Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

The number of adults 65 years and older is increasing dramatically, characterizing Canada as an aging society. Unfortunately, a large and growing number of older adults is experiencing mental health problems, leading researchers to warn of an impending crisis in geriatric mental health. Despite a high prevalence of mental health problems, older adults are particularly unlikely to seek professional help. A probable barrier to helpseeking is a lack of accessible information about cost, duration, and effectiveness of treatments for mental health problems (i.e., a deficit in knowledge translation (KT)), which hinders effective treatment decision-making. The first (qualitative) objective of the proposed study is to examine, for the first time, the mental health information needs and preferences of older adults. Themes identified in the first phase of this study will be used to accomplish my second (quantitative) objective - to ensure generalizability and expand on findings generated in phase 1. A clinical sample of 15 older adults (65+) and a community sample of 15 older adults (65+) will complete the first phase of this study, consisting of in-depth interviews exploring reasons for and barriers to seeking help, mental health information preferences (content, format, source, and amount), and preferred services for the treatment of mental health problems. Results of this phase, in addition to questions pertaining to participants' experience of stress, anxiety, and depression, sociodemographic characteristics, mental health literacy, and preference for involvement in treatment decision-making will inform the development of a quantitative survey, to be completed by a community sample of 200 older adults. Findings of this study will lead to the next phase of my KT research program - the creation and quantitative evaluation of a mental health treatment decision aid for older adults - which will be beneficial in enhancing treatment decision-making of older adults.