Child Wellbeing, Mental Health & Protection

Children’s Worlds / International Survey of Child Wellbeing (ISCWeB) in Namibia

Funding

Jacobs Foundation; Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé; Sherpa University Institute; and McGill Global Health Scholars Program (2017-2021)

Co-researchers

Mónica Ruiz-Casares (PI), Shelene Gentz (Co-PI, University of Namibia)

Summary

This project was conducted in Namibia as part of the third wave of the International Survey of Children’s Subjective Wellbeing (ISCWeB, Children’s Worlds) (external link) This global research initiative focuses on various aspects of children's lives and wellbeing from their perspectives. Specifically, the project's objectives are to:

Collect comprehensive and representative data on children's lives, daily activities, and aspirations.
Provide insights into the psychosocial, cognitive, and affective dimensions of childhood.
Assess children's satisfaction with various institutions and environments they encounter, such as schools, homes, leisure activities, friendships, and geographical locations.
Offer information on access to material goods, health status, time use, and children's perceptions of their own rights.

A representative sample of 2,124 learners from Grade 4 (primarily 9-10 years old) and Grade 6 (primarily 11-12 years old) across 31 rural and urban, private and public schools in the Khomas region participated in the survey. The questionnaire was adapted, tested, and translated into Afrikaans, English, Nama/Damara, Oshiwambo, and Otjiherero to ensure cultural and linguistic relevance.

Upon completion of the survey, we partnered with young people and the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO), a local youth-focused non-governmental organization in Namibia, to create and widely distribute a child-friendly comic magazine containing findings from the Children’s Worlds survey. The goal was also to evaluate the effectiveness of the magazine facilitation program as a method of knowledge mobilization. Magazine assistants, also known as facilitators, were local youth who had previous involvement with OYO. They received training to coordinate with schools to deliver sessions, organize debates, create plays, and hold discussions. Their role was to help learners gain a thorough understanding of the topics and encourage them to express their views or concerns. Learners could contribute individually through essays, poems, stories, or drawings.

The findings of this project provide baseline information to inform the development, monitoring, and evaluation of programs and policies to support children in their school, home, and community environments.

Selected Publications

Gentz, S., Ruiz-Casares, M., & Casas, F. (2024). The self-reported well-being of children in Namibia: Testing hedonic and eudaimonic instruments (external link) . Journal of Psychology in Africa, 34(3), 274–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2024.2363696

Gentz, S., Chouinard, L. J., & Ruiz-Casares, M. (2022). Time use and time use satisfaction: An examination of children’s out of school activities in Namibia (external link) . Journal of the British Academy, 10s2, 59–82. https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/010s2.059

Gentz, S., Zeng, C., & Ruiz-Casares, M. (2021). The role of individual-, family-, and school-level resilience in the subjective well-being of children exposed to violence in Namibia (external link) . Child Abuse & Neglect, 119, 105087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105087

Gouin, S., Porteros, C., & Ruiz-Casares, M. (2021) Children's Worlds. Illus. Claudia Porteros. Montreal and Windhoek: Sherpa University Institute, McGill University, and University of Namibia. [comic]

Ruiz-Casares, M., & Gentz, S., with Gouin, S. (2021). Children’s Worlds Survey – Khomas 2018, Final Report. McGill University and University of Namibia.

Scoping Review of Youth Participation in Mental Health Policymaking

Funding

Ford Foundation (Grant to A. Adams) (2020-2023)

Co-researchers

Mónica Ruiz-Casares (PI), Naima Bentayeb (Sherpa IU/McGill University/ENAP), Theodora Constantinescu (Sherpa IU), Alexandra Holtom (McGill University), Srividya Iyer (McGill University), Kay Tisdall (University of Edinburgh), Jessie Tuong (McGill University), & Sakiko Yamaguchi (McGill University).

Summary

Youth participation has the potential to significantly influence mental health policy and service reform. However, there is limited evidence regarding the extent and nature of youth involvement in the policymaking process. This project employs a scoping review to examine existing information on the participation of children and youth in mental health policymaking. The findings indicate a lack of diversity among the youth involved and raise questions about the meaningfulness of their contributions, as youth are infrequently engaged in policy implementation and evaluation, despite their involvement in policy design.

The scoping review process also includes a global consultation of 44 people from 16 countries, including 15 young people, 9 policymakers, and 20 facilitators of youth participation. Through individual interviews and focus groups, they discussed their experiences with mental health policymaking. Findings emphasize the value of lived experience and, in line with the systematic review, highlight the insufficient representation of youth with disabilities, diverse sexual orientations, and gender identities. Youth participants reported that they often felt as an "accessory", and were relegated to peripheral roles, experiencing tokenism and a lack of genuine power-sharing in the policymaking process. Adult participants identified several challenges, including cultural, socio-economic, and political barriers that vary by context.

