In 2022, 1 in 4 youth in Canada had been diagnosed with a mental illness. Black immigrant (born abroad) youth in Canada are particularly at an increased risk of poor mental health such as anxiety conditions with prevalence estimates of 26% reported. This is because these youth are more likely to experience racial discrimination and microaggressions. Early intervention is crucial in order to reduce the severity and impact of anxiety conditions, with clear benefits for racialized and immigrant populations. The government of Canada recognizes this urgent need and has only recently initiated various programs, including the \u2018Enhancing community-based health services\u2019 program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the growing evidence of the effectiveness of task-shifting and community-based mental health care, such approaches targeting black immigrant youth are limited in Canada. Our proposed project aims to address this gap by retooling an already existing intervention, the\u00a0Y-MIND\u00a0intervention (developed in Ghana and Zimbabwe) to treat anxiety symptoms among black immigrant youth in Canada. The core components of\u00a0Y-MIND\u00a0are\u00a0problem-solving,\u00a0behavioral activation, and\u00a0psychoeducation. It is a 6-session therapy delivered in-person by trained teachers. We will partner with the Toronto Chapter of the Ghanaian Canadian Association of Ontario and its vibrant youth wing to co-create a culturally appropriate low-intensity psychological treatment for anxiety (CalmConnect)<\/em>. This proposed project is a direct response to the government of Canada\u2019s goal of ensuring that\u00a0youth mental health services are equitable, culturally safe, accessible and in line with the needs of diverse communities.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":317,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[20],"research-theme":[18],"stage":[44],"relationship":[],"class_list":["post-15561","project","type-project","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-project","research-theme-humanitarianism","stage-active"],"yoast_head":"\nProject Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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