Canadian Participants Research Articles

Puberty timing and relative age as predictors of physical activity discontinuation during adolescence

Among same-age adolescents, those who enter puberty relatively later and those who are relatively younger (e.g., born later in the year) might be at greater risk of physical activity discontinuation. This study aimed to (1) describe gender-specific discontinuation, re-engagement, and uptake rates in various types of physical activities from the age of 11 to 17 years, and (2) assess puberty timing and relative age as predictors of discontinuation from organized, unorganized, individual, and group-based physical activities. Longitudinal data from 781 (56% girls, age 10–13 years at study baseline) Canadian participants who self-reported puberty status, birthdate, and involvement in 36 physical activities every four months from 2011 to 2018 was analyzed. The incidence of discontinuation, re-engagement, and uptake in organized/unorganized and individual/group activities from grade 6 until grade 12 was described and Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate associations of puberty timing and relative age with organized/unorganized and individual/group activity discontinuation. Results demonstrate that individual and unorganized activities are maintained longer than group-based and organized activities. Girls who started puberty earlier were more likely to discontinue organized activities than girls with average-puberty timing [Hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) 1.68 (1.05–2.69)]. Compared to boys born in the 4th quarter of the year, boys born in the 2nd quarter of the year were less likely to discontinue organized [HR (95% CI) 0.41 (0.23–0.74)], unorganized [HR (95% CI) 0.33 (0.16–0.70)], group [HR (95% CI) 0.58 (0.34–0.98)], and individual activities[HR (95% CI) 0.46 (0.23–0.91)], and boys born in the 3rd quarter were less likely to discontinue unorganized activities[HR (95% CI) 0.41 (0.19–0.88)]. This study illustrates the patterns of physical activity participation throughout adolescence. However, the generalizability of findings may be limited due to participant representation.

Key Age-Friendly Components of Municipalities that Foster Social Participation of Aging Canadians: Results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Municipalities can foster the social participation of aging adults. Although making municipalities age-friendly is recognized as a promising way to help aging adults stay involved in their communities, little is known about the key components (e.g., services and structures) that foster social participation. This study thus aimed to identify key age-friendly components (AFC) best associated with the social participation of older Canadians. Secondary analyses were carried out using baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (n = 25,411) in selected municipalities (m = 110 with ≥ 30 respondents), the Age-friendly Survey, and census data. Social participation was estimated based on the number of community activities outside the home per month. AFC included housing, transportation, outdoor spaces and buildings, safety, recreation, workforce participation, information, respect, health, and community services. Multilevel models were used to examine the association between individual social participation, key AFC, and environmental characteristics, while controlling for individual characteristics. Aged between 45 and 89, half of the participants were women who were engaged in 20.2±12.5 activities per month. About 2.5% of the variance in social participation was attributable to municipalities. Better outdoor spaces and buildings (p < 0.001), worse communication and information (p < 0.01), and lower material deprivation (p < 0.001) were associated with higher social participation. Age was the only individual-level variable to have a significant random effect, indicating that municipal contexts may mediate its impact with social participation. This study provides insights to help facilitate social participation and promote age-friendliness, by maintaining safe indoor and outdoor mobility, and informing older adults of available activities.

Measuring Gelotophobia, Gelotophilia, and Katagelasticism in Italy and Canada Using PhoPhiKat-30

Abstract: The PhoPhiKat-30 is a self-report instrument for describing personality related to laughter and ridicule including gelotophobia, gelotophilia, and katagelasticism. The present study assessed the measurement properties of the newly translated Italian PhoPhiKat-30 across participants in Italy and Canada using multidimensional item response theory. Italian ( N = 326) and Canadian ( N = 1,467) participants completed the Italian and English PhoPhiKat-30, respectively. The parallel analysis supported the three-factor model in Italy. Conditional reliability estimates showed strong precision (&gt; 0.80) of gelotophobia and gelotophilia along the latent continuum (−1.15 &lt; θ &lt; 3.08 and −1.69 &lt; θ &lt; 3.09, respectively). Katagelasticism showed a limited range (0.98 &lt; θ &lt; 2.85) for the latent attribute precisely measured, suggesting that new items that address the low to moderate difficulty of katagelasticism should be added in future studies. Item discrimination parameters varied across Reckase’s multidimensional normal-ogive model (MDISC mean = 0.79). Five items had uniform differential item functioning (DIF; McFadden’s pseudo R2 &gt; .035 or β &gt; .10) when comparing the Italian and English PhoPhiKat-30, with English items showing more agreement at the same level of the latent trait. The Italian PhoPhiKat-30 has good item discrimination across the latent continuum and showed cross-cultural equivalence for most items.

