Canadian Sample Research Articles

Validity of the Alberta Infants Motor Scale in Norwegian infants aged 6–9 months through comparison with Canadian and Dutch scores

IntroductionThe Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is widely used to assess infant motor development but has shown limited cross-cultural validity in various populations. The distribution of the original AIMS scores has not been cross-culturally validated for Norwegian infants. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of the Canadian AIMS norm reference for Norwegian infants aged 6–9 months and compare their percentile rankings with the Canadian and Dutch norms.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, AIMS scores from a sample of 189 Norwegian infants aged 6–9 months were compared to the Canadian and Dutch norms. Total raw scores from the Canadian norms were compared to those of the Norwegian sample, and the percentiles of the Canadian and Dutch sample were compared to tentative Norwegian percentiles.ResultsNorwegian infants aged 6–9 months consistently scored lower on the AIMS than their Canadian counterparts (p < 0.001), with 81% scoring at or below the 50th percentile and 18% falling at or below cut-off indicating possible motor delay. Using the Dutch norms, 20% of the Norwegian sample scored at or below the 50th percentile, while only 1% scored at or below the cut-off. A comparison of the percentile ranks showed that Canadian norms had the highest ranks for all age groups, followed by the Norwegian sample and subsequently the Dutch norms. The observed difference is considered clinically significant.ConclusionNeither Canadian nor Dutch AIMS norms are valid for Norwegian infants due to the Canadian norms being too stringent and the Dutch norms being too lenient. A thorough cross-cultural validation for infants 0–18 months to establish Norwegian-specific AIMS norms is recommended.

Tinnitus prevalence and associations with leisure noise exposure among Canadians, aged 6 to 79 years

Objective To examine the association between individual, cumulative leisure noise exposure (CLNE), acceptable yearly exposure (AYE) and tinnitus among a nationally representative sample of Canadians. Design In-person household questionnaires were used to evaluate leisure noise exposure across age, sex, household income and tinnitus: ever experienced, previous year, frequent, bothersome. High (≥85 dBA, LEX), low (<85 dBA, LEX) CLNE and AYEs were defined according to occupational limits. Study sample A randomised sample of 10,460 respondents, aged 6–79, completed questionnaires between 2012 and 2015. Results: Tinnitus prevalence was highest among young adults and teenagers (50% for both). Frequent and bothersome tinnitus afflicted one-third and 18.1% of Canadians, respectively. Men had higher tinnitus prevalence while women had increased bothersome tinnitus. For most ages, elevated tinnitus odds ratios (ORs) were associated with: (1) high, low CLNE and AYEs ≥1 and, (2) high exposure from individual sources: loud home/car stereo listening, power tools, gasoline engines, highway motorcycle/snowmobile driving. Loud personal listening device usage was associated with tinnitus ORs doubling (ages 6–11) and ≥5 or < 5 years of loud usage, with increased tinnitus ORs (ages 12–19). Conclusion Community and/or school-based educational outreach would be beneficial to increase awareness of loud leisure noise exposure and tinnitus.

Reciprocal associations between child disclosure, parental solicitation, and behavior problems during middle childhood

Parental knowledge is often the result of parents soliciting information from their child and their child’s disclosure of that information. Although child disclosure is most closely (and negatively) associated with behavior problems in adolescence, it is not yet known whether this is also the case in childhood. The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal associations between child disclosure, parental solicitation, and behavior problems in Grades 1 to 4 in a Canadian sample, taking into account intra-individual stability, the child’s gender, and socioeconomic status. The mothers and teachers of 911 children (62.7% boys) completed questionnaires in Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4. A Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) showed that behavior problems in Grade 2 predicted an increase in parental solicitation in Grade 3. In contrast, behavior problems in Grade 3 predicted a decrease in parental solicitation in Grade 4. No cross-lagged association with child disclosure was observed. Although these results differ from those reported in adolescence, they suggest that middle childhood is a sensitive period for parent–child communication and behavior problems.

Dyadic Resistance in Parent-Adolescent Interactions During the Transition to High School.

