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Funded Research Projects
Dialogue McGill funds research projects that investigate the relation between language and access to health and social services for Official Language Minority Communities. After a diligent review, the following research projects were selected for funding.
Culturally Adapted Education Materials for Families of English-Speaking Minority Patients with Early Psychosis
Psychosis is a serious mental illness that usually begins in adolescence or young adulthood and is characterized by distressing symptoms like hallucinations and paranoia. Psychosis ranks in the top 3 most disabling conditions worldwide. Educating the families of affected individuals is known to make patients feel better, yet many family members of minority patients don’t participate in the education sessions that are offered. Reasons for the lack of participation include not trusting medical authorities and not feeling comfortable to bring up cultural issues like religion, spirituality, and racism. There have been no early psychosis programs that have addressed these problems, so the current study is doing just that.
Over the last two years, researchers have met with leaders and members of English-speaking minority communities, families of English-speaking minority patients with psychosis, patients, and clinicians to understand what changes are needed to make family education about psychosis more acceptable and helpful to people of diverse backgrounds. While it is true that research efforts to date have produced a large and growing body of data, these findings and results need to be prepared for presentation to communities and families. Our knowledge translation activities will include writing plain language summaries of meetings with community and family members to explain what kinds of topics and discussions will facilitate effective care for their loved ones with early psychosis and better collaboration with the clinical team. We will also present statistical findings in a non-threatening and easy-to-access format that will be easy for everyone to understand.
The potential impact of these activities will give community and family members a greater understanding of psychosis, will improve their participation in education seminars, and will contribute to healthier and happier lives of young people with early psychosis.
Outputs:
Jarvis, E. G., Desmarais, C., Lang, E., Zimanyi, L., & Leroux-Goyet, S. (March 2023). Family Psychoeducation series [Virtual workshop].
Khan, S. (March 2023). Looking after our and our Youth's Mental Health. A presentation on caring for our mind, body, and spirit [Presentation]. Amal Center for Women, Montreal, Canada.
Paquin, V., Pow, R. (March 2023). Training of workers on first episode psychosis L’Annexe is a community organization engaged in the socialization of multicultural young adults with intersectional vulnerabilities [Presentation]. L’Annexe – Ometz Drop-in centre for young adults 16-35, Montreal, Canada.
Unknown. (Februrary 2023). Exploring the Mental Health Stigma Within the Black Community [Virtual event].
Disseminate, promote, mobilize: Planning of knowledge transfer activities for English speakers in long-term care facilities.
As part of an action research process initiated with our partner, the CHSLD St Brigid's Home (SBH), a workshop was organized on November 30 and December 1, 2021, and about forty participants from the residential center (i.e., users and their representatives, caregivers, employees, managers) actively participated. This workshop, brought together all stakeholders to reflect on innovative models of long-term care that could promote the sustainable health of workers, residents and their families. This initiative was a great success and laid a solid foundation for the continuation of the research activities planned with our partner. Following this workshop, a written summary (in French) will be made available, as well as the content of the four conferences held during the first half-day (also in French).
As this activity was held in French, through this funding application, we aim to reach the English-speaking population through knowledge transfer and appropriation initiatives. Given the mission and values of Jeffery Hale Saint Brigid's Hospital, we believe it is essential to reach out to English-speaking participants at SBH, as well as to the English-speaking community served in Quebec City and more broadly in Quebec. This will ensure that the language preferences of the end-users are respected, but more importantly, that they are truly involved in the entire process.
More specifically, the funds from this program will be used to translate the workshop summary from French to English, to prepare written summaries of the four conferences presented the first day, and to accommodate a complementary "world café" type of activity in which English-speaking people will be able to participate more actively, thanks to live interpretation services. This will allow, in the end, to enrich the synthesis already written and produce a new version of it. The results thus disseminated in both official languages will facilitate a greater appropriation of knowledge by all stakeholders in this field, regardless of the language in which they express themselves.
Outputs:
Feillou, I., Jauvin, N. (January, 2023). Sustainable Health Development in CHSLDs, an action-research initiative in partnership with CHSLD St Brigid's Home and Jefferey Hale Partners [Invited presentation]. CHSSN, Québec, Canada.
