Objective: Residential outcomes of adults with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) and substance use disorders were studied over 18-months, during which participants received integrated concurrent disorders services from two models of community-based intensive case management programs. Of primary interest in this analysis were the risks associated with co-occurring addictions on housing quality and stability, and the relative effectiveness of assertive community treatment (ACT) and intensive case management (ICM) on housing outcomes. Methods: Data for this secondary analysis was drawn from one of six projects organized under the Community Mental Health Evaluation Initiative. Clients who were diagnosed as having SPMI with and without co-morbid substance dependence (N=80) were randomly assigned to two case management programs in Toronto, Canada. All clients with concurrent disorders received integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment, but half were provided more fully integrated services from ACT. Housing was classified in one of three categories to describe the quality and consistency of residential tenure: stable housing, unstable accommodation defined by number of address changes, or homeless. Results: Participants with concurrent disorders were much more likely to be homeless or living in unstable, substandard housing than subjects without substance dependence. ICM clients with co-morbid disorders showed greater improvement on housing outcomes, but both case management groups showed strong gains on subjective measures of community adjustment, including empowerment, social support, and symptom distress. Housing stability was mediated by intensity of service contacts. Conclusion: Integrated treatment is a recent innovation in service delivery for persons with concurrent disorders. The favourable outcomes found for ICM in this study raise questions about the relative effectiveness of different implementation strategies to achieve integrated treatment within individual case management programs. The results provide strong support for the hypothesis that service intensity is a critical component promoting community tenure for this at-risk population. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

No description available.

Objectives: To determine the level of adoption and which characteristics are most strongly associated with the adoption of a clinical innovation in Mental Health and Addiction Service organizations in Ontario, one year after dissemination. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a voluntary quantitative mail-out survey, using a self administered questionnaire that was sent to 260 mental health and addiction service organizations in Ontario. Linear regression analysis was conducted to identify significant predictors of the overall adoption-decision of the best practice recommendations. Results: Individuals’ tenure within the organization and the provision of screening (organizational variable) was identified to be predictors of adoption for the organization. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated the majority of the organizations are on the path towards a finale decision of adopting or rejecting the recommendations. The results also demonstrate the importance of individual characteristics and organizational characteristics in identifying predictors of adoption.

Objectives: To determine the level of adoption and which characteristics are most strongly associated with the adoption of a clinical innovation in Mental Health and Addiction Service organizations in Ontario, one year after dissemination. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a voluntary quantitative mail-out survey, using a self administered questionnaire that was sent to 260 mental health and addiction service organizations in Ontario. Linear regression analysis was conducted to identify significant predictors of the overall adoption-decision of the best practice recommendations. Results: Individuals’ tenure within the organization and the provision of screening (organizational variable) was identified to be predictors of adoption for the organization. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated the majority of the organizations are on the path towards a finale decision of adopting or rejecting the recommendations. The results also demonstrate the importance of individual characteristics and organizational characteristics in identifying predictors of adoption.

Objective: Opioid use disorder (OUD) remains a major public health problem within Canada and worldwide. Increasing our understanding of psychiatric comorbidity in this population is the focus of this thesis. Methods: We used observational cohort data from two prospective studies of individuals with OUD receiving opioid agonist treatment (OAT). These data allowed us to examine risk factors for psychological symptoms and psychiatric comorbidities, to examine differences between youth and adults, and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of self-reported diagnoses against those made using a validated tool. We linked cohort data to Provincial health administrative data holdings to explore mental healthcare service use and associated costs. Discoveries: This work provides new information on psychiatric comorbidity among individuals receiving treatment for OUD and carries implications that can inform future research to shape clinical care. The main conclusions drawn from this work were: 1) routine assessment of psychological symptoms, including suicidal ideation, in this population is warranted; 2) self- report of psychiatric disorders is not sufficiently sensitive to identify psychiatric comorbidity and other methods such as validated tools should be considered; 3) trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder are common in individuals with OUD and their impact may not be captured by solely measuring substance-related outcomes in treatment; 4) youth with OUD differ from adults in their health risk behaviours and psychiatric comorbidities and likely require distinct services and supports; and 5) outpatient non-substance-related mental healthcare for individuals with OUD is provided largely by primary care physicians for whom increased resources and training are needed, and emergency department visits and hospitalizations (which are costlier to the system) are not uncommon. Conclusion: Psychiatric comorbidity is prevalent in OUD and integrated mental health and addictions treatment requires clinical and research attention. Future studies are needed to test interventions and build an evidence base to inform clinical management. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Opioid addiction has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Canadians and many more people worldwide. Many individuals with opioid addiction also have other mental health problems that can be barriers to recovery from opioid use. Our current healthcare services are disconnected, and most people do not have access to treatments that can help with both addiction and other mental health problems at the same time. We conducted five studies looking at mental health problems within people who have opioid addiction. We focused on understanding risk factors, diagnoses, treatment, and use of mental healthcare services for individuals with opioid addiction and other mental health problems. Our findings provide new information on unmet mental health needs for people with opioid addiction. This information will help treatment programs, doctors, and policy makers better understand who needs more supports and consider how to improve services.