Although prior research has examined adolescents' resistance to parental control, the dyadic level of analysis has been overlooked. This study attended to how a Canadian sample of parents and adolescents engaged in resisting one another by observing moment-to-moment actions as they discussed the upcoming transition to high school. A secondary analysis of data collected from 2010 to 2012 using the Action-Project Method was conducted. The sample of 27 parent-adolescent dyads (23 mothers; 4 fathers); 13 boys, 14 girls (Mean youth age = 13.3) was recruited from two urban centers. Videorecorded self-directed conversations were immediately followed by open-ended video recall interviews. A novel way of analyzing data at the dyadic level of analysis was developed based on critical reflexive thematic analysis guided by social constructionist theory. Resistance was observed at least once in 23 of the 27 conversations (total = 97, range = 0-9, Mean = 3.63, SD = 2.69). Four distinct themes were developed: Reminding of and then defending the "constant battle" lines, Cautious avoidance, the Nudging match, and No point anymore and minimal responses. Dyads varied in frequency and number of themes in their conversations with 78.56% engaging in more than one theme. Most differences came to a trickling of resistance wherein members did not agree but continued to interact without extending the resistance further. A dyad-centric approach to analysis was useful for observing how parents and adolescents engaged in resistance together. Our findings suggest that resistance can be seen as a dyadic concept that reflects a personalized relationship history that has implications for parent and youth identity development.

The interplay of forgiveness by God and self-forgiveness: a longitudinal study of moderating effects on stress overload in a religious Canadian sample

BackgroundA consistent link between self-forgiveness and well-being has been established, yet a full understanding of self-forgiveness and its correlates, particularly in relation to forgiveness by God, remains limited, especially given that most existing data are cross-sectional. This study sought to address this gap by investigating the interplay between self-forgiveness and perceived forgiveness by God in reducing stress overload among religious individuals over time.MethodsThis study involved 211 religious individuals in Canada, 55% of whom were female. Through multilevel analyses, the research examined the between-person, within-person, and cross-level effects of these forms of forgiveness on stress across three waves conducted over a total 12-month period.ResultsThe findings suggested that the effectiveness of self-forgiveness in mitigating stress may be significantly influenced by the perception of forgiveness by God, with the greatest stress reduction occurring when forgiveness by God was perceived at higher levels.ConclusionsThese findings highlight the potential value of incorporating spiritual dimensions into psychological approaches to stress management, offering insights into the complex relationships between different forms of forgiveness and their impact on mental health of religious individuals. Future research is encouraged to further explore these dynamics across diverse cultural and religious contexts.

Sleep health among youth outside of the gender binary: Findings from a national Canadian sample

ObjectivesSleep is important for adolescent health. The unique needs of suprabinary youth (youth with gender identities outside of the gender binary), along with the growing number of youth with these identities, underscores the need to better understand sleep health within this population. The current study’s objectives were to (1) examine differences in sleep health between suprabinary and binary youth and (2) explore how social support, peer victimization, and technology use accounted for these differences. MethodsData were drawn from the 2017/2018 Health Behavior in School Aged Children Survey. Adolescents (individuals ages 14 to 17, n = 10,186), indicated whether they were suprabinary (n = 182) or binary (n = 10,004), and completed measures of sleep health (difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying awake, weekday and weekend sleep length), covariates (age, family affluence, race/ethnicity, depressive symptoms), as well as variables that may account for differences between suprabinary and binary youth (family, friend, and teacher support, as well as peer victimization, and technology use before bed). ResultsSuprabinary youth reported worse sleep health on all outcomes, and differences persisted for both difficulty falling asleep and weekday sleep hours accounting for covariates. Significant indirect effects between suprabinary status were observed across all sleep outcomes for family support and school climate. Indirect effects for sleep quality were also observed via peer victimization. ConclusionsFindings support the relevance of looking at basic health processes like sleep to better understand how the stressors associated with suprabinary status impact health outcomes among this vulnerable population.

The Short Dark Tetrad (SD4)

Abstract: This study aimed to test the construct and criterion validity of the Serbian adaptation of the Short Dark Tetrad (SD4). In addition to testing measurement invariance between the Serbian ( N = 488) and Canadian samples ( N = 739), the construct validity of the SD4 was also assessed through correlations with more extensive measures of the Dark Tetrad, and criterion validity was evaluated through correlations with variables related to mental health. The results indicated good model fit indices for the SD4 in both samples and partial scalar invariance across samples. Validity correlations with extensive measures confirmed the construct validity of all SD4 scales, with caution noted for the psychopathy scale, which shares similar content with sadism. Profile similarity, based on construct and criterion correlations, revealed substantial dissimilarity between narcissism and the other scales but high similarity among the Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism scales. Regardless of the similarity between the scales, they showed distinctive correlations with emotional distress and positive mental health aspects.