Feillou, I. (December, 2023). CHSLD: milieu de travail, milieu de vie, milieu de soins. Comment favoriser la santé durable des travailleurs, des résidents et de leurs proches? [Webinaire]. ASSTSAS.
For more information on this project and to view some of its outcomes, please visit: https://centreexpertiseacess.com/en/sustainable-health-project/
Project extension | Assessment and Implementation of the MedComm Online Interpretation Platform into the Clinical Setting
One-year project extension for a previously funded project. See here.
Outcomes:
Unknown. (March, 2023). Role of Medical Students as Interpreters in Bridging Language Barriers in Healthcare Centers: A Scoping Review [Poster presentation]. 19th Annual Crossroads Interdisciplinary Health Research Conference.
Project extension | Making the switch to remote interpreting
One-year project extension for a previously funded project.
Project Extension | Language minorities and the risk of depression among individuals suffering from a chronic disease: a retrospective study of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
One-year project extension for a previously funded project. See here.
Outcomes:
Farid, D., Li, P., Dasgupta, K., & Rahme, E. (2022). Determinants of loss to follow-up in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: a retrospective cohort study. Journal of epidemiology and community health, 76(12), 1011–1018. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2022-219307
Farid, D., Li, P., Dasgupta, K., & Rahme, E. (2022). Determinants of loss to follow-up in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: a retrospective cohort study. Journal of epidemiology and community health, 76(12), 1011–1018. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2022-219307
Farid, D., Li, P., Da Costa, D., Afif, W., Szabo, J., Dasgupta, K., & Rahme, E. (2020). Undiagnosed depression, persistent depressive symptoms and seeking mental health care: analysis of immigrant and non-immigrant participants of the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 29, e158. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796020000670
Project Extension | Are language and motivational barriers limiting healthcare access for Black young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic?
One-year extension of a previously funded project. See here.
Outcomes:
Lafreniere, B., Audet, É. C., Kachanoff, F., Christophe, N. K., Holding, A. C., Janusauskas, L., & Koestner, R. (2023). Gender differences in perceived racism threat and activism during the Black Lives Matter social justice movement for Black young adults. Journal of community psychology, 51(7), 2741–2757. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23043
Nweze, N., Davids, J., Fang, X., Holding, A., & Koestner, R. (2023). The Impact of Language on the Mental Health of Black Quebecers. Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 10(5), 2327–2337. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01412-5
Audet, É.C., Leboeuf, J., Holding, A.C. et al. Better Together: Family and Peer Support for Black Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Trends in Psychology. 1-18, 688–705 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-022-00157-8
Audet, É. C., Thai, H., Holding, A. C., Davids, J., Fang, X., & Koestner, R. (2023). The depth of stories: How Black young adults' disclosure of high arousal negative affect in narratives about the COVID-19 pandemic and the BLM protests improved adjustment over the year 2020. Journal of community psychology, 51(4), 1504–1517. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22929
The Law 2 on Palliative and End-of-life Care in Quebec: Getting a Grip on the Challenges associated with Providing Quality of Care to English-speaking Population
Even after the adoption of Bill 2 in Quebec and Bill C-14 in Canada, only very limited efforts were made to adequately educate civil society on these matters. Furthermore, unlike the cannabis law where there was widespread media attention to the multiple issues at stake, the media coverage of Bill 2 has largely focused on medical assistance in dying. This has overshadowed the importance of palliative care. In fact, Bill 2 has led to misrepresentations about the continuum of palliative care services and its access. While Bill 2 in Quebec and Bill C-14 in Canada are available in both official languages and despite selected associated activities to inform civil society in both languages over the past three years, investigator’s field experience and that of expert colleagues reveal that English-speaking health care professionals, caregivers, volunteers, patients, and the population in general do not have ready access to the information.
The present research proposes: 1) Integrative scoping review of best practices related to knowledge translation, literacy and capacity building of frontline health care providers, as well as to reach out to members in reference to chronic and palliative care (year 1); 2) Four focus groups with health care professionals involved in Chronic and Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care at the CIUSSS Centre Sud de l’Île de Montréal and CIUSSS Centre Ouest de l’Île de Montréal. 3a) Five individual interviews with heath care providers involved in Chronic and Palliative Care and End- of-Life Care. Also researchers will develop and pilot-test throughout the focus groups and individual interviews, an easy readily available and accessible training program in English for palliative health care providers, namely physicians, nurses, advanced practice nurses (infirmières de pratique spécialisée (IPS), social workers, field-based nurses and physicians (non-governmental organisations) with adapted support documents in English. 3b) Five individual interviews with experts involved in Chronic and Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care are planned (year 2). Also researchers will develop and validate an interview guide with supporting documents that promote a better understanding of the four components of Bill 2, palliative care resources in English and how to access them; participatory approaches, knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer workshops will be proposed for this purpose.
