Capacity to consent to treatment of substance use disorders at Ontario's Consent and Capacity Board: A review of past reported decisions.
Capacity to consent to treatment of substance use disorders at Ontario's Consent and Capacity Board: A review of past reported decisions.
Objective: This study represents the inaugural attempt to systematically review and analyse the efficacy of bright light therapy on depression among women experiencing major depressive disorder or depressive symptoms during the perinatal period, encompassing its efficacy on depression scores, remission rates, and response rates.
Methods: We searched 10 databases for randomized controlled trials examining bright light therapy's efficacy on perinatal depression up to January 2024. Data extraction was performed independently by 2 investigators. The Cochrane Handbook guidelines appraised the study quality, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) approach assessed evidence certainty.
Results: We incorporated 6 studies, encompassing 151 participants. When contrasted with dim light therapy, bright light therapy did not significantly alter depression scores (standard mean difference = -0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.62 to 0.04, P = 0.08, I² = 34%) or response rates (risk ratio [RR] = 1.56, 95% CI, 0.98 to 2.49, P = 0.06, I² = 0%) in women experiencing perinatal depression. Conversely, bright light therapy was associated with a substantial increase in remission rates (RR = 2.63, 95% CI, 1.29 to 5.38, P = 0.008, I² = 2%).
Conclusion: Bright light therapy did not show efficacy in treating perinatal depression in terms of depression scores and response rates. However, regarding the remission rate, bright light did show efficacy compared to control conditions. Due to the limited sample size in the included studies, type II err or may occur. To obtain more conclusive evidence, future studies must employ larger sample sizes.
Objective: First Nations children face a greater risk of experiencing mental disorders than other children from the general population because of family and societal factors, yet there is little research examining their mental health. This study compares diagnosed mental disorders and suicidal behaviours of First Nations children living on-reserve and off-reserve to all other children living in Manitoba.
Method: The research team, which included First Nations and non-First Nations researchers, utilized population-based administrative data that linked de-identified individual-level records from the 2016 First Nations Research File to health and social information for children living in Manitoba. Adjusted rates and rate ratios of mental disorders and suicide behaviours were calculated using a generalized linear modelling approach to compare First Nations children (n = 40,574) and all other children (n = 197,109) and comparing First Nations children living on- and off-reserve.
Results: Compared with all other children, First Nations children had a higher prevalence of schizophrenia (adjusted rate ratio (aRR): 4.42, 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.36 to 5.82), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; aRR: 1.21, 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.33), substance use disorders (aRR: 5.19; 95% CI, 4.25 to 6.33), hospitalizations for suicide attempts (aRR: 6.96; 95% CI, 4.36 to 11.13) and suicide deaths (aRR: 10.63; 95% CI, 7.08 to 15.95). The prevalence of ADHD and mood/anxiety disorders was significantly higher for First Nations children living off-reserve compared with on-reserve; in contrast, hospitalization rates for suicide attempts were twice as high on-reserve than off-reserve. When the comparison cohort was restricted to only other children in low-income areas, a higher prevalence of almost all disorders remained for First Nations children.
Conclusion: Large disparities were found in mental health indicators between First Nations children and other children in Manitoba, demonstrating that considerable work is required to improve the mental well-being of First Nations children. Equitable access to culturally safe services is urgently needed and these services should be self-determined, planned, and implemented by First Nations people.
Objective: Racial/ethnic disparities in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders have been reported, but have not accounted for the prevalence of the traits that underlie these disorders. Examining rates of diagnoses in relation to traits may yield a clearer understanding of the degree to which racial/ethnic minority youth in Canada differ in their access to care. We sought to examine differences in self/parent-reported rates of diagnoses for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety disorders after adjusting for differences in trait levels between youth from three racial/ethnic groups: White, South Asian and East Asian.
Method: We collected parent or self-reported ratings of OCD, ADHD and anxiety traits and diagnoses for 6- to 17-year-olds from a Canadian general population sample (Spit for Science). We examined racial/ethnic differences in trait levels and the odds of reporting a diagnosis using mixed-effects linear models and logistic regression models.
