Submission ID 131888
| Issue/Objective | Refugee and newcomer youth in Canada face disproportionate mental health challenges driven by upstream determinants, including forced migration, trauma, and systemic barriers to care. Despite this, child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) training programs lack structured, competency-based education to address these needs. This project aims to synthesize current evidence and develop a co-designed curriculum module to better equip trainees to provide culturally responsive, equity-oriented care. This work aligns with Sub-theme 1 (mobility, migration, and upstream determinants of health) and Sub-theme 2 (equity in action through health workforce and systems strengthening). |
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| Methodology/Approach | A comprehensive literature review was conducted across peer-reviewed studies, clinical guidelines, and grey literature to identify mental health risks and protective factors across pre-, peri-, and post-migration phases. Findings were synthesized to inform the co-design of a case-based, competency-driven curriculum module within a broader Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiative in CAP training. Guided by Kern's framework, the module integrates cultural safety, structural competency, and family-centered care. Development occurred over six months in an academic training setting, advancing Sub-theme 3 (translating evidence into implementation through practical tools). |
| Results | The review identified key risks including pre-migration trauma, migration-related instability, and post-migration stressors such as discrimination, social isolation, and barriers to accessing care. Protective factors included family cohesion, social support, and community integration. Gaps in care included cultural misdiagnosis, lack of appropriate assessment tools, stigma, mistrust, and reliance on crisis-driven models. These findings informed curriculum content emphasizing differentiation between normative adjustment and psychopathology, and incorporation of structural determinants into clinical reasoning. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | This project demonstrates how evidence can be translated into a practical educational intervention to strengthen the mental health workforce and promote equity-oriented care. By embedding migration-informed, culturally responsive approaches into CAP training, this model supports more equitable and resilient health systems. With potential for scalability across institutions, it advances global health equity by addressing upstream determinants (Sub-theme 1), centring marginalized populations in care delivery (Sub-theme 2), and operationalizing evidence into practice (Sub-theme 3). |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Zara Hasan Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto Nikhita Singhal University of Toronto Zara Hasan Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto Lauren Hishon University of Ottawa Philippe Hwang University of Ottawa Lekhini Bhatt University of Toronto Jennifer dela Paz Western University Catherine Deschênes University of Toronto Marijana Jovanovic University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Athena Ko University of Ottawa Chetana Kulkarni University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children Arfeen Malick University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children Raj Rasasingham University of Toronto, Humber River Health Albina Veltman McMaster University |