Outputs:
Vissandjée, B., Fernandez, I., Durivage, P., Freitas, Z., Savignac, P., & Van Pevenage, I. (2021). COVID-19, promotion and provision of palliative care: reaching out, accounting for linguistic diversity. Global health promotion, 28(2), 87–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757975921989995
Lapierre J, Croteau S, Gagnon M-P, et al. Télésanté en contexte de pandémie et de déconfinement : pratiques infirmières innovantes et partenariats pour des communautés équitables, sécuritaires et durables. Global Health Promotion. 2021;28(1):89-97. doi:10.1177/1757975920980720
Unknown. (2020, 6 Februrary). Maîtriser la loi 2 sur les soins palliatifs et de fin de vie au Québec : les défis des proches aidants anglophones avec une littératie de santé faible. 6th International REIACTIS Conference ‘‘Inclusive Society and Aging’’, Metz, France.
Fernandez, I. Des soins palliatifs équitables et de qualité : intervenir selon une sensibilité aux diversités linguistiques et aux trajectoires d’immigration. En ligne [Zoom]. Colloque étudiant et jeunes chercheur.es SHERPA/CREDEF. 4 juin 2021.
Language and psychosocial factors associated with post-graduate retention of anglophone health and social services students in Quebec
Language minorities often encounter language barriers when accessing health and social services. Specifically, anglophones in Quebec are a growing population but often report difficulties accessing these services and receiving personalized care due to language barriers. Many studies have explored the retention of healthcare and social service workers capable of delivering services in English. Results have shown that many anglophone students in these sectors choose to leave the province post-graduation. Thus, this study will investigate various key factors that may predict the retention of anglophone health and social service graduating students in Quebec. The results will enhance our understanding of why anglophone students choose to stay or leave the province. This knowledge will help develop programs aimed to incentivise anglophones to remain and work in the health and social services sectors in Quebec.
Outputs:
Loiselle, C.G., Durand, A. B., Monarque, M., Brown, T. L.. (manuscript In preparation). Predictive retention factors of English-speaking health and social service students graduating from an Anglophone Québec university.
Brown, T. L., Durand, A., Monarque, M., & Loiselle, C. G. (2022, May). Language and psychosocial factors associated with post-graduate retention of anglophone health and social services students in Quebec [Poster Presentation]. Poster presented at the World Conference on Health Promotion, Montreal, Quebec.
Brown, T. L., Monarque, M., Durand, A., & Loiselle, C. G. (2021, December). Key psychosocial predictors of students' retention. In C. G. Loiselle (Chair), Language matters: Dialogue McGill’s supported initiatives [Symposium]. Dialogue McGill Conference, virtual.
Innovative Practices in Service Provision with Interpreters in Times of Health Crisis: A Qualitative Study of Clinicians, Interpreters, and Service Users’ Perspectives
Language barriers hinder access and quality in health and social services. Attention to cultural and social norms is also key to the provision of good care, especially with migrants and refugees. The benefits of working through interpreters have been documented, yet not in the context of health crises nor from the perspective of service users. Our study explores how practitioners, interpreters, and service users in Quebec provide/receive health and social services during the COVID-19 crisis. Individual semi-structured interviews (n=60) will be conducted with public and community-based health and social service providers, interpreters, and non-francophone users in Montreal and Quebec. Interviews will explore (a) innovative practices in service provision with interpreters used during the COVID-19 crisis and (b) barriers and enablers to the success of these practices. Interviews will be conducted by phone, skype, or in-person following Public Health guidelines, with assistance of an interpreter when necessary. Interviews will be audio recorded with permission of participants, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English or French. Interview transcriptions and interviewers’ fieldnotes will be analyzed thematically using NVivo 12. The perspectives of clinicians, interpreters, and users will be contrasted within and across practices and socio-demographic groups. Innovative practices will be classified using the Innovative Practices Evaluation Framework. Special attention will be paid to ensuring voluntary and respectful participation and confidentiality. Ethics approval will be sought from the CIUSSS West Centre Montreal and researchers’ universities. This study will identify innovative strategies for service provision through interpreters in times of health crisis, including digital innovations.
