“If You Don’t Know Who They Are, You Don’t Know How to Support Them”: A Qualitative Study Exploring How Educators Perceive and Support Canadian Military-Connected Students

To date, American research has provided the foundation for what is known about the educational experiences of students living in military families. Given contextual differences that exist between the United States and Canada, it is unclear how representative the American findings are of the Canadian experience. Using semi-structured interviews, this phenomenological study collected data from six educators to better understand how the needs of military-connected students are addressed within Canadian secondary schools. Participants generally had a good understanding of the military lifestyle and its associated challenges for students. However, many participants were unaware of any formal mechanisms used to identify military-connected students, any professional development opportunities for educators, or any collaborations that exist between schools and the military to support such students. Given the current lack of Canadian research, this study will help contribute to the building of knowledge and capacity in the Canadian context.À ce jour, les recherches américaines ont posé les bases de ce que l’on sait des expériences éducatives des étudiants vivant dans des familles de militaires. Étant donné les différences contextuelles qui existent entre les États-Unis et le Canada, une ambiguïté plane concernant la mesure dans laquelle les conclusions américaines sont représentatives de l’expérience canadienne. À l’aide d’entrevues semi-structurées, cette étude phénoménologique a recueilli des données auprès de six éducateurs afin de mieux comprendre comment les besoins des élèves provenant de familles de militaires sont pris en compte dans les écoles secondaires canadiennes. Les participants avaient généralement une bonne compréhension du mode de vie militaire et des défis que rencontrent ces étudiants. Cependant, de nombreux participants n’étaient au courant d’aucun mécanisme formel utilisé pour identifier les étudiants provenant de familles de militaires, des possibilités de développement professionnel pour les éducateurs ou d’une quelconque collaboration existant entre les écoles et l’armée pour soutenir ces étudiants. Étant donné le manque actuel de recherches canadiennes sur le sujet, cette étude contribuera au développement des connaissances et des compétences dans le contexte canadien

Knowledge translation and occupational therapy: A survey of Canadian university programs

While Canadian occupational therapy recognizes knowledge translation (KT) as essential to clinical interactions, there has been little attention paid to KT activity in education and research. The objective of this study was to identify the nature of KT activities in which Canadian occupational therapy faculty engage. An electronic survey was sent to faculty at 14 Canadian occupational therapy programs to explore the nature of KT activities, including research, education, strategies, evaluation, and barriers and facilitators. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results show that faculty engage in a range of KT activities, with conferences and peer-reviewed publications being the most common. Faculty collaborate frequently with researchers at their institutions and favor both integrated and end-of-grant KT. Collaboration and personal interest were identified as facilitators; time and funding were seen as barriers. Understanding the profile of KT activity across universities creates opportunities for developing institutional and pan-Canadian plans to enhance KT training and capacity

Knowledge Translation Activities in Occupational Therapy Organizations: The Canadian Landscape

Despite acknowledging the importance of knowledge translation (KT), the occupational therapy profession has demonstrated only emerging KT activity. Organizations are seen as playing an important role in supporting KT. To date, there have been no known attempts to explore KT activities conducted by occupational therapy organizations in Canada. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe KT activities occurring in Canadian occupational therapy organizations. An environmental scan was used to identify KT activities. The websites of occupational therapy national and provincial associations and/or regulatory bodies and the educational programs were searched. A Knowledge Mobilization Matrix (KMM) website was applied to each organizational website. The total KMM scores were highest for universities and lowest for regulatory organizations. The type and nature of the KT activities varied according to the type of organization. Canadian occupational therapy leadership organizations play an important role in supporting KT

The mental health and wellbeing of spouses, partners and children of emergency responders: A systematic review

Emergency responders (ERs), often termed First Responders, such as police, fire and paramedic roles are exposed to occupational stressors including high workload, and exposure to trauma from critical incidents, both of which can affect their mental health and wellbeing. Little is known about the impact of the ER occupation on the mental health and wellbeing of their families. The aim of the current study was to investigate what mental health and wellbeing outcomes and experiences have been researched internationally in ER families, and to examine the prevalence and associated risk and protective factors of these outcomes. We conducted a systematic review in accordance with an a priori PROSPERO approved protocol (PROSPERO 2019 CRD42019134974). Forty-three studies were identified for inclusion. The majority of studies used a quantitative, cross-sectional design and were conducted in the United States; just over half assessed police/law enforcement families. Themes of topics investigated included: 1) Spousal/partner mental health and wellbeing; 2) Couple relationships; 3) Child mental health and wellbeing; 4) Family support and coping strategies; and 5) Positive outcomes. The review identified limited evidence regarding the prevalence of mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Family experiences and risk factors described were ER work-stress spillover negatively impacting spousal/partner wellbeing, couple relationships, and domestic violence. Traumatic exposure risk factors included concerns family had for the safety of their ER partner, the negative impact of an ER partners’ mental health problem on the couples’ communication and on family mental health outcomes. Protective factors included social support; however, a lack of organisational support for families was reported in some studies. Study limitations and future research needs are discussed. Progressing this area of research is important to improve knowledge of baseline needs of ER families to be able to target interventions, improve public health, and support ER’s operational effectiveness

