Sharing our research

This project collaborates with members of the Skipping Stone (SS) team and youth advisors in the community to develop protocols and appropriate methodological approaches to recruit, interview, and interpret data from TGD youth in the community. Semi-structured interviews will be held with forty TGD youth (aged 12-25) to identify the current service needs of TGD youth and characterize the identified barriers to engaging with community resources such as SS or the University of Calgary Clinic. Audio-recorded interviews will be transcribed verbatim by the research team prior to performing thematic analysis to define trends in the data. The data will then be interpreted alongside youth advisors to ensure results are interpreted through a TGD lens to better inform and improve the community services and resources for TGD youth.

Youth well-being trajectories during the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed using three COVID-19 timepoints from the All Our Families (AOF) cohort dataset. Latent class growth analyses determined a four-class model of best fit and various risk (child mental health, maternal mental health, cyberbullying, and maternal ACEs) and protective (social support, resilience, optimism, community engagement, and emotional regulation) factors were regressed onto the model to investigate factors associated with change in youth well-being over the pandemic.

A meta-analysis was performed to determine the prevalence of suicidal intention specifically for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth in the community in terms of cognitive ideations versus suicidal behaviour, and contributing factors such as socioeconomic status, demographics, ethnicity, age, etc. This project will review the literature on suicidal ideations and behaviours in TGD youth and adolescents through several databases such as APA PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, among other databases to review empirical, peer-reviewed studies. The extracted data will be analyzed using statistical measures to provide a measure of effect sizes and correlations in CMA and provide a more comprehensive and accurate picture of suicidal risks that TGD youth face. Results can be used to better inform mental health initiatives aimed at improving developmental outcomes for TGD youth.

This project collaborates with members of the Skipping Stone (SS) team and youth advisors in the community to develop protocols and appropriate methodological approaches to recruit, interview, and interpret data from TGD youth in the community. Semi-structured interviews will be held with forty TGD youth (aged 12-25) to identify the current service needs of TGD youth and characterize the identified barriers to engaging with community resources such as SS or the University of Calgary Clinic. Audio-recorded interviews will be transcribed verbatim by the research team prior to performing thematic analysis to define trends in the data. The data will then be interpreted alongside youth advisors to ensure results are interpreted through a TGD lens to better inform and improve the community services and resources for TGD youth.

A meta-analysis was performed to determine the prevalence of suicidal intention specifically for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth in the community in terms of cognitive ideations versus suicidal behaviour, and contributing factors such as socioeconomic status, demographics, ethnicity, age, etc. This project will review the literature on suicidal ideations and behaviours in TGD youth and adolescents through several databases such as APA PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, among other databases to review empirical, peer-reviewed studies. The extracted data will be analyzed using statistical measures to provide a measure of effect sizes and correlations in CMA and provide a more comprehensive and accurate picture of suicidal risks that TGD youth face. Results can be used to better inform mental health initiatives aimed at improving developmental outcomes for TGD youth.

This project collaborates with members of the Skipping Stone (SS) team and youth advisors in the community to develop protocols and appropriate methodological approaches to recruit, interview, and interpret data from TGD youth in the community. Semi-structured interviews will be held with forty TGD youth (aged 12-25) to identify the current service needs of TGD youth and characterize the identified barriers to engaging with community resources such as SS or the University of Calgary Clinic. Audio-recorded interviews will be transcribed verbatim by the research team prior to performing thematic analysis to define trends in the data. The data will then be interpreted alongside youth advisors to ensure results are interpreted through a TGD lens to better inform and improve the community services and resources for TGD youth.

This project collaborates with members of the Skipping Stone (SS) team and youth advisors in the community to develop protocols and appropriate methodological approaches to recruit, interview, and interpret data from TGD youth in the community. Semi-structured interviews will be held with forty TGD youth (aged 12-25) to identify the current service needs of TGD youth and characterize the identified barriers to engaging with community resources such as SS or the University of Calgary Clinic. Audio-recorded interviews will be transcribed verbatim by the research team prior to performing thematic analysis to define trends in the data. The data will then be interpreted alongside youth advisors to ensure results are interpreted through a TGD lens to better inform and improve the community services and resources for TGD youth.

This study goal was to determine if school age youth show improvements in psychological health outcomes (e.g., self-esteem, coping skills, peer relationships, happiness) following participation in the Open Parachute (OP) Program.

Trans and gender diverse (TGD) people (those whose gender identity does not match their assigned sex at birth), experience discrimination as a result of transphobia and are at higher risk for mental and physical health difficulties, when compared to their peers. Discrimination by health care professionals, and lack of training in gender-affirmative health care, have further deterred TGD folks from seeking care they need. The objectives of this study were: to engage clinical psychology trainees, faculty, and staff, in a trans-affirming mental health care workshop, to evaluate the learner experience, and the effectiveness of the workshop.In collaboration with Skipping Stone, a community organization serving TGD folks, a trans-affirming care educational workshop was created. The workshop consists of online modules and an in-person session. A pre-workshop survey, post-workshop survey, and a post-workshop interview will be conducted. Using a mixed-methods approach, including both quantitative and qualitative data, the effectiveness of the workshop and the learner experience will be evaluated.