The findings suggest that to enhance meaningful youth participation in policymaking, it is essential to include children and youth from diverse backgrounds and to create relational spaces that ensure safety, inclusiveness, and diversity. Additionally, it is crucial to recognize, and value lived experience as expertise in shaping mental health policies; adopt an intersectional approach to address cultural, socio-economic, and political barriers; and provide safe spaces that encourage co-production and equitable power-sharing.

Selected Publications

Yamaguchi, S., Bentayeb, N., Holtom, A., Molnar, P., Constantinescu, T., Tisdall, E.K.M., Tuong, J., Iyer, S., & Ruiz-Casares, M. (2023). Participation of Children and Youth in Mental Health Policymaking: A Scoping Review [Part I] (external link) . Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 50(1):58-83. doi: 10.1007/s10488-022-01223-0.

Yamaguchi, S., Tuong, J., Tisdall, E.K.M., Bentayeb, N., Holtom, Iyer, S., & Ruiz-Casares, M. (2023). “Youth as ‘accessories’”: Stakeholder perspectives on youth participation in mental health policymaking [Part II] (external link) Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 50(1):84-99.doi: 10.1007/s10488-022-01230-1.

Co-creation of a Youth Engagement Guide for Mental Health Policymaking

Funding

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (2023-2024)

Co-researchers

Sakiko Yamaguchi (PI, McGill University), Keiko Shikako Thomas (PI, McGill University), Micaela Harley (Frayme), Srividya Narayanan Iyer (McGill University), Shafniya Kanagaratham (CHILD-BRIGHT Network), Mónica Ruiz-Casares, & Catherine Willinsky (Mental Health Commission of Canada).

Summary

Many young Canadians advocate for better access to mental health services by participating in mental health policymaking processes. Yet, representation of diverse groups of youth is often lacking and youth often voice their frustration with the lack of power-sharing when a tokenized approach to participation is adopted. To address the paucity of guidance to facilitate meaningful engagement with youth, this study aims to co-create youth engagement guides on mental health policymaking through a participatory approach.

Diverse groups of youth who have experience of and/or strong interest in mental health policymaking, such as those with disabilities, 2SLGBTQ+, Indigenous, and low socio-economic status, are invited to share their ideas and experiences related to critical roles and components of individual and institutional support that can facilitate youth participation in mental health policymaking. In addition, policymakers who have informed youth mental health policies at local, provincial, or federal levels are invited to elicit their ideas on the specific topics of the guides.

The co-creation process will help draw practical strategies, special considerations, and engagement tips for organizations and policymakers to support youth at various stages of mental health policymaking processes. The guide will provide youth who are new to the space of policymaking with introductory information and guidance, and it will also help organizations and policymakers develop strategies for institutional support of youth participation, empowerment, and leadership.

Parenting for the Promotion of Adolescent Mental Health

Funding

Mental Health Commission of Canada (2011-2012)

Co-researchers

Mónica Ruiz-Casares (PI, McGill University), Cécile Rousseau (Co-PI, McGill University), Lucyna Lach (McGill University), Richard Sullivan (UBC), Normand Carrey (Dalhousie University), Bonnie Wong (Hong Fook Mental Health Association)

Summary

Adolescence is a critical time when psychological issues like anxiety, depression, and suicide often arise, yet access to youth mental health services in Canada is limited. There is also limited research on how to educate and support parents to foster their teen's mental health, particularly within ethnocultural communities. To address this gap, an environmental scan is conducted to find community programs that assist parents in promoting adolescent mental health. A separate scoping review gathers insights from Canadian and international research concerning this topic.

Despite the presence of some innovative parenting initiatives, the environmental scan identified gaps in geographic coverage, program types, and program evaluation. Additionally, cultural distrust, stigma, financial constraints, language barriers, and inconsistent or insufficient funding and institutional support constrain the ability of community-based organizations to deliver services that meet the specific needs of youth from diverse populations.

The scoping review highlights two critical factors for the success of interventions: 1) strengthening parent-adolescent relationships through effective communication, and 2) fostering community engagement in the development and implementation of these interventions. However, the findings also point to a significant gap in service delivery for parents of adolescents from ethnoculturally diverse communities, as there are few studies addressing programs for this population. Furthermore, the overall quality of existing research is relatively low. These findings stress the importance of developing and improving programs to address the needs of diverse communities, alongside the necessity of implementing more rigorous and standardized program evaluations..

Selected Publications

Ruiz-Casares, M., Kolyn, L., Sullivan, R., & Rousseau, C. (2015). Parenting Adolescents from Ethno-Cultural Backgrounds: A National Scan of Community-Based Programs (external link) . Child and Youth Services Review, 53, 10 – 16. DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.03.021

Ruiz-Casares, M., Drummond, J.D., Beeman, I., & Lach, L. (2016). Promoting the mental health of ethnoculturally diverse adolescents: A scoping review of the literature (external link) . Health & Social Care in the Community, 2017 Mar;25(2):743-757. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12364. Epub 2016 Jun 10.