Past Research
Explore completed research projects we’ve funded over the years below.
Grants, 2019-2021
Dr. Mark Sinyor
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
“Using the narrative of HARRY POTTER to teach coping skills and resiliency in elementary schools across Canada and worldwide”
Co-funding partner: IAM
This study expanded on a free three-month curriculum based on the third Harry Potter book – embedded with author J.K. Rowling’s experience using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to overcome depression – teaches coping skills and prevention to students in elementary school. Sinyor and his team have been developing this curriculum based on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban over four years in partnership with educators, students and Google. This project expanded this curriculum into an online format, and its effectiveness by assessing students pre-curriculum and two periods post-curriculum. The ultimate goal of the project is to reduce suicidality, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improve the well-being of students by teaching them self-awareness and coping skills in their formative years.
Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine & Dr. Tamara Hinz
University of Saskatchewan & Saskatchewan Health Authority
“SEE US, HEAR US — Tracking children, youth & families in Saskatchewan coping with mental health during the first year of COVID-19”
Co-funding partner: SHRF
The study measured the frequency and severity of mental health issues among Saskatchewan’s children and youth (ages 5 to 19) during the pandemic, as well as their need, use and satisfaction with mental health services. The two lead investigators and their team collected data by conducting online and telephone surveys and reaching out directly to communities through family resource centres and local agencies in Saskatchewan. Data was collected three different times between February and July 2021 to track changes over the course of the pandemic and school year.
Dr. Shannon Scratch & Dr. Alex Elkader
University of Toronto, Holland Bloorview & Kinark Child and Family Services
“iSibworks: A digital intervention pilot to address the mental health issues of siblings of children with special needs”
Co-funding partner: CYMHA
Siblings of children with disabilities are at much greater risk for developing mental health problems, including social, emotional and behavioural problems, and are frequently overlooked when families are provided with services. Often siblings “suffer silently” due to feeling guilt and the need to be perfect to avoid adding stress on the family. SibworkS is a in-person group intervention that exclusively focuses on the cognitive behaviour of siblings. The six-week program strengthens their perceived social support, self-esteem, problem-solving skills and adaptive coping behaviors, while promoting positive sibling relationships. A randomized control trial showed that SibworkS led to overall improved emotional and behavioural functioning in siblings, with a medium to large effect post-intervention that was maintained through the three-month follow-up period. This grant was used to develop i-SibworkS into a virtual alternative and tested it in three different cities in Ontario, with the ultimate goal of scaling its reach and accessibility.
Dr. Erin Fredericks & Nathan Thompson
St Thomas University & Block House Counseling
“A virtual support program led by and for LGBTQ+ youth that focuses on resiliency learned from elders in the LGBTQ+ community”
Co-funding partner: NBHRF
This project’s goal was to develop a program to help LGBTQ+ youth to connect with and learn from elders within the LGBTQ+ community to build a stronger sense of community, to provide supports that will help the youth through this pandemic and strengthen their resilience, and to see themselves as a resilient group of people who have lived through previous difficult times that include the AIDs epidemic. The program was developed, implemented and evaluated by LGBTQ+ youth, with support and guidance from the research team.
Dr. Jennifer Couturier & Erica Crews
McMaster University & Reach Out Centre For Kids (R.O.C.K.)
“A virtual parent-led support group for parents of children and youth with eating disorders”
Co-funding partner: CYMHA
The benefits of parent-led peer support groups are well-documented in the literature for children with disabilities: they provide a sense of belonging and help parents to better deal with the world and advocate for their children. However, for parents of children and adolescents with eating disorders, there are no reports that examine the acceptability, cost and parent outcomes (caregiver burden, needs and self-efficacy) of participating in a virtual parent-led support group. In this study, . The investigative team tracked and evaluated the immediate and long-term impact of the group sessions on the participating parents and their children
Dr. Leena Augimeri & Dr. Lynn Ryan Mackenzie
University of Toronto & Child Development Institute
“A SNAP app to help children with behavioural problems and their families develop coping skills at home”
Co-funding partner: CYMHA
Stop Now And Plan (SNAP) is an in-person, gender-specific program that teaches children ages 6 to 11 with behavioural problems, and their parents, how to make better choices “in the moment.” This project’s goal was to develop an accessible app version of SNAP to help children and families develop coping skills at home. The research team engaged youth who have participated in the SNAP program to co-design the user-friendly app and its interactive programming. They then pilot tested the app among two cohorts of youth from both Northern and Southern Ontario to track and evaluate its effectiveness.