CCWORK protocol: a longitudinal study of Canadian Correctional Workers' Well-being, Organizations, Roles and Knowledge.

IntroductionKnowledge about the factors that contribute to the correctional officer's (CO) mental health and well-being, or best practices for improving the mental health and well-being of COs, have been hampered by the dearth of rigorous longitudinal studies. In the current protocol, we share the approach used in the Canadian Correctional Workers' Well-being, Organizations, Roles and Knowledge study (CCWORK), designed to investigate several determinants of health and well-being among COs working in Canada's federal prison system.Methods and analysis CCWORK is a multiyear longitudinal cohort design (2018-2023, with a 5-year renewal) to study 500 COs working in 43 Canadian federal prisons. We use quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments (ie, surveys, interviews and clinical assessments) to assess participants' mental health, correctional work experiences, correctional training experiences, views and perceptions of prison and prisoners, and career aspirations. Our baseline instruments comprise two surveys, one interview and a clinical assessment, which we administer when participants are still recruits in training. Our follow-up instruments refer to a survey, an interview and a clinical assessment, which are conducted yearly when participants have become COs, that is, in annual 'waves'. Ethics and dissemination CCWORK has received approval from the Research Ethics Board of the Memorial University of Newfoundland (File No. 20190481). Participation is voluntary, and we will keep all responses confidential. We will disseminate our research findings through presentations, meetings and publications (e.g., journal articles and reports). Among CCWORK's expected scientific contributions, we highlight a detailed view of the operational, organizational and environmental stressors impacting CO mental health and well-being, and recommendations to prison administrators for improving CO well-being

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among Canadian firefighters: A systematic review and meta-analysis

© The Author(s), 2020. Introduction: Firefighters are set to respond to a number of dynamic demands within their roles that extend well beyond fire suppression. These tasks (i.e., heavy lifting, awkward postures) and their unpredictable nature are likely contributing factors to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Several individual studies have assessed the prevalence of MSDs among Canadian firefighters. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to critically appraise the quality of the body of available literature and to provide pooled point- and period-prevalence estimates of anatomical regions of MSDs among Canadian firefighters. Methods: The MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to November 2018. Cross-sectional cohort studies with musculoskeletal prevalence estimates (point- and period-) of career/professional firefighters in Canada were identified and critically appraised. MSDs were defined as sprains/strains, fractures/dislocations and self-reported bodily pain (chronic or acute). Period- and point-prevalence estimates were calculated, and study-specific estimates were pooled using a random-effects model. Results: Five eligible cohort studies (3 prospective, 2 retrospective) were included, with a total of 4,143 firefighters. The participants had a mean age range of 34 (SD = 8.5) to 42.6 (SD = 9.7) years. The reported types of MSDs included sprain or strain, fractures, head, neck, shoulder, elbow, arm, hand, back, upper thigh, knee, and foot pain. The point-prevalence estimate of shoulder pain was 23.00% (3 studies, 312 of 1,491 firefighters, 95% CI, 15.00–33.00), back pain was 27.0% (3 studies, 367 of 1,491 firefighters, 95% CI, 18.00–38.00), and knee pain was 27.00% (2 studies, 180 of 684 firefighters, 95% CI, 11.00–48.00). The one-year period-prevalence estimate of all sprain/strain injuries (all body parts) was 10.0% (2 studies, 278 of 2,652 firefighters, 95% CI, 7.00–14.00). Discussion: High point-prevalence estimates (1 in 4 firefighters) of shoulder-, back-, and knee-related MSDs were identified among Canadian firefighters. This emphasizes the need for early assessment, intervention, and injury prevention strategies that reflect how units work together to maximize ergonomic efficiency and injury prevention

