Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Adolescence is a period of significant physical, cognitive and social changes. While some individuals navigate through adolescence without great difficulty, some find this period to be particularly stressful and emotional (Arnett, 1999). Some studies estimate that 15 to 25 percent of young people have mental health problems (Waddell & Sheppard, 2002; Asarnow et al., 2005). Early life is critical in the development of mental health disorders, as 75 percent of mental disorders emerge before the age of 24 (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, Jin & Walters, 2005) and these disorders often persist throughout adulthood (Fichter et al., 2009). Waiting to treat depression and anxiety in adulthood prolongs suffering and is costly to the health care, employment, justice sectors, and society at large (Santor, Short & Ferguson, 2009). My overarching goal is to improve health and reduce the burden of chronic mental illness. I will do this by researching the causes and developmental course of emotional mechanisms thought to contribute to depression and anxiety. I plan to collect a rich longitudinal data set on emotion management and related factors as children age and pass through puberty. Ultimately, I intend to use this research to inform targeted prevention programs to implement during critical periods of development. The school-based invention program will consist of interactive activities that teach age appropriate emotion management and social skills. Pre and post intervention scores for mental health symptoms and emotion management strategies will be compared to scores at a control school (without intervention). If the program is successful, I will make it available online so that it can be accessed by parents, educators, and researchers across the country.