Emotional and social functioning across development, the determinants and promotion of healthy relationships, and addressing interpersonal violence from historical, developmental and contextual perspectives.
Arts-based participatory research approach: Potential for exploring Asian Canadian youth identities through an intersectionality lens
To apply arts-based methodologies to explore Asian-Canadian youth identities in Canada. . Our overall research question is: If and how are art-based research methods relevant in exploring hyphenated youth cultural and migrant identities in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada’s largest and diverse metropolitan setting? Youth participants were introduced to visual arts (Self Portraits and Relational Maps), and to drama (Readers’ Theatre). These arts methodologies are considered effective methods for individual level of identity exploration. A key objective was to receive feedback from youth participants on the effectiveness and relevance of these arts-based methodologies in exploring their Asian-Canadian identities.
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New Country, New Parenthood: Syrian Refugees in the Context of Resettlement
Our team will assess the integration of new parent Syrian refugees resettling in Canada by studying their transition post migration and comparing it to families that remain residing in Lebanon. Specifically, the study will examine Syrian refugees’ challenges of new parenthood, expectations of life in Canada and perceived quality of life pre-versus post migration, and family members’ shift in roles and family functioning, and assess their changes over time. The study will also determine the extent and quality of social support available to mothers and fathers as well as examine the domains of integration of Syrian refugee parents.
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Specialized model of care for youth victims of sex trafficking in the child welfare system
The study aims to build a specialized model of care for youth survivors of human trafficking in the child welfare system using a participatory action framework. Based on evidence gathered through interviews with experts in the field and a literature review, recommendations will be provided to collaborating agencies: York Region Children’s Aid Society, York Regional Police, and Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions. The final stage of the pilot project is an implementation and evaluation of the model of care through agency-university collaboration.
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Intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation strategies and psychosocial adjustment outcomes in emerging adulthood
Emerging adulthood is a critical period for the development of emotion regulation. Emotions can be regulated through both intrapersonal and interpersonal processes, ranging from reframing a situation on your own to seeking advice from friends and families. Research on emotion regulation has focused largely on individual differences in intrapersonal emotion regulation strategy use and their relations to psychopathology. Significantly less attention has been paid to the interpersonal emotion regulation process and its impact on positive and negative psychosocial adjustment outcomes. This study aims to examine the associations between emerging adults’ intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation strategy use and a range of psychosocial adjustment outcomes, including their internalizing symptoms, well-being, and relationship quality.
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Walking The Prevention Circle: Re-Searching Community Capacity Building
The Canadian Red Cross, in partnership with five Indigenous communities in Canada, is working to promote pathways to wellness through Respect Education. The program supports communities in creating safe environments for children and youth, and promotes community-based skills and resources for creating wellness and preventing violence.
Researchers from York and other universities are partnering to explore pathways to wellness linked to the Red Cross program. We want to understand what aspects of this program work to help communities create positive changes and how these changes happen, to better understand what moves communities from a cycle of violence to a circle of healing, rooted in First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures and practices.
Safety Planning, Retaliatory Male Partner Violence and Coercive Control: A Empirical Test of a Safety Paradox
Shelter staff work with shelter residents in creating safety plans for residents after leaving the shelter when the risk of experiencing male ex-partner is relatively high. The research project was designed to identify safety planning strategies that promoted the safety of ex-shelter residents by reducing the risk of retaliatory violence.