Outputs:
Ruiz-Casares, M. & Bentayeb, N. (March, 2022). Intervenir avec interprètes durant la COVID-19 : le point de vue des intervenant.e.s, des interprètes et des usager.ère.s [webinar]. Sherpa University Institute.
Does language ecology in Québec modulate COVID-19 health access or outcomes?
The COVID19 pandemic suggests that language barriers impact access to health-related information and medical outcomes in Québec at societal and individual levels. The Association for Canadian Studies recently reported that English minority speakers in Québec have greater COVID19-linked anxieties and distrust of Québec Provincial pandemic governmental policies, compared to French majority speakers. Currently unclear is what gives rise to these differences, and how language barriers impact both personal attitudes and societal public health outcomes regarding the pandemic. Guided by sociolinguistic and psychological theory, reseachers will investigate several factors including people’s language experience, interpersonal networks, community contexts, and society-level constraints. We will use cutting edge social network analyses and statistical modelling approaches to analyze large-N, language-tagged, COVID19 questionnaire data from Anglophone and Francophone respondents across Quebec, particularly in Montreal. The team, comprised of language scientists, social psychologists, and big data scientists, is uniquely qualified to address these urgent questions. This work will generate important, timely knowledge and student training opportunities about language barriers faced by English minority speakers that are relevant to COVID19 health access and public health outcomes in Quebec.
Outputs:
Hernández-Rivera, E., Gullifer, J. W., & Titone, D. (2022). Socioecological and psycholinguistic approaches to multilingual health literacy. Translational Issues in Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000325
Hernández-Rivera, E., Gullifer, J. W., & Titone, D. (2022). Socioecological and psycholinguistic approaches to multilingual health literacy.Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 8(2), 197–209. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000325
Hernández-Rivera, E., Marco S. G., Ahia, M., Tiv, M., Knäuper, B., Johns, B. T., Doucerain, M., & Titone, D. (In prep). Does language ecology in Québec modulate COVID19 health access or outcomes?
Ahia, M., Hernandez-Rivera, E., Titone, D. (2021). Do Language Use Affiliations Predict Health Outcomes? COVID-19 Publich Health Outcomes in Linguistic Majority and Minority Populations in Montreal. [poster presentation]. Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
Hernández-Rivera, E., Marco S. G., Ahia, M., Tiv, M., Knäuper, B., Johns, B. T., Doucerain, M., & Titone, D. (2021). Language-Use and COVID-19 Outcomes: Exploring Population Data Across Two Canadian Cities. Presentation at the Dialogue McGill Annual Conference of 2021. Montreal, Canada.
Hernández-Rivera, E. (2021) Invited Speaker: Experiencias en el uso de datos censales para estudiar de la distribución de COVID-19 en Canadá. Segundo Encuentro de Egresados de la Facultad de Medicina y Psicología. Department of Medicine and Psychology, Autonomous University of Baja California, Baja California, México.
Language minorities and the risk of depression among individuals suffering from a chronic disease: a retrospective study of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
The risk of depression in individuals with diabetes has not been evaluated in relation to language. Communication barriers may lead to isolation and impaired access to health care. This may affect the mental well-being of individuals specially those also suffering from a chronic disease such as diabetes. Researchers will use baseline and 3-year follow-up data of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Comprehensive cohort (CLSA; 2012-2015 and 2015-2018; ages 45-85 years, N=21,000) to determine, among those with and those without diabetes, the effect of maternal language (French, English or Other) on the risk of depression at three years and on the rate of seeking mental health care for depression.
The cohort will include CLSA participants without baseline depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression-10 score<10 and no depression treatment). These will be separated by baseline diabetes status (HbA1c ≥7% and/or self-reported diabetes). Maternal language will be the ‘language first learnt at home and still understood’ (French, English or Other). English (French) speaking minorities will be those with ‘Other’ native language and English (French) as the language most spoken at home. The associations between maternal language and language minorities and the outcomes of interests will be examined overall and by diabetes status using multivariate logistic regression models.