Mental Health during Medical Transition in a US and Canadian Sample of Early Socially Transitioned Transgender Youth

PurposeThis study aimed to shed light on the mental health of a unique group of medically transitioning transgender adolescents: those who had made a binary social transition during childhood and who, in general, had not experienced substantial gender-incongruent puberty. MethodsStudy participants were part of a broader longitudinal study comprising 3 groups: transgender youth, their cisgender siblings, and unrelated cisgender peers. Using multilevel models, we compared self-reported and parent-reported levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms among transgender youth at 3 stages: before youth had begun puberty blockers; after they had begun blockers; and after they had begun hormone therapy. We also compared age-based mental health trajectories in transgender and cisgender youth. ResultsIn this sample of transgender youth who sought and received gender-affirming medical care, participants experienced stable and relatively low levels of psychological distress across stages of medical transition and across time. There was one exception: transgender girls showed increased, followed by decreased, parent-reported depressive symptoms over time. In contrast, cisgender girls showed increases in internalizing symptomatology (with the exception of parent-reported anxiety) as they got older, and cisgender boys showed decreased self-reported anxiety and increased, followed by decreased, parent-reported depressive symptoms. By mid-adolescence, levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms among transgender girls and transgender boys generally fell between those of cisgender girls and cisgender boys. DiscussionResults demonstrate that transgender youth who are socially and medically supported in their gender identity can experience stable and positive mental health throughout the notoriously challenging developmental period of adolescence.

Social and self-stigma in a Canadian sample of people with the lived experience of a substance use and/or mental disorder.

Social and self-stigma in a Canadian sample of people with the lived experience of a substance use and/or mental disorder.

Understanding the Within- and Between-Person Structure of Daily Psychopathology Among Adolescents and Young Adults.

Previous investigations on the underlying structure of psychopathology symptoms primarily focused at the between-person level and among adult samples. This study used two independent Canadian samples with month-long daily diary designs to investigate daily psychopathology structure at both within- and between-person level among adolescents (n = 99, 2,132 daily reports) and young adults (n = 313, 6,431 and 4,018 daily reports at each wave). Four mainstream types of psychopathology structure were compared based on a comprehensive set of standards. The results suggest that the general factor of psychopathology (p factor) derived from the higher-order and bifactor models performed similarly well at both within- and between-person levels, while the specific factors estimated in the bifactor models demonstrated low reliability and consistency over time. Psychopathology manifests as multidimensional at the within-person level but unidimensional at the between-person level. The current findings inform the development of future prevention and intervention programs by supporting the adoption of transdiagnostic treatment that addresses multiple psychopathology symptoms with a holistic approach.

Parent Perceptions of Occurrence, Predictors, and Treatment of Mental Health Concerns in Youth with Intellectual Disability with or without Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACT Introduction Mental health concerns have been noted to be highly prevalent for youth with intellectual disability (ID), with or without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of the current study was to examine a Canadian sample of youth with ID, with or without ASD, to explore caregiver-reported percentages, predictors, and treatment methods for mental health concerns. Method The sample included 358 caregivers who completed the GO4KIDDS survey on behalf of their child between the ages of 4 and 20 years (M = 11.36; SD = 3.82). Results In total, 56% of youth with ID (with or without ASD) were reported to experience mental health concerns. Adaptive functioning and diagnosis were significant predictors of mental health concerns. Of the youth who were reported to experience mental health concerns, 80% received some type of treatment, most commonly informal therapies (52%). Conclusion More than half of the samples were reported to experience mental health concerns and while the majority received some type of treatment, many of the treatments utilized are not evidence-based.

A Comparison of Brand-Related Outcomes Between Naming Rights and Jersey Sponsorships in Professional Sport

Naming rights and jersey sponsorship are highly visible, offering numerous benefits to both brands and properties but at a particularly high cost. The purpose of this study was to examine individuals’ attitudes and behaviors toward naming rights and jersey sponsors. The study drew on the Persuasion Knowledge (PK) Model as a lens for differentiating between consumers’ responses to each sponsor. A between-group design was employed; two versions of a questionnaire (one for each sponsorship condition) were distributed to a nationwide sample of Canadians, yielding 331 usable responses. Findings suggested participants had better awareness of the naming rights sponsor than the jersey sponsor, but no attitudinal differences were observed. However, attitudinal differences were observed on team identification. Furthermore, it appears that the triggering process for PK may differ in the sport sponsorship setting than what is observed with traditional advertising, likely due to a moderating effect of team identification.

Factors Associated with Older People's Anxiety Symptom Positioning after COVID-19: Cross-Sectional Findings from a Canadian Sample.

