Numerous studies show stress can play a significant role in physical and mental health. Workplace stress has been linked to psychological distress, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, workplace injuries and reduced immune function. Yet workplace stress is preventable, and stress in the workplace does not inevitably lead to illness. Evidence suggests that attaining personally meaningful goals at work may help prevent illness. Dr. Georgia Pomaki is researching how the pursuit of personal goals can decrease workplace stress and improve physical and emotional health. She is examining the relationship between goal pursuit and stress at work and also as it applies to the home environment. The findings could help identify people who have difficulty achieving goals and are at increased risk for physical illness and emotional distress. The research could also suggest strategies to help employees attain work goals and positively impact their health.
Year: 2004
Social determinants of health and their impact on post partum morbidity among midwifery, physician and obstetrician clients in British Columbia
After giving birth, some women have difficulty adjusting to their new role as a mother. Some problems can be attributed to injuries from childbirth, while others, such as depression, fatigue and long-term pain, are not as easily understood. Using questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, Dr. Rachel Westfall is investigating how women’s income, education and support networks affect their recovery from pregnancy and childbirth and the adjustment to being a parent. Dr. Westfall is also looking at the different types of post-partum care available in BC — including midwifery, general physician care and obstetrician care — to assess how some approaches may meet women’s needs better than others. Results from the research could be used to improve post-partum care and the transition to motherhood for BC women.
Associations among decreased planum temporale asymmetry, functional laterality during semantic processing, and severity of thought disorder in Schizophrenia
Most language processing occurs in the left hemisphere of the brain. In schizophrenia, language is disturbed on several levels: from abnormal anatomy in essential regions of the left hemisphere to deficits in comprehension and expression. Studies suggest genetic and environmental factors interact to cause abnormal anatomical development in the left hemisphere, resulting in abnormal functions that lead to schizophrenia symptoms. Sara Weinstein is investigating how abnormal brain structure and brain functions relate to a deviation in linguistic processing and expression that results in thought disorder, which is a primary symptom of schizophrenia. The research could help explain what causes schizophrenia symptoms — the first step toward developing more effective treatments.
Prevelance of gonococcal/chlamydial infections in an Inuit community; identifying gender differences in social networks, risk perception and health services utilization
When Audrey Steenbeek worked as a community health nurse in Baffin Island, Nunavut, she was concerned by the high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). That experience inspired her to pursue doctoral studies in health care and epidemiology. She is currently researching transmission patterns of chlamydia and gonorrhea among Inuit living in remote and isolated communities in Baffin Island. Audrey’s aims are to measure the prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhea in these communities, characterize core groups and individuals who are most vulnerable to STD infections, describe STD-related, high-risk behaviours and risk perception and, analyze the role of social networks and use of health services. These results could help decrease incidence and prevalence of STDs among remote Aboriginal populations through improved access to STD screening and treatment, improved contact tracing and partner notification procedures, and more culturally appropriate health promotion and disease prevention strategies.
Beyond PTSD: the influence of culture, community, and socio-economic factors in the health and recovery of three communities affected by the 2003 BC wildfires
Firestorms devastated the BC communities of Kelowna, Barriere and Louis Creek in 2003. The exact impact of the psychological, economic and social disruption of the fires on the health and well-being of these communities is unknown. But research on the health consequences of natural disasters has shown that such events are associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, including posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, and also with experiences of social and personal transformation and growth. Robin Cox is studying the disaster recovery processes in these three communities. Her goal is to develop a model of the processes that reflects the complexity of the event, taking into account the influence of public policy, economics, community cohesiveness and community identity on the physical, emotional and social well-being of people affected by natural disasters. The study will address gaps in existing disaster research by exploring the reciprocal relationships between community-level coping, individual coping and health, and by identifying individual and collective responses that foster resiliency and the adaptive capacities of people responding to trauma and stress. The results may also provide valuable information for governments, communities and disaster response agencies attempting to develop relevant and effective policies and services to support individuals and communities recovering from natural disasters.
HIV, STDs and drug use: an examination of the interplay between these factors and their influence on treatment seeking delays
Drug use, poverty, homelessness and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as HIV are endemic in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Melanie Rusch believes that improving the sexual health of marginalized populations is important for curbing the spread of STDs. She is studying a large sample of people who live in the Downtown Eastside to determine how behaviour patterns among these vulnerable populations affect sexual health. Her first aim is to study how different drugs and combinations of drugs affect sexual behaviours and STD rates. This includes estimating the impact of needle use, as opposed to sexual contact, on STD rates. Melanie’s second goal is to estimate STD rates of a group of women living in the Downtown Eastside. Melanie is investigating how their knowledge of STDs, exposure to outreach programs, and feelings of stigma affect use of health care services. Results of this research could be used to better define high-risk groups, identify barriers to accessing care, and tailor interventions to improve health of vulnerable populations.