Findings will help health care providers and program developers tailor their services toward reducing language barriers for minorities to help curb their risk of depression and appropriately manage their diabetes and mental health disorders.
Outputs:
Farid, D., Li, P., Dasgupta, K., & Rahme, E. (2022). Determinants of loss to follow-up in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: a retrospective cohort study. Journal of epidemiology and community health, 76(12), 1011–1018. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2022-219307
Farid, D., Li, P., Dasgupta, K., & Rahme, E. (2022). Determinants of loss to follow-up in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: a retrospective cohort study. Journal of epidemiology and community health, 76(12), 1011–1018. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2022-219307
Farid, D., Li, P., Da Costa, D., Afif, W., Szabo, J., Dasgupta, K., & Rahme, E. (2020). Undiagnosed depression, persistent depressive symptoms and seeking mental health care: analysis of immigrant and non-immigrant participants of the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 29, e158. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796020000670
English official language minorities in Quebec who have autism: Healthcare access and developmental outcomes
This project extends research on the healthcare access of official language minorities in Canada to a new population: individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families. Individuals with ASD face significant communication challenges (APA, 2013). There are consequential delays in the access to ASD services in Quebec, to both obtain a diagnosis (Zwaigenbaum et al., 2019), and then wait for provincial services (Rivard et al., 2014). We expect that English speakers in Quebec with ASD will face compounded challenges in access to services due to communication difficulties, delays in ASD services, and minority language status. Official language minorities in Canada (English-speaking people in Quebec, and French-speaking people in other provinces) face multiple barriers to healthcare access, and negative disparities in health outcomes (Bouchard & Desmeules, 2013; de Moissac & Bowen, 2019; Falconer & Quesnel-Vallée, 2014). In the US, language barriers had negative impacts on service access for families with a child with ASD (St. Amant et al., 2018). Researchers aim to 1) evaluate the accessibility of health and social services to English-speaking families with a child with ASD in Quebec, relative to French-speaking families and 2) obtain detailed information from a subset of families with adolescents with ASD, via focus groups, including richer quantitative survey data on the question of service access and language and cognitive measures that serve as indicators of developmental health outcomes. By identifying potential disparities in access, as well as their implications for outcomes, this project furthers the goal of optimal outcomes for English speakers in Quebec.
Outputs:
Amantayev, N. & Nadig, A. (2022, May). Healthcare Access of Language Minorities with Autism: The Case of English Official Language Minorities in Quebec, Canada. Poster to be presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research, Austin, Texas, USA.
Making the switch to remote Interpreting
For the past six months, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the use of remote public service interpreting (R-PSI), a form of interpreting that was gradually being put into practice in Quebec’s health and social services network. R-PSI refers not only to the use of telecommunication technologies (such as videoconferencing, telephony, and web conferencing) that allow interpreters to deliver their services remotely but also to the specific communication strategies that require proper training. The goal of this study is twofold: 1) to develop two training programs (one for interpreters and one for service providers) as per recent R-PSI management and practice guidelines, and 2) to measure their impact on the satisfaction and collaboration of the professionals involved. The study will primarily ensure quality services for a clientele that is especially at risk, i.e., immigrants and refugees, during the COVID-19 crisis. It will also help ensure that Quebec’s health system makes the transition to R-PSI.
Outputs:
Unknown (2021). Travailler avex des interprètes à distance : les bonnes pratiques [webinar]. Québec, Québec, Canada.
Unknown (2021). Interpréter à distance au temps de la COVID-19 [webinar]. Québec, Québec, Canada.
Unknown (June 2022). Unknown [Oral communication]. 1er congrès international de l’EDIQ.
Communication Networks of Linguistic Minorities: Who Talks to Whom About Health?
It all begins with an idea.
There is a considerable literature documenting the help-seeking pathways of patients. The early stages usually involve considerable negotiation within a person’s existing social network before outside help is sought. The team has previously developed a social network measure designed to assess linguistic characteristics of social networks (Ryder & Segalowitz, funded by Dialogue McGill) as well as a measure of second language health communication anxiety (Segalowitz & Ryder, funded by Dialogue McGill). The overarching goal of this project is to finalize the adaptation of these measures to Multilanguage settings, establish their psychometric properties, and explore the interrelations of these instruments in Francophone and Anglophone community samples. To this end the project has proposes the following objectives: (1) Adapt the acculturation battery for use in multilingual settings. (2) Translate the adapted acculturation battery into French (the other measures have already been translated). (3) Implement an online system to deliver the entire set of measures in either language. (4) Evaluate the overall set of measures in Francophone and Anglophone community samples.