The STOP COVID 2 Study: Fluvoxamine vs Placebo for Outpatients With Symptomatic COVID-19, a Fully Remote Randomized Controlled Trial.

Prior randomized clinical trials have reported benefit of fluvoxamine ≥200 mg/d vs placebo for patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, fully remote multisite clinical trial evaluated whether fluvoxamine prevents clinical deterioration in higher-risk outpatients with acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Between December 2020 and May 2021, nonhospitalized US and Canadian participants with confirmed symptomatic infection received fluvoxamine (50 mg on day 1, 100 mg twice daily thereafter) or placebo for 15 days. The primary modified intent-to-treat (mITT) population included participants who started the intervention within 7 days of symptom onset with a baseline oxygen saturation ≥92%. The primary outcome was clinical deterioration within 15 days of randomization, defined as having both (1) shortness of breath (severity ≥4 on a 0-10 scale or requiring hospitalization) and (2) oxygen saturation <92% on room air or need for supplemental oxygen. A total of 547 participants were randomized and met mITT criteria (n = 272 fluvoxamine, n = 275 placebo). The Data Safety Monitoring Board recommended stopping early for futility related to lower-than-predicted event rates and declining accrual concurrent with vaccine availability in the United States and Canada. Clinical deterioration occurred in 13 (4.8%) participants in the fluvoxamine group and 15 (5.5%) participants in the placebo group (absolute difference at day 15, 0.68%; 95% CI, -3.0% to 4.4%; log-rank P = .91). This trial did not find fluvoxamine efficacious in preventing clinical deterioration in unvaccinated outpatients with symptomatic COVID-19. It was stopped early and underpowered due to low primary outcome rates. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04668950.

Defining pharmacist activities in ambulatory heart failure clinics: North American survey and modified Delphi study

AbstractBackgroundPharmacists are key members of multidisciplinary heart failure (HF) clinics; however, there is variation in their roles and activities. This study aimed to: (1) define current roles of HF clinic pharmacists and (2) develop a consensus‐based list of key activities for HF clinic pharmacists.MethodsIn part 1, we invited Canadian and American HF clinic pharmacists to complete a survey on activities currently performed in the HF clinic. Part 2 consisted of a three‐round modified Delphi study including only Canadian participants to define key activities for ambulatory HF pharmacists among 44 candidates. In each round, participants rated a list of candidate activities based on importance and priority on a 9‐point Likert scale. Consensus was reached for inclusion when ≥75% of participants rated both criteria ≥7, or exclusion when both criteria ≤6. Participants received personal responses alongside aggregate ratings after each round to facilitate attainment of consensus.ResultsEighty‐four pharmacists participated in part 1, and 29 (of 55 invited) participated in part 2 (24 retained for all three rounds). Current pharmacist activities were similar between American and Canadian participants, with an emphasis on patient assessment and clinical activities including modification of HF‐specific pharmacotherapy. The final consensus‐based list included 32 activities, with high priority placed on activities involving optimization of medications for HF and common comorbidities, engaging in shared decision‐making, assessing adherence, reviewing lab tests, and assessing and modifying medications due to pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic parameters, which closely mirrored activities in current practice.ConclusionCurrent activities of ambulatory HF pharmacists are largely consistent within North America, focusing on patient assessment and HF‐specific pharmacotherapy modification. Our consensus‐based list defined 32 activities integral to the future role of pharmacists in HF clinics, which builds upon activities being currently performed. This provides a framework to standardize and expand the scope of practice for clinical pharmacy services in HF clinics.

