Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Canadian Muslims are greatly underserved and marginalized in receiving equitable mental health services. In Muslim Communities, addictions' stigma is further compounded because substance use is culturally and religiously taboo. Our research team developed and evaluated an interactive faith-based addictions psychoeducational program. The program successfully reduced stigma by demonstrating improvement in areas of knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking among Muslims in Canada. However, COVID-19 pandemic halted this in-person program. To provide an innovative solution to this complex local and national challenge and address other systemic and cultural barriers reported in our findings, we are proposing to deliver this proposed pilot Canadian Muslim Addictions Program (C-MAP). C-MAP is an un unprecedented Canada-wide project that aim to provide technology-based accessible psychoeducation and self-help interventions for patients as well as culture/spiritual sensitivity training to health care providers. The first phase of this large project will include the development of the content of program by a unique collaboration of expertise from different disciplines that have never been integrated before including psychiatry, psychology, social work, neuroscience, family medicine, naturopathic, and religious studies. Our team is utilizing an evidence-based approach and adapting it to a biopsychosocial-spiritual model. C-MAP is a culturally and spiritually adapted online program that will be the first of its kind to enhance and integrate inter-disciplinary treatment for addiction in Canadian Muslim communities. This program has critical public health implications by providing knowledge that reduces addiction stigma and promote health and thus preventing major disabilities. Our integrative approach is reflective of principles of diversity and inclusion and striving to achieve more equitable, inclusive and patient-centered care to this racialized population.