Evaluation of the use and impact of English on access to mental health care among the Spanish-speaking Latinx minority group in Montreal

This study is about illness stories from Spanish-speaking Latinos/Latin Americans in Montreal with schizophrenia. These participants speak English, French, or Spanish. This study suggests mental health services should be provided in English and other languages. We want to show how English was used by Spanish-speaking Latinos/Latin Americans in Montreal with schizophrenia. Most people in our study used English and Spanish services. This shows there is a need for mental health services for minorities. Many of these services could reach to wider cultural populations if they were provided in English. For our participants experiencing problems, mental health services for language minorities were important. In our study, we used a questionnaire and an interview to find out more about this group. We learned that English was important for using mental health care for several participants. This study will help us understand the need for English services for this language minority group. This research supports more specific mental health care for language minorities in Montreal, including English mental health services.

Access and Equity: Evaluating Linguistic Disproportionality in Child Protection Services

In Quebec, access to social services can vary significantly for linguistic minority communities, with evidence suggesting that public policy and system organization can shape service equity. Following the 2016 merger of health and social services into the Centres intégrés universitaires de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS), and ongoing reforms toward Santé Québec, these large-scale restructuring efforts have been criticized for potential unintended impacts on service accessibility, particularly for minority populations. Concerns have been raised that such system changes may have contributed to disparities between communities, including those based on language.

This project investigates whether differences exist between English- and French-speaking child welfare services in Quebec. Using provincial administrative data (AS480), we will compare key indicators such as child protection signalments, time to investigation, placement availability, clinical decision-making outcomes, and adoption rates across Montreal-based agencies and other regions over the past five years, including both pre- and post-pandemic periods. The goal is to identify potential service gaps linked to linguistic context and regional variation. Ultimately, this research aims to support more equitable, timely, and consistent child welfare service delivery across Quebec’s English- and French-speaking communities.

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Learning to implement new electronic health programs: Expanding cancer care access for English-speaking Quebec patients

In Quebec, English-speaking cancer patients face language barriers in accessing healthcare services. This can cause delays and inadequate treatment leading to poorer quality of care. Electronic health platforms have the potential to improve English-speaking cancer patients’ ability to navigate the health system. E-IMPAQc is an electronic platform for cancer patients, available online or through an app that streamlines access to bilingual information, self-management tools, and coordinates patients’ appointments. My doctoral research aims to understand how e-IMPAQc can improve access to cancer care resources and delivery of services for English-speaking patients by studying the platform’s implementation process. I am conducting in-depth interviews with cancer care patients, clinicians, and e-IMPAQc implementation staff to gain insight into their experiences and how the real-world use of the platform works. The findings will directly inform e-IMPAQc’s ongoing implementation and will be published in several academic journals. The results of my study will demonstrate how electronic health platforms can be used to improve the access and delivery of care for English-speaking patients, not only in cancer, but across the Quebec healthcare system. 

Exploring Language Barriers as a Social Determinant of Mental Health among English-Speaking Post-Secondary Students in Quebec: A Scoping Review and Policy Analysis.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of mental health related problems among post-secondary students in Canadian higher education institutions. One important factor that can negatively impact the delivery of mental health services at these institutions is the language barrier. This issue is of prominent significance in a linguistically diverse society such as Quebec, where previous research indicates that linguistic minorities encounter significant obstacles in accessing equitable healthcare services. 

While previous research has investigated the impact of language barriers on health care access and the quality of care among Quebec's linguistic minorities, there is a paucity of research regarding mental health services available to English-speaking students in Quebec’s higher education institutions and their experiences accessing such services. This scoping review seeks to fill this gap by mapping the existing academic and grey literature on language barriers and access to mental health services among English-speaking post-secondary students in Quebec’s colleges and universities. This study is guided by the following research questions: 

1. How do language barriers create inequities in access to mental health services for English- speaking post-secondary students in Quebec’s higher education institutions? 

2. What policies and resources are in place at higher education institutions in Quebec to facilitate English-speaking students' access to mental health services? 

3. What policy interventions can be implemented to enhance access to mental health services for English-speaking students attending higher education institutions in Quebec? 

This study will provide insights and policy recommendations to foster a more equitable and inclusive mental health service delivery in Quebec's higher education institutions. 

Understanding the Impact of Linguistic Barriers and Stigma on English-Speaking Sinosphere Quebec Patients with First Episode Psychosis (FEP) and Their Family Members

We want to understand how negative attitudes and beliefs towards mental illness (known as stigma) affect English-speaking individuals from Sinosphere countries living in Quebec diagnosed with first episode psychosis (FEP), as well as their families. Stigma can make it harder to seek help, follow treatment, and recover. It also adds burden to their families. Therefore, it is important to recognize the challenges faced by this group. 

21.1% of Canada's visible minority population comes from East and Southeast Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, collectively known as the Sinosphere. Among these individuals residing in Quebec, there is a preference for English over French. Unfortunately, Sinosphere Canadians often experience poorer mental well-being and display lower rates of seeking professional help compared to others. Additionally, there is a lack of research on this specific group, which motivates us to address this knowledge gap and prioritize improving access to mental health and social services for the English-speaking Sinosphere FEP community, thereby enhancing their well-being. 

To tackle this issue, we will gather information on the experience of stigma, explore the linguistic and cultural factors that influence their experience, and find ways to reduce stigma among English-speaking Sinosphere individuals in Quebec who have FEP and their family members. We will conduct interviews with ten FEP patients and ten family members from three hospitals in Quebec. The participants must meet the following criteria: (1) they or their parents immigrated from a Sinosphere country, and (2) they prefer English as their official language. 

English Validation of the EXACT Cognitive Assessment

Title: Traduction et validation en langue anglaise de l'EXAmen Cognitif abrégé en Traumatologie (EXACT)

(title in original language)

This project aims to validate the English version of the EXAmen Cognitif abrégé en Traumatologie (EXACT), a brief cognitive assessment tool developed for individuals who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although the EXACT is already recognized as a valid and reliable French-language tool used in trauma centres internationally, its use with English-speaking populations remains limited. This study will evaluate the English adaptation of the EXACT in anglophone participants and compare results with the original francophone validation sample to ensure equivalent performance across languages. Validating the English version of the EXACT will improve access to rapid cognitive assessment and rehabilitation services for English-speaking individuals with TBI, while also supporting clinicians and future research in traumatology.

The intersecting impacts of racism and language barriers on the wellbeing and sense of belonging of English-speaking Black young adults in Quebec

Full title: Whether I belong, depends on whether my group belongs: The intersecting impacts of racism and language barriers on the wellbeing and sense of belonging of English-speaking Black young adults in Quebec 

The proposed three-wave longitudinal research will examine the perception of multiple forms of discrimination (i.e., racism, language barriers) experienced by English-speaking Black individuals in Quebec, a racialized and official language minority population. Following a Self-Determination Theory framework, the primary objective is to examine perception of barriers to healthcare and the basic psychological needs of collective autonomy for English-speaking Black individuals in response to racism and language barriers in every-day life. Furthermore, we will also examine whether greater barriers to healthcare and deprivation of collective autonomy will decrease psychological well-being and increase intentions to leave Quebec for English-speaking Black Quebecers, respectively. With a focus on intersecting and context-dependent forms of discrimination within the healthcare system, the current study will further our understanding on how well-being and intention to migrate are affected among racialized and official language minority populations, in the hope of informing health and social policies and developing interventions collaboratively with community partners.