Disjuncture between self-perceived and clinically assessed risk of HIV among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Ontario and British Columbia, Canada

BackgroundSelf-perceived and clinically assessed HIV risk do not always align. We compared self-perceived and clinically assessed risk of HIV and the reasons for self-perceived low risk of HIV among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) from large urban centers in Ontario and British Columbia, Canada.MethodsNever PrEP users recruited from sexual health clinics or online, completed a cross-sectional survey between July/2019 and August/2020. We contrasted self-perceived HIV risk against criteria from the Canadian PrEP guidelines and participants were categorized as concordant or discordant. We used content analysis to categorize participants’ free-text explanations for perceived low HIV risk. These were compared with answers to quantitative responses about condomless sex acts and number of partners.ResultsOf 315 GBM who self-perceived low risk of HIV, 146 (46%) were considered at high risk according to the guidelines. Participants with discordant assessment were younger, had less years of formal education, were more often in an open relationship and were more likely to self-identify as gay. Reasons for self-perceived low HIV risk in the discordant group were condom use (27%), being in a committed relationship/having one main partner (15%), having no or infrequent anal sex (12%) and having few partners (10%).ConclusionsThere is a disjuncture between self-perceived and clinically assessed risk of HIV. Some GBM may underestimate their HIV risk and clinical criteria may overestimate risk. Bridging these gaps requires efforts to increase HIV risk awareness in the community, and refinement of clinical assessments based on individualized discussions between the provider and the user.

Community Pharmacists' Experiences and Attitudes towards the Provision of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: An International Survey.

Access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services remains a challenge worldwide. Describing community pharmacists' SRH services in countries with different scopes of practice will aid in understanding how pharmacists view their roles and how to support them in providing needed services. A cross-sectional web-based survey was administered to pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Japan, Thailand, and Canada. The survey covered 7 SRH categories: pregnancy tests, ovulation tests, contraception, emergency contraception, sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, maternal and perinatal health, and general sexual health. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. A total of 922 eligible responses were included in the analysis (Japan = 534, Thailand = 85, and Canada = 303). Most Thai and Canadian participants reported dispensing hormonal contraceptives (Thailand = 99%, Canada = 98%) and emergency contraceptive pills (Thailand = 98%, Canada = 97%). Most Japanese participants provided patient education on barrier contraceptives for men (56%) and information on the safety of medications in pregnancy (74%) and breastfeeding (76%). The majority of participants expressed interest in additional training and expanding their roles in SRH. Sharing international experiences can guide challenges faced by the evolution of pharmacists' practice in SRH. Providing pharmacists support could help their readiness for this role.

Perceived self-efficacy and empowerment in patients at increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

The role of multidisciplinary clinics for psychosocial care is increasingly recognized for those living with inherited cardiac conditions (ICC). In Canada, access to healthcare providers differ between clinics. Little is known about the relationship between access to specialty care and a patient's ability to cope with, and manage their condition. We leveraged the Hearts in Rhythm Organization (HiRO) to conduct a cross-sectional, community-based survey of individuals with ICC and their family members. We aimed to describe access to services, and explore the relationships between participants' characteristics, cardiac history and self-reported health status and self-efficacy (GSE: General Self-Efficacy Scale) and empowerment (GCOS-24: Genetic Counseling Outcome Scale). We collected 235 responses from Canadian participants in 10 provinces and territories. Overall, 63% of participants reported involvement of a genetic counsellor in their care. Access to genetic testing was associated with greater empowerment [mean GCOS-24: 121.14 (SD = 20.53) vs. 105.68 (SD = 21.69); p = 0.004]. Uncertain genetic test results were associated with lower perceived self-efficacy (mean GSE: uncertain = 28.85 vs. positive = 33.16, negative = 34.13; p = 0.01). Low global mental health scores correlated with both lower perceived self-efficacy and empowerment scores, with only 11% of affected participants reporting involvement of psychology services in their care. Differences in resource accessibility, clinical history and self-reported health status impact the perceived self-efficacy and empowerment of patients with ICC. Future research evaluating interventions to improve patient outcomes is recommended.