This study sheds light on the personal characteristics of older Canadians self-identifying as severely anxious and the coping strategies that they gravitated to mitigate their anxiety. Our studied sample consisted of 606 Canadians aged 60 and above who took part in an e-survey across all 10 of Canada's provinces, launched in July 2022, when social distancing was lifted across the country. Participants completed a personal characteristics questionnaire, the Geriatric Anxiety Scale or GAS-10, and a checklist of everyday coping strategies for mitigating anxiety. A seemingly greater number of severely anxious Canadians were born female, self-identified as a cisgender woman, and were in their 60s and in poor to fair health. A univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that all such personal characteristics were associated with statistically significantly greater odds of experiencing severe anxiety. In our multivariate logistic regression analysis, no significant differences were observed between the sexes (AOR = 0.590, p = 0.404), and non-binary and cisgender men (AOR = 0.689, p = 0.441) and women (AOR = 0.657, p = 0.397). Nor were there statistically significant differences in the odds of experiencing severe anxiety for those living with versus without a life partner and chronic illnesses. Older Canadians experiencing severe anxiety were far more likely to normalize their fear and anxiety (AOR = 4.76, p < 0.001), challenge their worries (AOR = 5.21, p < 0.001), and to relax or meditate (AOR = 2.36, p = < 0.001). They were less inclined to decrease other sources of stress in their lives, to stay active, and to get enough sleep. We offer anticipatory guidance for mental health program planners and practitioners, and fruitful avenues of inquiry for researchers.

An Integrated Test of Power-Control Theory by Delinquency Types: Assessing Additional Factors Predicting Adolescents’ Risk-taking Preferences

Prior tests of power-control theory (“PCT”) have primarily utilized the U.S. or Canadian samples, lacked integration with other theoretical frameworks, and overlooked diverse offense types. This study aims to address these limitations by testing PCT while considering various criminogenic factors and assessing its relative significance across status, property, and violent offenses using an international sample. Structural equation modeling analysis reveals support for PCT’s core assumption that the gender effect on offending, wherein boys are more likely to commit offenses than girls, is less pronounced in egalitarian families than patriarchal families, particularly in status and violent offenses, but not in property offenses. However, other PCT assumptions were partially supported or not supported. We discuss implications for policy, theory, and future research.

Sex Differences in ADHD Symptomatology Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders diagnosed in the world. In this thesis, I investigated sex differences in the symptomatology of childhood ADHD within a Canadian sample while also seeking to see if these symptoms increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were drawn from a larger study examining child and family impact throughout the pandemic. Unexpectedly, no significant differences were found in childhood ADHD symptomatology between sexes both at the onset of the study and throughout the pandemic. However, a general increase in ADHD symptom severity throughout the pandemic was in fact found. Further investigation found this increase to be influenced in part by the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on children. These findings support the current literature of post-pandemic changes in the symptomatology of ADHD and suggest that further research be done to understand what factors brought about this increase in symptom severity.

Examination of Measures of Perfectionism for Structural and Measurement Invariance in an Italian and a Canadian Sample

Perfectionism measures developed in English-speaking populations have become frequently used in many non-English contexts, including in Italy. Establishing structural and measurement equivalence of instruments between Canadian and Italian samples is therefore important in establishing the validity of these concepts and instruments in Italian contexts, and to allow for direct cross-cultural comparisons. The current study investigated the measurement equivalence between a Canadian and an Italian sample for the commonly used measures of perfectionism constructs based on the Comprehensive Model of Perfectionistic Behavior. The Hewitt &amp; Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale, and the Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory were examined for configural, metric, and scalar invariance via equivalence testing of multigroup confirmatory factor analysis models. The results showed some evidence for configural and metric equivalence for the three measures, thus facilitating cross-cultural interpretation of pattern of associations. However, there was no consistent evidence for scalar invariance, thus suggesting that direct comparisons of perfectionism levels between the two contexts cannot be meaningfully interpreted. This highlights the need for research in both Canadian and Italian contexts to understand cross-cultural differences and similarities in perfectionism.

Performance of the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 for the Assessment of Autistic Behaviors in a Sample of Canadian Preschool-Aged Children.