Results: East Asian (N = 1301) and South Asian (N = 730) youth reported significantly higher levels of OCD and anxiety traits than White youth (N = 6896). East Asian and South Asian youth had significantly lower odds of reporting a diagnosis for OCD (odds ratio [OR]East Asian = 0.08 [0.02, 0.41]; ORSouth Asian = 0.05 [0.00, 0.81]), ADHD (OREast Asian = 0.27 [0.16, 0.45]; ORSouth Asian = 0.09 [0.03, 0.30]) and anxiety (OREast Asian = 0.21 [0.11, 0.39]; ORSouth Asian = 0.12 [0.05, 0.32]) than White youth after accounting for psychiatric trait levels.
Conclusions: These results suggest a discrepancy between trait levels of OCD, ADHD and anxiety and rates of diagnoses for East Asian and South Asian youth. This discrepancy may be due to increased barriers for ethnically diverse youth to access mental health care. Efforts to understand and mitigate these barriers in Canada are needed.
Objective: Co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (concurrent disorders) lead to significant morbidity in children and youth. Programs for integrated treatment of concurrent disorders have been developed; however, there exists little guidance outlining their structure and activities. Our objective was to synthesize available information on outpatient child and youth concurrent disorders programs and produce a comprehensive framework detailing the components of such programs.
Methods: We used a four-stage critical interpretive synthesis design: (1) systematic review of published and grey literature, (2) data abstraction to identify program components and purposive sampling to fill identified gaps, (3) organization of components into a structured framework, (4) feedback from programs. We employed an iterative process by which programs reviewed data abstraction and framework development and provided feedback.
Results: Through systematic review (yielding 1,408 records total and 7 records eligible for inclusion) and outreach strategies (yielding an additional 7 eligible records), we identified 11 programs (4 American, 7 Canadian) and 2 theoretical models from which data could be abstracted. Program activities were categorized into 12 overarching constructs that make up the components of the framework: accessibility, engagement, family involvement, integrated assessment, psychotherapy for patients, psychotherapy for families, medication management, health promotion, case management, vocational support, recreation and social support, and transition services. Program components are informed by the philosophical orientation of the program and models of care. This framework considers health system factors, clinical service factors, program development, and community partnership that impact program structure and activities. Multidisciplinary teams provide care and include addiction medicine, psychiatry, psychology, nursing, social work, occupational therapy, recreation therapy, peer support, and program evaluation.
Conclusion: We developed a comprehensive framework describing components of child and youth outpatient concurrent disorders programs. This framework may assist programs currently operating, and those in development, to reflect on their structure and activities.
Objective: The objective of the study is to evaluate the factorial structure and the psychometric qualities of the Pandemic Fatigue Scale among the Quebec adult population.
Method: The data analyzed come from a web survey conducted in October 2021 among 10 368 adults residing in Quebec. The scale's factor structure and invariance by gender, age and language used to complete the questionnaire were tested using confirmatory factor analyses. Convergent and divergent validity were also assessed. Finally, the reliability of the scale was estimated from the alpha and omega coefficients.
Results: The analyzes suggest the presence of a bidimensional structure in the sample of Quebec adults with informational fatigue and behavioral fatigue. The invariance of the measure is noted for sex, for age subgroups and for the language used for the questionnaire. The results of convergent and divergent validity provide additional evidence for the validity of the scale. Finally, the reliability of the scale scores is excellent.
Conclusion: The results support the presence of a bidimensional structure as in the initial work of Lilleholt et al. They also confirm that the scale has good psychometric qualities and that it can be used among the adult population of Quebec.
Objectives: Heavy alcohol and drug use is reported by a substantial number of Canadians; yet, only a minority of those experiencing substance use difficulties access specialized services. Computer-Based Training for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT4CBT) offers a low-cost method to deliver accessible and high-quality CBT for substance use difficulties. To date, CBT4CBT has primarily been evaluated in terms of quantitative outcomes within substance use disorder (SUD) samples in the United States. A comparison between CBT4CBT versus standard care for SUDs in a Canadian sample is critical to evaluate its potential for health services in Canada. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of CBT4CBT versus standard care for SUD.
Methods: Adults seeking outpatient treatment for SUD (N = 50) were randomly assigned to receive either CBT4CBT or treatment-as-usual (TAU) for 8 weeks. Measures of substance use and associated harms and quality of life were completed before and after treatment and at 6-month follow-up. Qualitative interviews were administered after treatment and at follow-up, and healthcare utilization and costs were extracted for the entire study period.
Results: Participants exhibited improvements on the primary outcome as well as several secondary outcomes; however, there were no differences between groups. A cost-effectiveness analysis found lower healthcare costs in CBT4CBT versus TAU in a subsample analysis, but more days of substance use in CBT4CBT. Qualitative analyses highlighted the benefits and challenges of CBT4CBT.
Discussion: Findings supported an overall improvement in clinical outcomes. Further investigation is warranted to identify opportunities for implementation of CBT4CBT in tertiary care settings.Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03767907.
Objectives: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) commonly co-occur. Conditioned associations between psychological trauma cues, distress, cannabis use, and desired relief outcomes may contribute to the comorbidity. These conditioned associations can be studied experimentally by manipulating trauma cue exposure in a cue-reactivity paradigm (CRP) and examining effects on affective and cognitive outcomes in participants with and without PTSD. However, traditional CRPs take place in-lab limiting recruitment/power. We aimed to examine the effects of CRP condition (trauma and neutral) and PTSD group (likely PTSD+ and PTSD-) on affective and craving outcomes using a stand-alone online expressive writing CRP.
Methods: Participants (n = 202; 43.6% male; Mage = 42.94 years, SD = 14.71) with psychological trauma histories and past-month cannabis use completed a measure of PTSD symptoms (PTSD Checklist-5 for DSM-5 [PCL-5]) and were randomized to complete either a trauma or neutral expressive writing task. Then they completed validated measures of affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Short Form [PANAS-SF]) and cannabis craving (Marijuana Craving Questionnaire-Short Form [MCQ-SF]).
Results: Linear mixed models tested the hypothesized main and interactive effects of CRP condition (trauma and neutral) and PTSD group (likely PTSD+ and PTSD-) on negative and positive affect (PANAS-SF) and cannabis craving dimensions (MCQ-SF). The hypothesized main effects of trauma versus neutral expressive writing were found for negative affect and the expectancy dimension of cannabis craving and of PTSD group for negative affect and all cannabis craving dimensions; no interactions were observed.
Conclusions: Expressive writing appears a useful online CRP. Interventions focused on reducing negative affect and expectancy craving to trauma cues may prevent/treat CUD among cannabis users with PTSD.
Plain language summary title: The Use of an Online Expressive Writing as a Trauma Cue Exposure: Effects on Craving and Emotions.
Objectives: To describe screen time levels and determine their association with socioemotional and behavioural difficulties among preschool-aged First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children.
Method: Data were taken from the Aboriginal Children's Survey, a nationally representative survey of 2-5-year-old Indigenous children in Canada. Socioemotional and behavioural difficulties were defined using parent/guardian reports on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted separately for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit participants, and statistically adjusted for child age, child sex, and parent/guardian education. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.002 to adjust for multiple comparisons.
Results: Of these 2-5-year-old children (mean [M] = 3.57 years) 3,085 were First Nations (53.5%), 2,430 Métis (39.2%), and 990 Inuit (7.3%). Screen time exposure was high among First Nations (M = 2 h and 58 min/day, standard deviation [SD] = 1.89), Métis (M = 2 h and 50 min [SD = 1.83]), and Inuit children (M = 3 h and 25 min [SD = 2.20]), with 79.7% exceeding recommended guidelines (>1 h/day). After adjusting for confounders, screen time was associated with more socioemotional and behavioural difficulties among First Nations (total difficulties β = 0.15 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.19]) and Métis (β = 0.16 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.20]) but not Inuit children (β = 0.12 [95% CI, 0.01 to 0.23]).
Conclusions: Screen time exposure is high among Indigenous children in Canada, and is associated with more socioemotional and behavioural difficulties among First Nations and Métis children. Contributing factors could include enduring colonialism that resulted in family dissolution, lack of positive parental role models, and disproportionate socioeconomic disadvantage. Predictors of poor well-being should continue to be identified to develop targets for intervention to optimize the health and development of Indigenous children.