Mental Health and Behaviour

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the Compensatory Cognitive Strategies Scale (CCSS) is effective for individuals with major psychiatric disorders who experience cognitive difficulties. The scale measures how frequently patients use strategies to compensate for cognitive challenges in daily life (for example, memory aids, electronic devices, etc.). No existing tool assesses this in psychiatric populations. This project aims to provide preliminary psychometric data on CCSS use in this group.

The purpose of this study is to follow people with prostate cancer for two years to understand how often depression develops and what factors may increase the risk. Participants will complete questionnaires about their mood and well-being. By tracking these changes over time, researchers hope to better understand the relationship between prostate cancer and depression, and use this information to improve early identification and support for patients.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a six-month resistance exercise training program on the cognitive health of perimenopausal women. 

Participants will randomly be assigned to attend either two resistance training classes or two Pilates classes per week. In addition to the exercise classes, there are three study measurement sessions, at the beginning, middle and the end of the intervention. 

The purpose of this study is to refine a customizable large language model-based chatbot to provide support to augment an existing acceptable, feasible and efficacious online treatment for sexual difficulties in women. The objectives of the study are to establish the feasibility of an artificial intelligence (AI)-chatbot navigator for eSense-MBT; compare a customizable AI-chatbot navigator to a human navigator; and evaluate the effects of user-customization on the attitudes and acceptability of AI. 

The purpose of this study is to explore physicians' perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, focusing on how views differ across career stages and specialties. It will examine the impact of generational differences and clinical experience on AI adoption. Additionally, the research will investigate how physicians anticipate their roles evolving as AI automates aspects of medical practice. By analyzing these dimensions, the study aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the medical community’s readiness for AI integration and its implications for clinical workflow.

The purpose of this study is to examine spontaneous (i.e., not cued, or externally triggered) craving in e-cigarette users. The study team will present participants with craving probes while they watch a conventional film. The goal is to examine the ability of this method to capture craving so it can be applied to brain imaging research (fMRI). If eligible, participants may also have the opportunity to participate in the fMRI portion for additional compensation — interest in this portion can be indicated in the e-screening form.

The purpose of this study is to assess COVID-19 prophylactic/therapeutic safety and effectiveness in transplant patients, assess mental health impacts of COVID-19 on transplant patients and families, develop strategies to improve well-being, and determine the economic burden and value of emerging and existing prophylactic/therapeutic options for COVID-19 in transplant patients.

This study aims to explore the perspectives of patients with opioid dependence and health care providers (HCPs) who are involved in the care of individuals with opioid use disorder on how they would feel regarding a contingency management (CM) smartphone game for opioid agonist therapy (OAT). The study team will be obtaining information through focus groups with patients and semi-structured interviews with HCPs.

The purpose of this study is to compare two non-invasive neurostimulation techniques (ECT and MST) in the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

The purpose of this study is to contribute to improving our understanding of functioning in psychosis. Memory is an important predictor of how well individuals affected by schizophrenia and related psychoses are able function in their social and occupational lives. However, the exact structures and functions in the brain responsible for this relationship are currently unknown.

The purpose of this study is to determine if a 26-week health coaching program can increase time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity and improve mobility compared with a 26-week group health education program in older adults with limited mobility.

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of Canadians with suicide-related thoughts and/or behaviours during, or shortly before, the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes what it was like seeking care for these conditions, what kinds of support were most helpful, what was missing, and how we could do a better job of providing care and resources.  

The purpose of this study is to test whether a specific combination of biomarkers discovered during previous studies can help predict how someone experiencing a major depressive episode will respond to treatment. The study will also explore other possible biomarkers that may predict treatment response, which may help in the future development of tests that can guide treatment choice more effectively and more quickly.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the user-friendliness and trustworthiness of a website called My Guide Concussion – Teen Edition. B.C. and Yukon have limited medical resources for concussion management, so the My Guide Concussion – Teen Edition website was developed as an online concussion resource and self-management guide for adolescents recovering from concussion. The study will determine whether the website satisfies the needs of patients, caregivers and other stakeholders. Results of this study will inform revisions to the site to improve its usability and scalability.

The purpose of this study is to recruit volunteer patients and healthy individuals for the UBC Brain Biobank, a state-of-the-art facility located at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. Participants will provide 25ml of blood to be collected at the time of recruitment. These specimens will be processed and stored for ethics-approved brain research purposes in the future. The UBC Brain Biobank will also request access to participants' clinical records, which will be securely stored in a limited-access database and will be shared with researchers in a de-identified manner.

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences and perceptions of yoga from people with spinal cord injury (SCI), yoga instructors and clinicians. This well help researchers better understand the perceived barriers and enablers of yoga and find implementation options using Mode of Delivery Taxonomy Version (MoDTv0).

The purpose of this study is to examine whether cannabidiol (also known as CBD) is effective in treating symptoms of depression in people diagnosed with bipolar disorder type I or II when added to their regular medications.

Recruitment Poster

The purpose of this study is to adapt and pilot test a mobile app-based motivational interviewing pre-treatment intervention for women on eating disorder clinic waitlists. Broadly, the project aims to improve individuals' motivation to recover from their eating disorder while they are waiting for services. The mobile app will include seven self-help sessions consisting of videos, articles and exercises.

The purpose of this study is to understand the link between schizophrenia and heat. People with schizophrenia have died at disproportionately high rates in recent heat events. While there is some physiological and biomedical understanding of thermoregulation in people with schizophrenia, understandings of their social vulnerability is lacking. Through interviews with people with schizophrenia, as well as their caregivers and loved ones, the study team aims to get a fuller understanding of their experiences in extreme heat events.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a peer-led mental health support program, REACHOUT, for rural and remote communities in British Columbia. REACHOUT is a mobile app that provides free peer-led mental health support to adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The REACHOUT intervention spans over six months and empowers adults with T1D to join as either a peer supporter, who will be trained to provide social and emotional assistance, or as a participant, who will receive invaluable support from empathetic peer supporters.