Outputs:
Zhao, Y., Segalowitz, N., Voloshyn, A., Chamoux, E., & Ryder, A. G. (2021). Language Barriers to Healthcare for Linguistic Minorities: The Case of Second Language-specific Health Communication Anxiety. Health communication, 36(3), 334–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1692488
Ryder, A. G., Doucerain, M. M., Dere, J., Jurick, T., Zhou, B., & Zhou, X. (in press). From acculturation and psychopathology to cultural-clinical psychology. For M. Gelfand, C.-Y. Chiu, & Y.-Y. Hong (Eds), Advances in culture and psychology (vol. 8). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
Chang, J., Pak, S., Doucerain, M. M., & Ryder, A. G. (2019, January). Validation of the AIM as a well-being and acculturation measurement tool [Poster presentation]. Sixth Annual Conference of the Centre for Clinical Research in Health, Montreal, QC, Canada
Tao, D., Doucerain, M. M., Segalowitz N., & Ryder, A. G. (2018, October). Social network and mental health help-seeking attitudes: The case of Chinese migrants in Montreal [Poster presentation]. 5th International Convention of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA
Tao, D., Doucerain, M. M., Segalowtiz N., & Ryder, A.G. (2018, July). What’s the relationship between one’s social network and mental health help-seeking attitudes? The case of Chinese migrants in Montreal. Paper presented at the 24th International Congress of International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Guelph, ON, Canada
Examining language and social development in bilingual children with ASD and identifying the barriers to bilingualism for these children
It all begins with an idea.
Given Canada’s officially bilingual status and its multicultural profile, many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are brought-up in minority-language or bilingual households. Although language is intimately linked to cultural identity, many families of children with ASD face barriers to raising their child bilingually, which can have important repercussions, both for the child and their family. However, there is evidence that bilingualism may not be detrimental to these children’s language development, and that bilingual children with ASD may present better social abilities when compared to their monolingual peers, which has been found in monolingual children with ASD, to predict future language development.
Thus, the current study aims to better understand bilingual language development in children with ASD by examining the trajectories of language and social development in bilingual and monolingual children with ASD from early childhood to middle school, and the relationship between these two variables. To do so, longitudinal data will be analyzed using growth curve and pathway analyses. In addition, using a thematic analysis, we aim to identify barriers to bilingualism across Canada and specifically in the province of Québec, with a focus on barriers within the healthcare system.
Results from this study will serve to better inform clinicians about the language and social development of bilingual children with ASD, and to inform the development of evidence-based recommendations and interventions geared towards these children. Additionally, by identifying barriers to bilingualism, we aim to pinpoint areas where knowledge mobilization is required, thus diminishing, and even eliminating these barriers.
Outputs:
Unknown. (May 2022). Examining the Influence of Bilingualism on the Narrative, Social and Pragmatic Abilities of School-Aged Children on the Autism Spectrum [Poster presentation]. International Society for Autism Research, virtual conference.
Unknown. (April 2022). Bilingualism, narrative, social and pragmatic skills in children on the autism spectrum [Oral presentation]. Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Canada-Virtual Convention.
Unknown. (August 2021). Examining the barriers and facilitators to bilingual language development in children with neurodevelopmental disorders [Symposium]. COUHR National Symposium. Virtual conference
Unknown. (August 2021). Examining the barriers and facilitators to accessing healthcare and to receiving equitable health services: a literature review [Symposium]. COUHR National Symposium. Virtual conference
Unknown. (April 2021). Does bilingualism influence the narrative, social and pragmatic skills of children on the autism spectrum [oral presentation]. Transforming Autism Care Consortium Pre-INSAR Blitz. Virtual presentation.
Linguistically- and Culturally-Sensitive Psychotherapy: Evaluating an Approach to Assessment and Treatment
It all begins with an idea.
The Centre for Clinical Research in Health (CCRH) successfully established a university- funded state-of-the-art research clinic at Concordia University (of which the principal investigator is co-founding member). The clinic is launching an evidence-based, culturally-sensitive psychotherapy program for migrants with anxiety and/or depression. This larger project provides investigators with a valuable opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of language-sensitive mental health interventions in a real-life clinical setting.