A behavioural investigation of the substitution phenomenon between tax-sheltered savings plans

Abstract We provide behavioral insights into the economic substitution phenomenon among front-loaded and back-loaded tax-sheltered savings plans. We conduct three behavioral studies with adult Canadian participants to show experimentally that substitution can occur and to explain why substitution can occur. The first study shows that participants transfer savings from a front-loaded plan to a back-loaded plan when the latter becomes available, consistent with a substitution effect. The second study examines how participants trade-off two unique features of back-loaded and front-loaded savings plans. Our results indicate that participants favor the back-loaded tax feature and a variable contribution limit (offered in a front-loaded plan). As participants prefer one feature from each type of plan, this finding can help explain why substitution occurs. The third study provides participants a categorization task with various household budgeting items, including savings items. Results show that 68.1% of participants categorize multiple tax-sheltered savings plans in the same mental account, again consistent with a substitution effect under a budget constraint. As both tax-sheltered savings plans in Canada are used for different purposes, this finding shows that participants tend not to distinguish between the purpose of saving in each account, consistent with a substitution phenomenon.

This embodied conversational agent looks very human and as old as I feel! The effect of perceived agent anthropomorphism and consumer-agent age difference on brand attitude

ABSTRACT In a study with 320 Canadian participants, we explore the effect of perceived physical and non-physical anthropomorphism of an Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA) and the perceived actual and subjective age difference between an individual and this ECA on the ECA’s likeability and credibility. We also explore the effect of likeability and credibility on the attitude towards the website on which the ECA appears and the brand on the website. Perceived physical anthropomorphism has a positive effect on ECA likeability and credibility. The perceived differences between a consumer’s subjective and actual age and perceived ECA age have a negative effect on ECA likeability. This effect is attenuated by an interaction effect between the subjective age difference and perceived non-physical anthropomorphism: for a given level of the subjective age difference, the more the ECA is perceived as having human emotions and motivations, the more positive the effect on ECA likeability is. ECA likeability and credibility lead to more positive attitudes towards the website and the brand. For the conceptualization of our study, we draw upon the Attraction to Similarity Theory, complemented by insights from anthropomorphism studies, Self-Congruity Theory, and relational characteristics research. Theoretical and managerial contributions are discussed.

The paradox of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on massage therapists in Australia and Canada: The reporting of a qualitative strand of a mixed methods study

IntroductionIn both Australia and Canada, healthcare providers considered essential were allowed to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the global pandemic on professional identity included opportunities for role expansion, a focus on ethical principles and social accountability, and professional pride. These results were found only for those considered to be essential and do not likely resonate with those classified as non-essential, such as massage therapists, leaving a gap in understanding. Materials and methodsThis qualitative strand of a sequential explanatory mixed methods study used qualitative description. Individuals who expressed interest were purposefully selected, based on age, gender, type of practice, and experience with the four key phenomena of interest. Data collected through semi-structured interviews was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Member checking enhanced the trustworthiness of the results. ResultsThirty-one (16 Australian and 15 Canadian) participants were interviewed. The main theme described was the pandemic paradox. At some point during the pandemic, most participants were labelled by government agencies as a non-essential service. However, participants reported feeling both essential and non-essential. Two subthemes were also described: factors contributing to creating the paradox and consequences of the paradox. ConclusionA number of pre-existing factors around professional identity, such as patient relationships combined with the conditions instituted to manage the COVID-19 pandemic included designating health care services as essential or non-essential, created the paradox experienced by respondents and the subsequent experience of moral distress. Further research into moral distress experienced by massage therapists is needed.

