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

Psychotic symptoms are associated with three of the top five leading causes of disability in the world: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. Symptoms of psychosis (hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thoughts) typically emerge during the critical developmental period of adolescence and young adulthood. The onset of psychosis during this stage of life can seriously derail transitions to higher education/vocational training, employment, marriage and parenthood. Little is known about how a young person develops resilience (the capacity to cope) when faced with the challenging circumstances associated with an early onset of psychosis. This project will explore the experiences of resilience and adversity from the perspective of youth recently diagnosed with psychotic illness and from the perspective of their supportive networks such as family caregivers and service providers. In particular, the study aims to identify aspects of the environment that shape the development of resilience when a young person is diagnosed with psychosis. Hence, specific topics that will be investigated include: the role of the social, cultural, geographical and economic environment (micro and macro levels) in supporting and hindering resilience. The results from this project will broaden our understanding of resilience and will inform the development of guidelines and tools to assess important aspects of resilience not captured by currently available coping and resilience measures. The results will also be used to develop and test psychological and social interventions targeted at building the capacity to cope in youth recently diagnosed with psychosis. Ultimately, this work will contribute to improving treatment options and care for youth and prevent long term disabilities associated with chronic diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression.