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Background:Latin Americans represent one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in Canada. But very little is known about their mental health.Aims:This paper reviews the literature on the mental health of Latin American immigrants to Canada. The paper also identifies potential areas to expand the research agenda.Method:Twenty-five papers were identified by a comprehensive electronic search undertaken in medical- and humanities-related databases.Results:Results are reported in three sections: (1) the rates of mental illness; (2) the risk factors that affect mental health; and (3) the access and barriers to care and services. Findings indicate that despite the diversity of immigration from Latin America to Canada, much of the information on mental health focuses on Central American refugees. The most frequently examined risk factor is displacement as a consequence of political persecution and torture in the home country. Access to mental health services in this population seems to be limited by cultural differences and language barriers.Conclusion:New research on this topic should reflect the growing diversity and heterogeneity of the Latin American population in Canada.

Psychiatry is in the process of rediscovering its roots. It seemed as if the long history of interest in the impact of society on the rates and course of serious mental illness had been forgotten, overtaken by the advances of neuroscience and genetics. However, as our knowledge of physiological and genetic processes improves it becomes increasingly clear that social conditions and experiences over the life course are crucial to achieving a full understanding. Old controversies are giving way to genuinely integrated models in which social, psychological and biological factors interact over time, culminating in the onset of psychosis. This book reviews these issues from an international perspective, laying the foundations for a new understanding of the psychotic disorders, with profound implications for health policy and clinical practice. It should be read by all members of the mental health team and those responsible for service organization and management

Background: A recent migration trend from Korea is transnational family arrangement where mothers migrate with children to English-speaking countries, while the fathers stay in the home country. Mothers in these families may experience more challenges than other family members because they have to adjust to a new country, new parenting role and family separation. But little is known about their mental health. Aims: This article scopes the evidences in the literature on impact of transnational family arrangement and migration on the mental health of Korean transnational mothers. Method: A comprehensive search was undertaken in 16 databases and 17 studies were identified. Results: The evidence on the mental health of Korean transnational mothers was analyzed into two themes: (1) challenges and life difficulties, (2) psychological and emotional states. In relation to the life difficulties such as role changes, adaptation in the host country and lack of social support, the mothers reported anxiety, depression, increased psychological distress and feeling of isolation. Positive perceptions such as sense of empowerment and increased self-confidence were also reported. Conclusion: The evidence suggests that there may be a potential for vulnerability to mental health problems in Korean transnational mothers. More research is needed to assess their mental health and to identify the risk factors.

Background:A higher incidence of psychosis has repeatedly been reported in black Caribbean populations in the UK. This has been attributed to a number of biological, psychological and sociocultural causes, including black Caribbean populations having a different illness course and outcome compared to other ethnic populations living in the UK.Aims:A systematic review of UK-based quantitative studies, which compared at least two aspects of outcome in black Caribbean populations and other ethnic populations living in the UK, was conducted to assess whether the current body of research suggests that there are differences in the course and outcome of psychoses for these populations.Method:A wide variety of databases were searched using MeSH terms and keywords. Studies were evaluated according to specified inclusion criteria and analysed using predefined scoring criteria.Results:Searches yielded a heterogeneous collection of studies. Large variances in methodological approaches and the quality of studies were reported. Many studies reported little or no difference between black Caribbean and other ethnic populations living in the UK.Conclusions:Emphasis is placed on the unreliability of these findings given the methodological limitations of the studies, and the need for higher-quality research in this area is highlighted.

Background: The ethnic density effect describes a phenomenon whereby adverse mental health outcomes among individuals from ethnic minorities are greater in neighbourhoods where they comprise a smaller proportion of the population. Most previous studies of the ethnic density effect have been quantitative in design, and thus have only been able to speculate on some of the underlying mechanisms explaining this phenomenon. Aims: This paper attempts to remedy this deficit, using in-depth qualitative methodology to explore mechanisms underlying the ethnic density effect. Methods: We chose an inner-London electoral ward, Gospel Oak, with a relatively low proportion of ethnic minorities, as a case study. Thirty-two residents, eight of whom were from minority ethnic groups, participated in either focus groups or in-depth interviews. We also conducted participant observation and collected relevant quantitative data. Results: We found four principal overlapping mechanisms that may help to explain why minorities living in predominantly white electoral wards may have greater risk of adverse mental health outcomes. These were perceived exclusion from local networks, a need to rely on geographically dispersed culturally specific services and facilities, perceived risk of physical and psychological intimidation and damaging effects of everyday racism. Conclusions: These mechanisms are presented as a framework, grounded in a qualitative case study, which can be applied in future study. They may help to explain the causes behind the ethnic density effect on mental health although further research in other settings is necessary in order to test the framework's external validity.

The Peel Region of Toronto, Canada is home to over a third of the province's South Asian population. Youth are at a vulnerable time period in terms of their mental health. South Asian youth populations may face additional challenges to their mental health such as acculturative stress, intergenerational conflict, and racism and discrimination. This qualitative study set out to understand the mental health concerns and service access barriers experienced by South Asian youth populations in the Peel Region of Toronto, Canada from the perspective of mental health service providers. In-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with mental health service providers (n  =  22) who work with South Asian youth living in Peel Region. Thematic analysis was used to elucidate themes related to mental health stressors and service access barriers experienced by youth. According to mental health service providers, South Asian youth navigate a number of unique stressors related to the domains of culture, religion, and family dynamics, experiences of discrimination, the impact of migration, beliefs around mental illness and help-seeking, help-seeking trajectories and therapy recommendations, and lastly, sex differences. Mental health service providers outlined steps needed to effectively address the unique mental health challenges, best practice guidelines, and recommendations for working with South Asian youth, families, and communities to provide a practical and nuanced overview on how a multi-level strategy for mental health care can effectively meet the needs of South Asian youth populations.