It is therefore proposed to: (1) Integrate research tools (developed with previous Dialogue McGill funding) into the assessment battery completed by all clients completing the treatment protocol used with migrant clients at CCRH. (2) Use qualitative techniques to study video-recordings and transcripts of actual clinical sessions to study the consequences of language discordance on effective communication and treatment. (3) Use quantitative analysis techniques to test whether potential problems identified by the assessment battery are linked to problematic features of actual clinical interactions. Hypotheses are: H1: Indices related to better functioning in a given language will predict fewer in-session communication difficulties when the treatment is conducted in that language. H2: Fewer in-session communication difficulties will predict more rapid symptom improvement.
Outputs:
Unknown. (2020, May). Cultural scripts for normalcy and deviancy: A mixed-methods approach to understanding mental illness in new contexts [Presentation]. Interacting Minds Center, Aarhus, Denmark
Unknown. (2019, November). Linguistically- and Culturally-Sensitive Psychotherapy: A Proposal [Presentation]. Centre for Clinical Research in Health, Montreal, Quebec.
Portrait of birth care in Anglophones of Quebec
It all begins with an idea.
There is mounting evidence of inequality in newborn health between Francophones and Anglophones of Quebec, but differences in access to birth care have not been studied. The objectives of this project are to 1) assess the location and residential distance of hospitals where Anglophone infants are born, and 2) determine if Anglophones in metropolitan Montreal prefer to give birth in English hospitals or the hospital closest to their residence. Our hypothesis is that Anglophones are more likely to travel further to receive care in English. We will perform a population-based study using birth registration certificates in Quebec from 1981-2019. The main exposure will be English vs. French mother tongue. Outcomes will include the distance between residential postal code and postal code of the place of birth, and the official language of the birth hospital (English vs. French). We will measure the association between language and hospital distance using multivariable linear regression, and will investigate whether characteristics such as maternal age, region, education, country of birth, material deprivation, and time period influence the associations. We will use multivariable logistic regression to examine associations with the language of hospitals. We will explore whether Anglophones who are born in hospitals that are further from home have a greater risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, or stillbirth. The results will clarify whether access to birth care is a determinant of health among pregnant Anglophone women. This project falls under the “health or social inequalities” HCALM research theme and involves working with communities and governmental officials to reduce social inequalities among minority language groups.
Outputs:
Auger, N., Bilodeau-Bertrand, M., & Lafleur, N. (2023). Access to perinatal healthcare in minority Anglophones: Hospital type and birth outcomes. PloS one, 18(4), e0284586. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284586
Auger, N., Bilodeau-Bertrand, M., Lafleur, N., & Lewin, A. (2024). Underlying Causes of Ethnocultural Inequality in Pregnancy Outcomes: Role of Hospital Proximity. Journal of immigrant and minority health, 26(1), 54–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-023-01545-7
Abstract accepted to present the findings of work funded by Dialogue McGill (Ethnocultural inequality in pregnancy outcomes: Comparison of Francophones and Anglophones in Montreal) at the 2023 Colloquium on the Health of Official Language Minority Community by Health Canada, virtual poster session.
Abstract accepted to present the findings of work funded by Dialogue McGill (Access to perinatal healthcare: Risk of adverse birth outcomes among minority Anglophones in Montreal, Canada) at the 2023 Colloquium on the Health of Official Language Minority Community by Health Canada, virtual poster session.
Increasing French Language Proficiency at the Ingram School of Nursing: Evaluating the Impact of a French Proficiency Requirement for Admissions
It all begins with an idea.
Proficiency in French is increasingly required by Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN) clinical partners. As the proportion of French speaking patients increases, students must be able to speak and write in French to ensure safe, high-quality patient care. Additionally, French proficiency is a requirement of nursing licensure and practice in Quebec. Anecdotal reports suggest that low French proficiency is a significant reason ISoN graduates leave Quebec to practice. To address training and retention issues, the ISoN implemented a French proficiency requirement for admission to entry to practice programs. This marks a significant shift in the ISoN admissions criteria for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing [BSc(N)] and Master of Science in Nursing – Direct Entry [MSc(A)–DE] programs and has potential implications for the ISoN student population, faculty, clinical partners, program graduates, and employers.
