The Project
"The prevalence of diagnosable mental illnesses is increasing on North American university campuses. Meanwhile the Canadian health care system faces serious challenges that include long wait-times for mental health care. This is of particular concern for youth entering post-secondary education under an economic downturn, affected by financial stressors and insecure futures. These stressors are often amplified for youth from vulnerable communities. The aim of our project is to support the mental health of campus students through ehealth solutions, which prove attractive and are beneficial, from an evidence-based perspective.
We propose to develop a Mindfulness Virtual Community (MVC) with key elements of mindfulness-based self-help modules, online group meetings (student-to-student and student-to-professional), and mental health education. We plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial by recruiting students over three semesters at York University into four arms: four-week MVC, 8-week group-based Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MB-CBT) and two wait-list control groups (one of which will have access to the learning modules of the MVC). The impact of MCV will be examined and compared with group-based mindfulness and control groups in relation to mental health, care experience and cost outcomes.
All phases of the project will actively engage the healthcare innovation community (researchers, clinicians, students, and decision-makers) and partnering organizations including ForaHealthyMe, IT partner with tools at TRL 6/7 levels.
The ultimate goal is to help students adopt mental health-promoting behaviours that reduce their needs to access psychiatric and/or clinical counselling service."
We propose to develop a Mindfulness Virtual Community (MVC) with key elements of mindfulness-based self-help modules, online group meetings (student-to-student and student-to-professional), and mental health education. We plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial by recruiting students over three semesters at York University into four arms: four-week MVC, 8-week group-based Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MB-CBT) and two wait-list control groups (one of which will have access to the learning modules of the MVC). The impact of MCV will be examined and compared with group-based mindfulness and control groups in relation to mental health, care experience and cost outcomes.
All phases of the project will actively engage the healthcare innovation community (researchers, clinicians, students, and decision-makers) and partnering organizations including ForaHealthyMe, IT partner with tools at TRL 6/7 levels.
The ultimate goal is to help students adopt mental health-promoting behaviours that reduce their needs to access psychiatric and/or clinical counselling service."
Virtual CommunityA virtual community (VC) is a community of people collaborating to achieve a goal using online (Internet-based) tools. It involves members who are exchanging information for purposes they set. Health VCs have received increased attention in the health research community in attempts to provide contiuous education and support for individuals, while enabling and empowering them to become active participants in managing their own health conditions.
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MindfulnessMindfulness is defined as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present, and non judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (*). The techniques learned in mindfulness involve observation by attention to each present moment from a nonjudgmental stance
(*) Kabat-Zinn, J., Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Context: Past, Present, and Future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 10(2): p. 144-156. |
