics. To extend work using conventional BDI scoring, the BDI's suitability in assessing symptom severity in a homeless and precariously housed sample was examined using Rasch analysis. Participants (n=478) recruited from an impoverished neighbourhood in Vancouver, Canada, completed the BDI.

Infusing wellness opportunities into integrated youth services.

Background: Appropriate health services and health promotion strategies for young people with mental health and substance use (MHSU) concerns are critical for recovery. Foundry, an integrated youth services (IYS) initiative for young people ages 12-24 in British Columbia (BC), Canada, has recently added leisure and recreational activities (referred to as the Wellness Program) into its services. The objectives of this study were to: (1) describe how the Wellness Program was implemented over a two-year period into IYS (2) provide an overview of what the Wellness Program is, who accessed the program since inception and initial evaluation results.