Dr. Dan Ashbourne, Dr Jason Brown & Kahawani Doxtator
University of Western Ontario & the London Family Court Clinic
"Enhancing a wellness program for Oneida youth that combines Indigenous healing with Western practices”
Co-funding partner: CYMHA
The “Lona' tshistanet” pilot program, set up in consultation with the local community, leverages land-based healing practices rooted in the Haudenosaunee Culture to improve the spiritual connectedness and mental well-being of Oneida youth.
Each participant was paired with an older mentor within the community, and participated in 12 mental wellness skill-learning workshops that combine traditional Indigenous healing practices with evidence-based Western therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) practices and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT).
The wellness program culminated in a five-day summer camp during which participants shared what they have learned and trained on mentoring others. The goal was to enhance the connectedness and mental well-being of Oneida during the course of the pandemic and beyond.
Fellowships, 2016-2019
Dr. Philip Gerretsen
Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
“The clinical and functional imaging effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on illness awareness in schizophrenia”
This study explored the clinical and functional imaging effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on illness awareness in schizophrenia, which is the most treatment-resistant manifestation of the disorder. Schizophrenia is ranked 5th among leading causes of disability in industrialized countries and is estimated to cost Canada over $7 billion annually. Impaired awareness of illness occurs in up to 95% of patients with schizophrenia; it’s associated with patients not taking their medication, poorer functioning and higher risks of relapse, re-hospitalization and violence.
Dr. Nathan Kolla
Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
“A multiple biomarker approach to investigating psychosocial treatment response in justice-involved youth with conduct disorder”
Some youth in conflict with the law have a history of violence. Many also display conduct disorder, which is a serious behavioural and psychiatric illness associated with disruptive and aggressive behaviour. Fortunately, talk-based therapies have been shown to reduce violence and aggression. The Stop Now And Plan (SNAP) model teaches young people to make better choices in the moment and works to reduce impulsive behaviour, which is a strong risk factor for violence in this population. The SNAP Youth Justice model has been developed for youth in conflict with the law. Used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the study evaluated how this SNAP Youth Justice model impacts brain function in treated youth, and how it affects morning cortisol levels, a stress hormone.
Dr. Wataru Inoue
Western University
“The role of microglia in synapse refinement during the neuroendocrine adaptation to stress”
Chronic stress is a major risk factor for serious mental illnesses, including major depression, post-traumatic stress disorders and memory impairment. Stress-related disorders have emerged as epidemic, estimated to cost $31 billion annually in lost productivity, and billions more in direct medical costs in Canada. How does chronic stress impair our mental health? This study evaluated a common theme in stress-related disorders: that persistent activation of the stress response rewires our brain (known as neuroplasticity) and causes maladaptive forms of neuroplasticity that underlie various disease symptoms.
Dr. Marina Milyavskaya
Carleton University
“Self-critical perfectionism in the transition to university: Identifying links to depression and anxiety and designing a targeted intervention”
The transition to university is a stressful time for new students. Many develop mental health problems that can interfere with their schoolwork, social life and general functioning. The study’s first goal was to determine whether self-critical perfectionism represents a risk factor for experiencing increased depression and/or anxiety in the first year of university. Incoming students completed questionnaires before the start of the semester, halfway through and at the end. This data was used to identify when a person is at higher risk of developing depression or anxiety, and when self-critical perfectionism becomes a real clinical concern. Its second goal was to design and test two different intervention components for people with high levels of self-critical perfectionism: teaching students how to cultivate self-compassion and how to cope with stress.