HIV, STIs and massage parlour workers: application of social network analysis and mathematical modeling to assess the potential for disease propagation
Studies on the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV usually focus on individual risk factors such as the number of partners and condom use. But these factors do not fully explain epidemics. Social Network Analysis, a new approach, looks at how relationships between people in defined groups affect risk of disease spread. Valencia Remple is using this approach to conduct a sexual health survey of women who work in massage parlours. As part of the study, trained peer outreach workers are conducting in-depth interviews with workers to obtain information about their sexual behaviour, histories of STIs and the characteristics of their sexual partners. She is also measuring factors known to influence the spread of STIs, such as bridging. Bridging occurs when people in one defined group have sexual contact with members of different groups, which could introduce infections into previously uninfected populations. The results of this research could be used to develop targeted health services for this vulnerable and hidden population.
The public health impact of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea – a focus on work productivity, occupational injuries and motor vehicle crashes
Sleep is an integral part of our lives. Inadequate or poor quality nightly sleep has many adverse health and safety consequences. The most important medical disorder that disrupts sleep is obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea (OSAH), a common, under-diagnosed condition characterized by recurrent collapse of the upper airway during sleep (up to 100 times per hour). Symptoms of the disease include loud snoring, nocturnal choking, poor quality sleep, recurrent awakenings, daytime sleepiness, impaired alertness, reduced quality of life, hypertension and strokes. Therapy to prevent the upper airway from collapsing can reverse many of these symptoms. Dr. Najib Ayas’s work is focused on investigating the pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy, economic impact, occupational impact, public health, and safety consequences of sleep disorders, with a particular focus on OSAH. For instance, by developing a comprehensive registry of patients with OSAH, he hopes to determine whether patients with OSAH suffer from reduced work productivity and higher rates of occupational injuries and motor vehicle crashes; and whether therapy reduces these risks. Findings could then be used to develop screening and treatment guidelines for OSAH, and occupational and transportation policy recommendations. In the future, this unique registry will help identify biochemical cardiovascular risk, genetic and biochemical factors associated with OSAH.
Cervical cancer and sexuality: effects of a psychoeducational intervention and sildenafil on sexual arousal, relationship satisfaction and quality of life after hysterectomy
More than 25 percent of women who have a radical hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus, cervix, and upper vagina) as part of treatment for cervical cancer develop sexual difficulties related to genital arousal. There are no established treatments for these sexual problems leaving women with chronic distress. Dr. Lori Brotto has developed and is assessing whether a psycho-educational treatment can improve sexual arousal in these women. She is also assessing the effectiveness of combining the treatment with sildenafil citrate (Viagra). Dr. Brotto aims to incorporate qualitative feedback with psycho-physiological and self-report measures on the effectiveness of the psycho-educational treatment in hopes of improving clinical practice. The research could help improve sexual health, mood, and overall quality of life for cancer survivors and their partners. It could also broaden understanding of women’s sexuality and guide future research to better address women’s sexual health care needs.
Stigma, risk and protective factors among vulnerable youth
Adolescence is a time of promise, when major physical, cognitive and relational transitions launch the development to adulthood. But stigmatization in communities and schools can derail this process for certain teens. Teens who are more likely to be stigmatized include youth on the streets; those in foster care or custody; sexually abused youth; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth; and indigenous and ethnic minority adolescents. As a result of being stigmatized, these youth are at greater risk for health problems such as drug abuse, HIV infection and teen pregnancy. As part of an international study taking place in Canada, New Zealand and the US, Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc is examining behaviours and environments that stigmatize youth in schools. Dr. Saewyc is studying the links between stigma and risk behaviours, and exploring protective factors that can reduce these risks and build resilience among youth. The findings will be shared with groups of teens and youth workers in the three countries to gather their ideas for reducing stigma, creating safer schools, and preventing substance use and risky sexual behaviours in culturally meaningful ways. The research could lead to interventions to reduce or prevent stigma, to help youth cope with stigma, and to foster healthy development among vulnerable young people.