Public Safety Personnel Family Resilience: A Narrative Review

The families of public safety personnel (PSP) face demands that are unique to these occupations. Nonstandard work, trauma exposure, and dangerous work environments affect both workers and the families who support them. This narrative review aims to identify the stressors that PSP families experience and the support and resources needed to enhance family resilience. Due to a lack of research on PSP families, this review is a necessary first step to summarizing and interpreting a diverse body of research. The studies included addressed structural and emotional work-family conflict with reference to PSP sectors. A framework from the military family resiliency literature interprets the findings. Factors influencing family functioning and the availability and accessibility of resources provide clues about the type of skills and supports that PSP families rely on. Meaning-making, collaboration, a sense of coherence, and communication were identified as themes associated with intrafamilial processes. Extrafamilial themes included public perceptions, a lack of recognition for the roles families fulfill, and the need for information and education. The results suggest that the vulnerability of PSP families is variable and extrafamilial resources in the form of formal and informal supports are necessary to enhance family resiliency

Two-month point prevalence of exposure to critical incidents in firefighters in a single fire service

© 2019 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved. BACKGROUND: Firefighters have high rates of exposures to critical events that contribute to physical and mental stress, resulting in high rates of injury and work-injury compensation claims. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of critical incidents in firefighters from a single fire service, and whether the number of critical events varied based on age, gender, years of service and/or rank. METHODS: We recruited 300 full-time firefighters. Firefighters were asked to complete a self-report Critical Incident Inventory survey that included questions on exposure to critical events during firefighting duties, with a time reference point of the past two months. RESULTS: Among the 293 firefighters, 252 (85%) indicated exposure to some type of critical incident. More specifically, 187 (64%) reported a respond to incident involving one or two deaths, 155 (53%) indicated a direct exposure to blood and body fluids, and 98 (33%) reported a response to an incident involving multiple serious injuries. Age, gender, years of service and rank accounted for only 1% of the variance in the number of critical incidents among firefighters. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, 85% of firefighters had been exposed to some type of critical incident in the previous 2-months and this did not vary by age, gender, years of service and/or rank

Étude transversale sur la santé mentale et le bien-être de jeunes de familles liées au milieu militaire

IntroductionL’objectif de l’étude était de comparer la santé mentale et les comportements à risque de jeunes Canadiens de familles liées au milieu militaire (« familles de militaires ») et de jeunes Canadiens de familles de civils au sein d’un échantillon récent. Nous avons émis l’hypothèse que les jeunes de familles de militaires auraient une moins bonne santé mentale, une moins grande satisfaction à l’égard de la vie et une plus grande propension à prendre des risques que les jeunes de familles de civils. MéthodologieDans cette étude transversale, nous avons utilisé les données de l’Enquête sur les comportements de santé des jeunes d’âge scolaire au Canada menée en 2017-2018, dont les participants constituaient un échantillon représentatif des jeunes de la 6e à la 10e années. Les questionnaires utilisés ont permis de recueillir des renseignements sur l’emploi des parents dans l’armée et sur six indicateurs de santé mentale, de satisfaction à l’égard de la vie et de comportements à risque. Nous avons utilisé des modèles multivariés de régression de Poisson avec une variance d’erreur robuste, en pondérant les données de l’enquête et en tenant compte des grappes correspondant aux écoles. RésultatsL’échantillon comprenait 16 737 élèves, dont 9,5 % ont indiqué qu’un parent ou un tuteur servait ou avait servi dans l’armée canadienne. Après ajustement pour le niveau scolaire, le sexe et le niveau d’aisance familiale, les jeunes de famille de militaires étaient 28 % plus susceptibles de faire état d’un faible sentiment de bien-être (IC à 95 % : 1,17 à 1,40), 32 % plus susceptibles de faire état de sentiments persistants de désespoir (1,22 à 1,43), 22 % plus susceptibles de faire état de problèmes émotionnels (1,13 à 1,32), 42 % plus susceptibles de faire état d’un faible degré de satisfaction à l’égard de la vie (1,27 à 1,59) et 37 % plus susceptibles de déclarer adopter fréquemment des comportements à risque (1,21 à 1,55). ConclusionLes jeunes de familles de militaires ont déclaré avoir une moins bonne santé mentale et adopter davantage de comportements à risque que les jeunes issus de familles de civils. Les résultats laissent penser qu’il faudrait prévoir un soutien supplémentaire en matière de santé mentale et de bien-être pour les jeunes Canadiens de familles de militaires et qu’il faudrait mener des travaux de recherche longitudinaux pour comprendre les déterminants sous-jacents qui contribuent à ces différences