The research focuses on the acute care setting, where nurses are often on the front lines of patient interaction. Raynak investigates the prevalence of stigmatizing attitudes among nursing staff toward patients with substance use disorders (SUD). The study explores how these attitudes—whether conscious or unconscious—impact the quality of care, patient safety, and the overall therapeutic relationship.

Traditional research often relies on "retrospective recall"—asking people how they felt weeks ago—which can be inaccurate. This study used Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), a method where participants receive several prompts a day on their smartphones to report their current state.

By tracking young adults in their natural environments, Ewen investigated the "micro-temporal" associations between cannabis use and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Essentially, she looked at whether a person uses cannabis because they are feeling symptomatic (self-medication) or if their symptoms increase after use.

The dissertation details the development, implementation, and evaluation of a group-based mental health intervention specifically designed for First Nations children. The research challenges the traditional Western medical model—which often treats symptoms like anxiety or depression in isolation—by using a transdiagnostic approach. This means the treatment targets the underlying emotional and behavioral processes that are common across multiple mental health challenges, all while being rooted in Indigenous cultural skills and practices.

Intergenerational trauma among Indigenous peoples in Canada is identified as an ongoing detrimental outcome of Canadian colonialism. Both adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and substance use problems appear to be difficulties perpetuating intergenerational trauma among this population. While it is known that ACEs increase risk for a multitude of poor mental and physical health outcomes, the underlying mechanisms are less clear. Executive functions (EFs) may be one plausible mechanism linking ACEs to substance use difficulties, as EFs are both affected by chronic stress during childhood and are associated with poor outcomes later in life. This community-based research project was driven by Indigenous partnership who wanted to better understand how ACEs are implicated in the substance use difficulties their clients are facing. With this in mind, the goal of this study was to examine the interrelationships between ACEs, EF, and substance use outcomes among clients at an Indigenous substance use treatment program in Northwestern Ontario. To do this, 80 participants completed self-report questionnaires at two time points while in treatment. Ultimately, the number of ACEs experienced did not predict EF difficulties. However, family substance use predicted difficulties across all EFs and severity of neglect predicted difficulties in working memory specifically. ACEs did not predict age of first alcohol or cannabis use, though this relationship approached statistical significance. More than half of the sample demonstrated clinically significant post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, which were both associated with number of past ACEs and predicted EF difficulties seen within the sample. Ultimately, this study serves as a preliminary step toward better understanding the link between ACEs and EFs among Indigenous adults with substance use difficulties, providing a knowledge base for future prevention, intervention, and research pursuits.

Canada’s First Nations population experiences elevated rates of opioid use and negative opioidrelated consequences. These rates stem from the long history of colonization that First Nations populations have faced, which has resulted in unique treatment access barriers and a need for culturally and contextually relevant treatment. The purpose of this study was to longitudinally evaluate the first on-reserve methadone maintenance therapy program in Canada through both client questionnaires and staff interviews. Forty-nine clients (mean age of 40, 51% female, 100% First Nations identification) and 11 staff members of the program participated in this study. Overall, clients noted self-improvement; improved quality of life, housing condition, employment status, and family support; and decreases in symptoms of anxiety and depression, overall psychological and physical distress, and drug use and high-risk behaviours. Qualitatively, clients spoke positively of the treatment centre and noted challenges of the program. Staff noted their primary goal as seeing clients become substance free and they also spoke about the importance of the community’s support of the program. Staff noted challenges with funding and reported a desire to see the program continue to help the community until everyone is healed. Overall, the results of the evaluation were positive and show that the program is succeeding in the eyes of the clients and the staff.

The purpose of this project was to create, implement, and evaluate a tool designed to measure the wellbeing of First Nations children in the Robinson Superior Treaty Area. This project followed a community-based participatory research approach and was overseen by a research advisory made up of employees from the partner organization. Interviews were conducted with community members in the Robinson Superior Treaty Area and analyzed to identify indicators of wellbeing for children. This analysis was utilized to generate items for a pilot version of the measure. This pilot version was administered by two mental health intake workers to the parents and caregivers of 91 children who were seen through intake for service at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, along with the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths measure (Lyons et al. 2003). Following piloting, interview with the mental health intake workers, and measure refinement, a principal component analysis was conducted and three factors emerged: General Wellbeing, Traditional Activities, and Social Engagement. This measure represents one of few created and validated for use specifically with a First Nations population and aligns with the literature regarding the importance of engagement in traditional activities and understanding of culture for the wellbeing of Indigenous people.