E074 Self-care for rheumatoid arthritis during the COVID-19 pandemic: transferability of Canadian and UK experiences

Abstract Background/Aims The COVID-19 pandemic posed unique challenges for people worldwide in self-caring for their rheumatoid arthritis (RA). COVID-19 also prompted global changes in public health (e.g., vaccination programs and mask wearing) and rheumatology services (e.g., integrating telehealth with in-person healthcare). To facilitate cross-country learning of how to support people with RA to self-care during and post-pandemic, better understanding of individuals’ experiences of self-care in the context of changes in public health and ‘integrated’ healthcare is needed. Our study aimed to explore transferability in experiences of public health measures and telehealth during COVID-19 among individuals with RA in Canada and the UK. Methods Between July and October 2022, online focus groups (90 mins) took place with participants living with RA in the UK. Participants were recruited via social media and professional networks (including Versus Arthritis). Each participant received a report ∼7days before each focus group, with a request to review in advance. The report contained preliminary findings identified through reflexive thematic analysis of interviews (30-70 mins) with thirty-nine participants with RA in British Columbia, Canada (26-86 years; 36 females) between December 2020 and 2021. Nine preliminary themes were identified across three topics: accessing telehealth and in-person healthcare; decision-making around COVID-19 vaccinations and public health measures; and renegotiating ‘the self’. The themes guided the focus groups, wherein UK participants shared their perspectives on each theme arising in the Canadian context. Audio-visual recordings were transcribed verbatim, and transcripts were de-identified. Ongoing directed content analysis of focus group data involves a collaborative approach with patient partners. Results Four focus groups involving thirteen participants (44-81 years;11 females) living across the UK were conducted. Participants had lived with RA for between 3-36 years. Canadian experiences typically resonated with UK participants, with some feeling a sense of unity and sadness that challenges were also experienced by others living with RA beyond their national context. Many UK participants supported preferences expressed by Canadian participants for a ‘hybrid’ healthcare approach to maximise benefits and minimise downsides of telehealth, and in-person consultations post-pandemic. Benefits (e.g., avoiding risk of COVID-19 transmission with telehealth) and disadvantages (e.g., lacking sensitivity/accuracy of in-person assessments) described by Canadian participants also resonated with UK-based participants. Many described how their decision-making on adopting public health measures to maintain their self-care was supported and/or undermined in their local context/community. Conclusion Our findings offer novel insights into the challenges and opportunities experienced by people with RA in their decision-making around public health measures and telehealth during a global pandemic. They also demonstrate some transferability of experiences between the UK and Canada. Insights may serve to inform decision-making for policy and programmes to support self-care (e.g., by integrating telehealth into routine rheumatology practice) across countries during and post-pandemic. Disclosure J. Gavin: None. J. Leese: None. S.O. Ramachandran: None. S. Therrien: None. C. Backman: None. J. Ma: None. E. Davidson: None. S. McQuitty: None. A.M. Hoens: None. C.L. Koehn: None. J. Adams: None. L. Li: None.

Policy Forum: Digital Asset Mining and GST—Tax Policy Versus Public Policy

On February 4, 2022, the Department of Finance released draft legislation that, if enacted, would deem digital asset mining activities undertaken in Canada not to be "commercial activities" for goods and services tax (GST)/harmonized sales tax (HST) purposes. In 1991, Canada introduced the GST to remove sales tax as a cost of doing business in Canada with a view to making Canada's domestically produced goods and services more competitive in international markets. Yet 30 years later, Finance is proposing legislation hidden in the "special cases" provisions of the GST legislation that will make the 5 percent to 15 percent GST/HST an input cost to Canadian digital asset miners selling their computing services to non-residents of Canada. Further, it appears that Finance is doing so with an ulterior public policy objective—to impose financial market regulation and "know-your-client" rules on mining operators. This article provides an overview of how proof-of-work cryptocurrency blockchains operate, the parties involved, how GST would normally apply to the sector and to Canadian participants in particular, and why the proposed February 4, 2022 amendments are problematic from a tax policy perspective.

The epidemiology and impact of disorders of gut-brain interaction in Canada: Results from the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiologic Study.