Studentships, 2016-2019
Lauren Drvaric
Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
“The power of resilience: Positive psychotherapy for youth at clinical high-risk for psychosis”
Research has shown that clinical high-risk (CHR) youth are in need of novel treatments to help them cope with stress and the symptoms they experience. This study looked at a newly developed therapy known as positive psychotherapy, which helps young people identify their individual character strengths to build resilience. The study evaluated its effects in CHR youth to reduce stress and psychosis-risk syndrome symptoms compared to standard treatment. Positive psychotherapy has the potential to provide CHR youth with useful tools to help navigate the challenges of daily life.
Nick Kerman
University of Ottawa
“The effects of housing stability on service use among formerly homeless adults with mental illness and substance abuse”
Mental illness and substance abuse are pervasive problems among the chronically homeless. This study explored how the use of health, social and justice services differ during transitions from homelessness to housing compared to those from housing to homelessness. It also examined the differences in service use between participants who achieve housing stability and those who experience housing difficulties and recurrent homelessness. The study focused on 68 individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness and a comorbid substance-use problem, and who are homeless at study entry. Half of the sample received housing first (affordable independent apartments with intensive case management); the other half received standard care. Participants were followed over a 24-month period.
Danijela Maras
University of Ottawa
“How do avoidant attachment and depression impact quit smoking rates among HIV+ people”
This study compared nicotine use and depressed mood among HIV+ people as a function of their avoidant attachment relational style. It also examined how changes in depressed mood and attachment avoidance are related to quit smoking and nicotine use. This study was part of a larger randomized trial that examined the use of two medications (varenicline and nicotine patch), each with and without additional quit smoking counselling for HIV+ smokers. The study, which the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network supported, recruited participants across eight Canadian sites who completed questionnaires assessing their avoidant attachment level, depressed mood and nicotine use at baseline, and then every four weeks for 24 weeks. Nicotine use was confirmed using a machine that measures carbon monoxide levels.
Carley Pope
Lakehead University
“A preventative approach for postpartum depression: A randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness-based intervention”
Postpartum depression is a serious mental health disorder that affects up to 20% of women who have recently given birth. This figure doesn’t include the 84% of new mothers who experience the “baby blues,” which is a briefer period of emotional disturbance. Postpartum depressive symptoms have been found to negatively affect the daily functioning of mothers and can adversely affect the development of infants. The study looked at effective preventive strategies to reduce the risk of postpartum depression.
Laura Schulze
University of Toronto
“A randomized controlled trial comparing two different patterns of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of refractory depression”
For a large portion of patients experiencing depression, medications and therapy are not effective. The study investigated the use of an emerging, non-invasive form of brain stimulation known as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), to treat major depression. rTMS involves stimulating certain areas of the brain with powerful, focused magnetic field pulses that, over time, can gradually change the activity level of that area. Currently, the use of rTMS to treat major depression requires a 45-minute session, five days per week over a period of four to six weeks, for a total of 20 to 30 sessions. A newly developed pattern of rTMS, known as theta-burst stimulation (TBS), takes just three minutes, twice a day, in as few as five to ten days. This study compared the two approaches.
Victoria Marche
University of Toronto
“Using computations models to predict antidepressant response in older adults with depression”
Major depression affects almost two million Canadians annually. This research project explored and developed a computational model that uses individual biological and clinical characteristics to predict response to commonly prescribed antidepressants. The project consisted of four phases: an investigation into genome-wide associations; an analysis of microRNAs found circulating in blood; a cellular study to understand how microRNAs regulate genomes to alter the way our neurons produce proteins; and development of an integrated computational model that determines which patients respond to their antidepressants. The goal of this research is to treat depression through personalized, precision treatment.