Behavioral traits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically present in early childhood, underscoring the importance of screening tools for the early identification of ASD. The current study compared scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale-Second Edition (SRS-2) Preschool Form between the US standardization sample (n = 247) and a Canadian cohort of preschool-aged children (n = 595) recruited from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) study. In the MIREC sample, we examined whether ASD-like traits are correlated with sociodemographic characteristics and child intellectual abilities, and how maternal ratings of social skills assessed by the SRS-2 are associated with maternal ratings of general problem behaviors. Mean total SRS-2 raw score was significantly lower in the MIREC sample (mean = 29.7, SD = 15.8) compared to the US standardization sample (mean = 41.9, SD = 26.0). Total raw score in the US standardization sample did not significantly differ between males (mean = 40.6, SD = 23.1) and females (mean = 42.8, SD = 28.7), whereas in the MIREC sample the total raw score was significantly higher among males (mean = 33.0, SD = 17.1) than females (mean = 26.6, SD = 13.9). A significantly larger proportion of the MIREC sample was White, younger in age, and had more educated parents compared to the US standardization sample. ASD-like traits were correlated with lower intellectual abilities, a less enriched home environment, more behavioral problems, and poorer adaptive skills. SRS-2 Preschool Form scores were significantly lower in the Canadian sample compared to the US standardization sample, which may reflect demographic differences between the two groups. Girls may be under-identified when SRS-2 Preschool Form norms are used for screening ASD.

Working Like a Dog: A Mixed-Method Study of Public Support for Police Dogs and Their Utilities

ABSTRACT Working dogs play integral roles across many human workplaces. This is no exception in the criminal justice system, and policing more specifically, where police dogs are used in various capacities. Many questions remain, however, regarding the public’s perceptions of dogs in different working contexts. Drawing upon data from a sample of Canadian and American adults (n = 201) obtained via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, the present research explores public perceptions of working dogs’ utilities, with an emphasis on police dogs. The findings reveal that while participants overwhelmingly supported working dogs in health and wellbeing contexts, they expressed more mixed perceptions regarding police dogs. The findings also reveal that police dogs’ utilities are related to participants’ overall support for police dogs, but that the specific relationship varies as a function of the utility. Amidst growing concerns regarding the use of police dogs, these findings may help police organizations incorporate evidence-based decision-making related to the deployment of police dogs moving forward.

Let’s entertain others: the relationship between comic styles and the histrionic self-presentation style in Polish, British, and Canadian samples

Abstract People who have the histrionic self-presentation style (HSP) demonstrate certain As-If-behaviors, involving pretense and role play, in their daily interactions to seek attention and amuse others. Doing As-If may be closely related to humor behaviors, so we examined this relationship in greater detail by using the Comic Style Markers (CSM) in Polish, English, and Canadian samples (N = 285, 383, and 305, respectively; M age = 20.85, SD = 5.35). We expected that the HSP might be related to fun, wit, and satire due to their pretense-based characteristics. We confirmed configurational, metric, and scalar invariance for the As-If-Scale (AIS) and the CSM in the three samples, which allowed for cross-cultural comparisons. As expected, the HSP was positively associated with fun, wit, and satire. Additionally, men scored higher on the AIS, but no cross-country differences were found.

Entrepreneurial Competencies, Innovation Enablers and Sustainable Competitive Advantage Among Micro Firms Across Cultures: A Comparative Study of Canada and Malaysia

Recent research on start-up businesses has drawn attention to the central importance of sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) by accelerating the continuous development of entrepreneurial competencies (EC) through bridging the mediating and moderating peer relationships for entrepreneurial success. Such peer relationships among innovation enablers (IE), government support (GS) and competitive intelligence awareness (CIA) are vital in connecting EC to achieve SCA. However, prior studies scantily emphasized the causal linkages between two different contexts, particularly Canada and Malaysia. This study unpacks the black box of peer relationships contributing to EC and sustainable growth. We espoused a deductive approach with a quantitative methodology using SPSS AMOS version 22 for measurements to address the gaps in the entrepreneurship literature. The dataset comprises 750 respondents from micro-sized wholesale, retail and service firms with 1–3 employees, evenly split between Malaysia and Canada. The empirical sample results show that for Canadian entrepreneurs, the direct effect of EC has a positive and significant influence on SCA, but is negatively and significantly associated in the Malaysian context. Moreover, the CIA had a positive and significant moderating effect on the relationship between EC and IE in both Canadian and Malaysian samples. However, the CIA moderating effect on the relationship between EC and SCA is only positive and significant in the Canadian sample and insignificant in the Malaysian context. Lastly, the moderating effect of GS on the relationship between EC and SCA is positive and significant in the Canadian sample and insignificant in the Malaysian sample. These findings also offer practical clarity to the puzzle of how some EC can become the cornerstone of these firms’ sustainable growth by adopting IE in conjunction with CIA and GS.