Using data from the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study examining prevalence of disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) in 33 countries, this study explored the prevalence of all 22 disorders in Canada. It examined differences related to geography and sociodemographic factors, health impact and compared these findings to other countries. The Rome Foundation survey was conducted through the Internet, targeting 2000 Canadian participants. The survey used the validated ROME IV diagnostic questionnaire to identify the 22 DGBI and an in-depth supplemental questionnaire that included quality assurance techniques. There were 2029 respondents with a mean age of 48 years and 50% females. Diagnostic criteria for at least one of the 22 DGBI were met by 41.3%, similar to other countries. Functional constipation, functional diarrhea, and unspecified functional bowel disorders were most common. Irritable bowel syndrome prevalence was 4.2% using Rome IV and 10.1% using ROME III criteria. DGBI were associated with poorer quality of life and increased psychological symptom scores. Prevalence of DGBI ranged from 48% in Quebec to 36% in British Columbia. Prescription pain medication was reported by 17% with DGBI compared to 9% without DGBI and correlated negatively with mental health and physical well-being. Quebecers and francophones were in limited number but reported higher DGBI prevalence and symptom severity compared to others. A large proportion of Canadians suffer from DGBI which seriously impact their well-being. Findings highlight the need for further research and education, including understanding whether significant regional and cultural differences contribute to DGBI.

How Did Cuba and Canada Practise “Development” in the 1970s? cuso and the cujae Project

The first foreign non-governmental organization (ngo) to operate in Cuba was the Canadian University Service Overseas (cuso). Between 1971 and 1976, cuso coordinated a program to build Cuban engineering capacity by sending Canadian engineering professors to teach short courses at Ciudad Universitaria José Antonio Echeverría, Havana’s engineering school. Over one hundred Canadian professors participated, teaching 300 Cuban students. Cuban graduate students also came to Canada for research terms, and almost one hundred graduate degrees were ultimately conferred. The success of this exchange should also be measured in the relationships formed and the unique framework built by its participants. It was overseen by a joint Cuban and Canadian board. It was guided by the belief that the two countries would work, according to its founding mission, in a “genuine partnership, as opposed to a dominant or subservient relationship.” How did this First World ngo establish equitable relationships in a country that was waging a revolution against foreign assumptions of superiority? How was “development” – which was itself a product of the Cold War struggle to keep the global South on the capitalist side of the ledger – imagined among and between Cubans and Canadians in this era? This project did not conceptualize development as “solidarity” in the ideological sense and nor did it locate the condescending superiority of “technical expertise” that could be found in many of the other Canadian-global South development assistance programs. Based on cuso’s vast archive and interviews with Cuban and Canadian participants, this article explores how this project operated and also the space it opened for ongoing equitable, affective relations.

Environmental conflict and the expansion of renewable energy in Central America: exploring Canadian participation

ABSTRACT As capacity to generate and distribute renewable energy expands across Central America, environmental conflict is on the rise, with communities confronting dispossession of water and territory. Renewable energy holds a central position within the extractivist economic model in the region, but little is known about the involvement of Canada in Central American renewable energy sectors. This paper addresses that gap by asking what role Canada plays within a scenario of expanding and conflictual renewable energy projects across Central America. We combine Canadian public records with data from projects, including GeoComunes and the Environmental Justice Atlas, to analyze 726 renewable energy and 162 traditional extractive projects in Central America, and to connect 156 of these projects to evidence of conflict with surrounding communities. While Canadian private companies own very few renewable energy projects in Central America, we argue that this does not imply an absence of Canadian involvement. Instead, the paper explores Canadian participation at multilateral venues, support for energy projects by the federal government, and the benefits that renewable energy expansion presents to the Canadian private sector. The invisibility of the Canadian presence in Central American renewable energy, we suggest, serves to obscure Canadian responsibility for a scenario defined by high levels of conflict.

Leftward biases in poke bowl plating aesthetics

Chefs attempt to plate food in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Current plating practices demonstrate spatial biases, and these biases will aid researchers in learning what plating style creates the most appetizing appearance to the average diner. Previous literature in artwork and laterality suggests that a leftward bias is commonly the most pleasing arrangement. This implies that plating the largest, most caloric heavy component of the meal on the left-side of the dishware would be the most aesthetically pleasing organization. Canadian participants were presented photographs of asymmetrically plated poke bowls and their mirror image concurrently and asked to select the preferred arrangement. Participants favoured poke bowls which had the highlighted elements of the meal plated on the left side of the bowl. This finding of a leftward bias in food plating aesthetics helps with optimizing plating techniques, which can benefit a variety of professions such as chefs, photographers, social media users, advertisers, and marketers in promoting ideal food images.

