Grant: Operating Grant

There is growing recognition that the mental health of young people is a major health priority. Relationships, defined broadly, are among the most important determinants of mental health in populations of young people. Adolescents with deep and healthy connections (with themselves, with others, with nature and the land, and with something beyond) are known to have a strong level of spiritual health. This spiritual health in turn may have a positive health effects. We wish to examine how such spiritual health and its implied connections potentially influence adolescent mental health. The study will, efficiently, involve in-depth quantitative analyses of existing health survey data collected as part of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Survey. It will also involve complimentary qualitative analyses of the experiences and perceptions of groups of young adolescents from across Canada. Knowledge translation will be an important element throughout each study phase. End products will include traditional scientific manuscripts, as well as a series of lay resources containing accessible and practical ideas to assist young Canadians and those who care for and mentor them in creating circumstances that are optimal to nurturing optimal states of health during adolescence. We will also use this opportunity to create training opportunities for the next generation of adolescent health researchers in our centre.