The purpose of the qualitative study was to explore the experiences, needs, barriers, and expectations of survivors of torture and/or war interested in entering post-secondary education in Canada. We conducted 38 interviews with participants from the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT), 10 interviews with CCVT staff, and 1 focus group with 3 participants, which followed a semi-structured interview guide, and were analyzed using a constant comparative method. Survivors of torture and/or war report experiencing informational barriers to navigating educational pathways, accessing professional supports, evaluating credentials, financing education, navigating immigration systems, using online resources, delaying their educational progress, and contributing to mental health distress. ; L'objectif de cette étude qualitative était d'étudier les expé-riences, les besoins, les obstacles et les attentes de survivants à la torture et/ou à la guerre souhaitant faire des études postsecondaires au Canada. Nous avons réalisé 38 entretiens avec des participants provenant du Centre Canadien pour Victimes de la Torture (CCVT) et 10 entretiens avec des membres du personnel de ce centre; nous avons également travaillé avec un groupe cible de trois participants qui ont suivi les consignes d'un guide d'entretien semi-structuré et ont été évalués à l'aide d'une méthode comparative constante. Les survivants à la torture et/ou à la guerre ont fait état d'obstacles à type de manque d'information sur l'orientation dans les filières d'études, l'accès à des soutiens professionnels, l'évaluation des diplômes, le financement des études, l'orientation dans les systèmes d'immigration et l'utilisation des ressources en ligne, l'ensemble de ces insuffisances retardant leur progression sur le plan des études et contribuant à des difficultés de santé mentale.

`The effects of social context and social structure on health are well documented. The concept of social capital provides a slightly different take on the issue, as it attempts to discover the features of populations in different areas that are crucial in determining the extent and the quality of social interactions and the social institutions within society. Such factors as social networks, levels of participation in civil life (as a citizen) and levels of trust within communities are all associated with social capital.This book provides a detailed exploration of the concept, on its effects on psychological functioning and on the risk factors for mental health that are associated with communities that have either high or low levels of social capital.' - Community CareWhy do some areas have a higher prevalence of mental illness than others? How does the structure of a society affect its inhabitants' mental health? This remarkable book is the first to explore in detail the concept of social capital and its implications for mental health policy.Drawing on evidence from international research and fieldwork, the contributors examine the risk factors for mental health associated with both low and high social capital communities. They discuss the importance of relationships between individuals, groups and abstract bodies such as the state and outline different systems of social capital, for example intra-group `bonding' and inter-group `bridging'. The authors challenge the notion of community as a strictly area-based concept and call for broader-based studies of communities built around race, faith or even around a common social exclusion. Social Capital and Mental Health also reviews methods of measuring social capital, analyses the implications of research findings for future policy developments and makes clear recommendations for future practice and

AbstractThere is an increasing commitment to "Personal Recovery" as the desired outcome for mental health rehabilitation, yet there is little agreement about how to measure it. The purpose of this study was to develop a method of measuring recovery in community-dwelling people with mental health concerns. We describe a four-phase process, informed by guidelines for (patient-reported outcome measure) PROM development described by the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Medical Outcomes Trust, the Food and Drug Administration, and the International Society for Quality of Life Research, on how to quantify recovery in mental health care. The approach includes an iterative mixed methods process, guided by Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Rasch Measurement Theory (RMT), to develop the Canadian Personal Recovery Outcome Measure (C-PROM) for adults receiving mental health services. In Phases 1 and 2, 40 new items were generated by people with schizophrenia. In Phase 3, psychometric analysis and cognitive interviewing suggested that the item set be reduced to 30 items. Phase 4 (n = 575) showed good overall fit of the C-PROM items to the Rasch model (χ2 = 163, df = 130, p = .05), no item misfit, high reliability (rp = 0.92), an ordered response scale structure, high correlation between logit and scale scores (0.92) and no item bias for gender, age, or diagnosis. This study provided evidence for the C-PROM as a measure of personal recovery for people with mental health concerns. The measurement model underpinning this set of items has potential to support clinical relevance of scale scores, advancing an evidence-based approach to mental health rehabilitation practice and outcomes.

AbstractThere is little longitudinal research that directly compares the effectiveness of Canada's Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) and Privately Sponsored Refugee (PSR) Programs that takes into account possible socio-demographic differences between them. This article reports findings from 1,921 newly arrived adult Syrian refugees in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. GARs and PSRs differed widely on several demographic characteristics, including length of time displaced. Furthermore, PSRs sponsored by Groups of 5 resembled GARs more than other PSR sponsorship types on many of these characteristics. PSRs also had broader social networks than GARs. Sociodemographic differences and city of residence influenced integration outcomes, emphasizing the importance of considering differences between refugee groups when comparing the impact of these programs. ; RésuméIl existe peu de recherches longitudinales comparant directement l'efficacité des programmes gouvernemental (RPG) et privé (PPR) de parrainage des réfugiés au Canada qui tiennent compte de possibles différences socio-démographique entre eux. Cet article rend compte des résultats de 1921 nouveaux arrivants syriens adultes en Colombie-Britannique, en Ontario et au Québec. Les RPG et PPR diffèrent largement sur plusieurs caractéristiques démographiques, dont le temps du déplacement. De plus, les PPR parrainés par groupes de cinq ressemblaient davantage aux RPG que les autres types de parrainage PPR sur plusieurs de ces caractéristiques. Les PPR avaient aussi des réseaux sociaux plus larges que les RPG. Les différences sociodémographiques et la ville de résidence influent sur l'intégration, ce qui fait ressortir l'importance de tenir compte des différences entre les groupes de réfugiés dans la comparaison de l'impact de ces programmes.