Canadian and Iranian Graduate Students' Conceptions of Critical Thinking: A Comparative Study

This study compares Canadian and Iranian international students’ conceptions of critical thinking during their graduate studies in Canada. Critical thinking is an essential skill in Canadian higher education. It enables students to make reasoned judgments from their observations and experimentation. This narrative inquiry using open-ended interviews describes the narratives of eight students from different master’s programs at a university in western Canada to examine their experiences and notions of critical thinking. The preliminary findings reveal that while all Canadian participants had knowledgeable perspectives about critical thinking, Iranian participants required more knowledge to build their critical thinking conceptualizations. Moreover, content knowledge, instructors’ competence, and teaching methods significantly influenced students’ critical thinking development. Results offer a comprehensive understanding of how Canadian higher institutions and curriculum developers need to provide appropriate opportunities and curricula for cultivating and developing critical thinking among local students while paying attention to Iranian students’ needs and academic preparedness.

Determinants of social distancing adherence.

Governments and public health authorities across many jurisdictions implemented social (physical) distancing measures to contain the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Adherence to these measures is variable and likely influenced by various factors. This study aimed to 1) identify the individual sociodemographic, COVID-19 and social distancing related, and psychological determinants of social distancing adherence, and 2) explore regional differences in social distancing adherence in the United States (U.S.) and English-speaking Canada based on each region's discrepant response to social distancing restrictions. A web-based repeated cross-sectional survey was conducted in 4,942 English-speaking participants from the four most populous U.S. states, specifically New York, California, Texas, and Florida, and Canada (www.covid19-database.com). The study was conducted at two timepoints, from May 1 to 5, 2020 (n = 1,019, Canadian participants only) and from July 6 to 10, 2020 (n = 3,923). Separate univariate models were computed for individual sociodemographic, COVID-19 and social distancing related, and psychological determinants of social distancing adherence. To determine the total variance explained, a univariate analysis including all of the determinants was performed. Regional differences in social distancing were compared between the four U.S. states and Canada, and between the U.S. as a whole and Canada. Adherence to social distancing was higher in May (mean = 4.4/5.0±0.7) compared to July (mean = 4.3/5.0±0.7) [t (4940) = 6.96, p < 0.001], likely a reflection of relaxing restrictions. There were no regional differences in adherence. Sociodemographic, COVID-19 and social distancing related, and psychological determinants explained 10, 36, and 23% of the variance of social distancing adherence, respectively. Higher perceived seriousness of COVID-19 [β (SE) = 0.39 (0.01), p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.22], lower risk propensity [β (SE) = -0.15 (0.01), p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.06], germ aversion [β (SE) = 0.12 (0.01), p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.03], age [β (SE) = 0.01 (0.00), p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.02], and greater social support [β (SE) = 0.03 (0.00), p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.02] had the largest effects on social distancing adherence. Public service initiatives to emphasize the serious consequences of infection and targeted interventions toward certain sociodemographic groups, such as younger adults and vulnerable individuals in greater need of social support, may help enhance the public's adherence to social distancing measures during subsequent waves of COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Pathways and Patterns for Communication with Intimate Partners: Men’s Retrospectives After a Relationship Breakdown

Effective communication is key to the quality of men’s intimate partner relationships. The current study examines men’s pathways and patterns for communication with intimate partners. Based on interviews with 47 Canadian and Australian participants (26–70-years-old; M = 40.87, SD = 10.59) who had experienced a relationship breakdown[s], three themes were derived: (a) Breaking through after breaking up, (b) Detailing deficiencies, and (c) Building skills and strategies. Breaking through after breaking up mapped men’s pathways in retrospectively evaluating and addressing their communication. Men’s self-work focussed on knowing themselves to more authentically communicate with partners. Detailing deficiencies included self-censoring characterized by men’s reticence to communicate their feelings for fear of conflict and/or the relationship ending. Building skills and strategies highlighted temporal dimensions of communication wherein men idealized regular formal check-ins with partners to discuss, and when necessary adjust the relationship. Connections between masculinities and men’s communication are discussed to guide tailored relationship programs for men.