The proposed 18-month pilot project will document the implementation of the French language proficiency requirement over the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years. A utilization-focused evaluation approach will provide a framework for the project. Research methods include quantitative analysis of administrative data and qualitative data collection through in-depth interviews with key stakeholders. The primary goals of the project are to: 1) sensitize stakeholders to the change in admissions policy; 2) evaluate the initial impact of the change on key stakeholders; 3) develop and refine data collection tools and strategies for long term evaluation and research, and; 4) identify possible strategies for optimizing retention of bilingual (French and English) nurses in Quebec.
Portrait of perinatal and infant health in Arabic speakers of Quebec
It all begins with an idea.
This project follows project 2018-2019 entitled: “Stillbirth among Arabic speakers: Comparison with Francophones and Anglophones in Quebec”.
This project aims to evaluate the perinatal health of Arabic speakers in Quebec compared with Francophones and Anglophones. Specific objectives include: year 1: To investigate preterm birth in Arabic speakers; year 2: To study infant mortality in Arabic speakers. Instability in several Arab countries in recent years has led to massive migration of Arabic speakers to Quebec. In 2016, nearly 6,000 Syrian migrants settled in the province. This minority may have special needs in regards to perinatal health. In a recent study funded by HCALM, we demonstrated that Arabic speakers from Arab countries had a high risk of stillbirth compared with Francophones and Anglophones in Quebec (under review). Inequality in other perinatal health indicators has however not been studied.
This knowledge gap is particularly concerning for preterm birth and infant mortality. Preterm birth and infant mortality are the two most important indicators of perinatal health in populations and are routinely used for surveillance. European studies have shown that preterm birth and infant mortality are more prevalent in migrants from North Africa and in refugees. Despite these concerning trends, rates of preterm birth and infant mortality in Arabic speakers, the largest foreign language group in Quebec, remain unknown. In the context of increasing diversity, we propose to study inequality in preterm birth and infant mortality between Arabic speakers and Francophones / Anglophones in Quebec. We hypothesize that Arabic speakers have a higher risk of adverse infant outcomes due to limited healthcare access, communication barriers, cultural and socioeconomic differences, or behavioral factors.
Outputs:
Bolster-Foucault, C., Bilodeau-Bertrand, M., Djeha, A., & Auger, N. (2021). Infant mortality among Arabic-speakers in Quebec, Canada, 1989-2017. Journal of immigrant and minority health, 23(2), 215–221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01115-1
Bernier, J., Bilodeau-Bertrand, M., Djeha, A., & Auger, N. (2021). Ramadan exposure during early pregnancy and risk of stillbirth in Arab women living in Canada. Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 35(6), 689–693. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppe.12761
Tith, R. M., Bilodeau-Bertrand, M., Lee, G. E., Healy-Profitós, J., & Auger, N. (2019). Fasting during Ramadan Increases Risk of Very Preterm Birth among Arabic-Speaking Women. The Journal of Nutrition, 149(10), 1826–1832. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz126
Still birth among Arabic speakers: Comparison with Francophones and Anglophones in Quebec
It all begins with an idea.
Language status is slowly emerging as a source of inequality in perinatal health for minorities in Quebec. Minority groups in Quebec are primarily defined by language, where Arabic, the most important immigrant language, accounts for 18% of foreign languages. In Quebec, language reflects ethnicity and social status, and is associated with cultural norms and access to health care. Previous research demonstrated that compared with Francophones, the Anglophone minority has a higher risk of numerous adverse birth outcomes, including stillbirth, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and infant mortality. Inequality in perinatal health for other minority groups, including Arabic speakers, has however not been studied. In the context of increasing immigration, the research will study inequality in stillbirth between Arabic speakers and Francophones and Anglophones in Quebec. The researcher hypothesize that Arabic speakers have a higher risk of stillbirth compared with Francophones, due to limited health care access, communication barriers, cultural or socioeconomic differences, or behavioral factors.
Outputs:
Auger, N., Racape, J., Raynault, M. F., Bilodeau-Bertrand, M., Lee, G. E., & Janevic, T. (2020). Stillbirth among Arab women in Canada, 1981-2015. Public health reports, 135(2), 245–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354919900894