Youths' Perceived Impact of Invalidation and Validation on Their Mental Health Treatment Journeys.

Youths' experiences in seeking and accessing help for mental health problems can have pervasive and lasting effects on personal and interpersonal functioning. In particular, youth who experience validating experiences presumably persevere in seeking help and generally have positive treatment outcomes, whereas youth who experience invalidation are also likely to experience, at least in the short term, ruptures in therapeutic relationships, shame, and reluctance to seek services. The goal of the current study was to expand on previous research assessing youths' interactions with mental health providers, allied professionals, family members, and peers, with a focus on subjective experiences of validation and invalidation. The current study investigated both validating and invalidating experiences in seeking, accessing, and maintaining professional services among 31 Canadian youth (n = 20 girls, n = 11 boys; 12 to 21 years old [M = 16.97, SD = 2.01]) who were diagnosed or self-identified with at least one of five conditions: depression (n = 26), anxiety (n = 22), eating disorders (n = 9), autism spectrum disorder (n = 2), or conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder (n = 2). Youth were recruited using convenience (e.g., posted advertisements in mental health clinics) and snowball sampling methods. Journey mapping methodology (i.e., participants created visual representations of milestones of their mental health journeys) was employed accompanied by semi-structured interviews to prompt youth to expand on their experiences (e.g., "Could you describe what was happening in your life when you first felt you would need support for your mental health?"). Four themes emerged using inductive thematic analysis, marked by the presence (validation) or lack (invalidation) of: feeling heard, feeling seen, feeling understood, and receiving helpful actions. Participants also reported key consequences of validation and invalidation. Findings broaden a conceptualization of validation across supportive relationships and an understanding of factors that enhance or impede the formation or maintenance of therapeutic relationships with youth. Clinical implications and limitations are discussed.

Child and adolescent health in Northern Ontario: a quantitative profile for public health planning.

Health in Northern Ontario is poorer than in the province of Ontario. Late childhood is the period in which adult habits and health behaviours are solidified, thus, health indicators are important to guide the development and implementation of disease prevention strategies. The Northern Ontario Child and Youth Health Report evaluated the health of children in Northern Ontario. The importance of public health planning is presented with the value of health status information for youth. The hospitalization rate for Northern Ontario youths was higher than for Ontario. In both areas, injuries and poisonings were the leading cause of hospitalization (7-13 year olds), however rates in the North were higher. Hospitalizations for injuries and poisonings were double the provincial rate in 14-19 year olds. The mortality rate for all youth was significantly higher. Health risk behaviour prevalence (e.g., alcohol consumption) was higher in the region. Current data emphasize the need for primordial and primary prevention in regional health planning and are also useful in secondary and tertiary prevention. Data for public health planning is critical to address population health needs and prevent chronic diseases.

The meaning of smoking as health and social risk in adolescence.

This investigation describes what smoking means to adolescents, and attempts to better understand it as a rite of passage. Applying a social ontology to an often-individualized issue, interviews were conducted with 20 adolescent smokers between the ages of 13 and 19. Results show that adolescents possess detailed information about the risks of smoking. Both age and gender differentiated the meanings of smoking which were found to be both positive and negative. Valence inconsistency increased with age. Results are interpreted within a cultural, developmental framework and suggest reconstructing smoking risks as potentially positive. Implications for research and prevention are discussed.