Browsing by Author "Brett-MacLean, Pamela"

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    After the Fort McMurray wildfire there are significant increases in mental health symptoms in grade 7–12 students compared to controls
    (2019-01-10) Brown, Matthew R G; Agyapong, Vincent; Greenshaw, Andrew J; Cribben, Ivor; Brett-MacLean, Pamela; Drolet, Julie; McDonald-Harker, Caroline; Omeje, Joy; Mankowsi, Monica; Noble, Shannon; Kitching, Deborah; Silverstone, Peter H
    Abstract Background In order to examine the impact of disasters on adolescent mental health, this study compared population mental health survey data from two communities in Alberta, Canada: Fort McMurray, which experienced a major natural disaster, and Red Deer, which did not. Methods Data from 3070 grade 7–12 students from Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada (collected in 2017, 18 months after the 2016 wildfire) was compared with data from 2796 grade 7–12 students from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada (collected in 2014). The same measurement scales were used for both surveys. Both of these cities have populations of approximately 100,000, and both cities are located in Alberta, Canada. For this reason, Red Deer is an appropriate non-disaster impacted community to compare to the disaster impacted community of Fort McMurray. Results The results of this comparison demonstrate that mental health symptoms were statistically significantly elevated in the Fort McMurray population when compared to the control population in Red Deer. This occurred for scores consistent with a diagnosis of depression (31% vs. 17%), moderately severe depression (17% vs. 9%), suicidal thinking (16% vs. 4%), and tobacco use (13% vs. 10%). Consistent with there being major mental health impacts from the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, self-esteem scores and quality of life scores were also statistically significantly lower in Fort McMurray. While the rates of anxiety disorder were similar (15% vs. 16%), the mean scores on the anxiety scale were slightly higher, with this difference reaching statistical significance. There were no statistical differences in the rates or scores for alcohol or substance use. Conclusions Our results are consistent with previous findings showing a significant negative impact of disasters on many aspects of adolescent mental, with a particular increase in symptoms related to depression and suicidal thinking. These findings highlight first, the need to identify adolescents most at risk of developing psychiatric symptoms after experiencing the trauma of disaster and second, the importance and necessity of implementing short and long term mental health intervention programs specifically aimed at adolescents, in order to help mitigate the negative effects of disasters on their mental health.
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    Correction to: After the Fort McMurray wildfire there are significant increases in mental health symptoms in grade 7–12 students compared to controls
    (2019-03-26) Brown, Matthew R G; Agyapong, Vincent; Greenshaw, Andrew J; Cribben, Ivor; Brett-MacLean, Pamela; Drolet, Julie; McDonald-Harker, Caroline; Omeje, Joy; Mankowsi, Monica; Noble, Shannon; Kitching, Deborah; Silverstone, Peter H
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    Integrating Spirituality as a Key Component of Patient Care
    (2015) Sinclair, Shane; Bremault-Phillips, Suzette; Olson, Joanne; Brett-MacLean, Pamela; Oneschuk, Doreen; Magnus, Ralph; Weis, Jeanne; Abbasi, Marjan; Parmar, Jasneet; Puchalski, Christina
    Patient care frequently focuses on physical aspects of disease management, with variable attention given to spiritual needs. And yet, patients indicate that spiritual suffering adds to distress associated with illness. Spirituality, broadly defined as that which gives meaning and purpose to a person’s life and connectedness to the significant or sacred, often becomes a central issue for patients. Growing evidence demonstrates that spirituality is important in patient care. Yet healthcare professionals (HCPs) do not always feel prepared to engage with patients about spiritual issues. In this project, HCPs attended an educational session focused on using the FICA Spiritual History Tool to integrate spirituality into patient care. Later, they incorporated the tool when caring for patients participating in the study. This research (1) explored the value of including spiritual history taking in clinical practice; (2) identified facilitators and barriers to incorporating spirituality into person-centred care; and (3) determined ways in which HCPs can effectively utilize spiritual history taking. Data were collected using focus groups and chart reviews. Findings indicate positive impacts at organizational, clinical/unit, professional/personal and patient levels when HCPs include spirituality in patient care. Recommendations are offered.