Contexte : Chez les adolescents, les troubles de santé mentale sont fréquemment associés à des troubles liés à l’usage de substances psychoactives. Ce double diagnostic complique le traitement et le pronostic des patients, en entraînant par ailleurs des coûts effarants pour la société. Selon la récente littérature ainsi que les priorités que les gouvernements fédéral et provincial de la santé se sont fixés, une approche intégrée des soins est celle à privilégier dans la prise en charge globale des troubles concomitants. Trois études randomisées contrôlées ont démontré qu’une intervention ciblée à certains profils de personnalité à haut risque de problèmes de consommation (Désespoir/Pensées négatives, Impulsivité, Sensibilité à l’anxiété, Recherche de sensations fortes), et prédisposant également à des troubles psychiatriques, réduit la consommation excessive d’alcool, la quantité et la fréquence de consommation ainsi que les problèmes liés à celle-ci. Dans ce mémoire, il a été postulé qu’une intervention brève ciblée à des facteurs de risque communs aux troubles concomitants, soit ces différents profils de personnalité, et visant la prévention et la réduction de la consommation et problèmes associés aurait aussi un effet bénéfique chez une population clinique psychiatrique d’adolescents. Méthode : Pour tester cette hypothèse, deux études ont été conduites dans le cadre de ce mémoire. Dans la première, ce sont des données d’une cohorte déjà existante d’adolescents en milieu scolaire qui ont été analysées afin de déterminer si parmi ces adolescents, ceux à haut risque de problèmes de consommation et présentant des symptômes de problèmes psychiatriques pourraient bénéficier de cette intervention brève. La même intervention a ensuite été testée auprès d’un échantillon d’adolescents en milieu clinique; cette étude, qui constitue la deuxième partie de ce mémoire, s’est déroulée au sein d’un département psychiatrique en centre hospitalier. Résultats : La première étude a permis de démontrer que les adolescents à haut risque de problèmes de consommation présentant des symptômes dépressifs et anxieux bénéficiaient tout autant de l’intervention. Ceux présentant des symptômes d’hyperactivité/impulsivité et problèmes de conduite en ont quant à eux bénéficié autant sinon davantage, les effets étant d’ailleurs plus prononcés pour certaines variables de consommation chez les adolescents présentant davantage de symptômes externalisés. Dans la seconde étude, aucun résultat significatif n’a pu être obtenu quant aux variables de consommations ou de problèmes de santé mentale. Les adolescents ayant reçu l’intervention ont davantage répondu au suivi à 6 mois comparativement à ceux n’ayant pas reçu l’intervention (p =0,003). Conclusion : La première étude est prometteuse quant à l’applicabilité de l’intervention chez des jeunes présentant des symptômes de problèmes psychiatriques. En ce sens, l’absence de résultat significatif pour la seconde étude pourrait possiblement être en partie due à une attrition à 6 mois plus substantielle que celle attendue et donc aux limites statistiques encourues. Cependant, il est aussi possible que l’intervention telle qu’elle a été offerte n’était pas suffisamment approfondie ou n’adressait pas suffisamment d’enjeux propres à cette population clinique. Il a néanmoins pu être observé que l’évaluation et l’organisation des soins des patients n’incluaient pas d’emblée la prise en charge de leur consommation ou problèmes associés. La coordination entre clinique et recherche devrait être optimisée, autant pour supporter la mission que se sont donnée les gouvernements d’harmoniser ces deux dimensions, que pour suivre leurs recommandations quant à la nécessité de prioriser une intégrité des soins chez les patients souffrant de troubles concomitants. / Background: In adolescents, mental health disorders frequently co-occurs with substance misuse, a dual diagnosis that tends to complicate the patient’s treatment and prognosis, resulting in astounding costs for society. Thus, it is critical to investigate how to prevent and reduce substance use problems in this population and optimize their global treatment. According to recent literature and to health provincial and federal governments’ priorities, an integrated services approach has been identified as the strategy to favour. In three randomised-controlled trials, brief personality-targeted interventions have shown to be effective in preventing adolescent onset and growth of drinking, binge-drinking and drinking problems. The personality profiles targeted (Hopelessness/Negative thinking, Impulsivity, Anxiety-Sensitivity, Sensation Seeking) play an important role in the onset and development of both substance misuse and psychiatric symptoms. In this thesis, we hypothesized that brief personality-targeted interventions aiming to prevent and reduce substance misuse in a high-risk population would also benefit a psychiatric clinical sample of adolescents. Methods: To test this hypothesis, 2 studies were conducted as part of this thesis. In the first one, data from an existing sample of adolescents from a school cohort were analysed to determine if among these students, those at high risk of alcohol misuse and presenting with psychiatric symptoms could benefit from this brief intervention. The same intervention was then delivered to a clinical sample of adolescents; this second study was conducted in a psychiatric department in a hospital setting. Results: The first study showed that the intervention was as effective regardless of whether the adolescents reported depression and anxiety symptoms; these symptoms did not moderate the intervention effects on substance misuse and associated problems. However, reporting hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms and conduct problems did significantly moderate the intervention effects on some drinking outcomes, showing mainly more beneficial intervention effects in adolescents reporting higher levels of externalizing symptoms. In the second study, no significant intervention effects were found regarding substance use and psychiatric symptoms outcomes. Adolescents who received the intervention significantly had higher rates of follow-up compared to those who did not receive the intervention (p =0,003). Conclusion: The first study is promising regarding the applicability of the intervention with adolescents with psychiatric disorders’ symptoms. In that sense, the lack of significant findings in the second study could potentially be explained by attrition and small sample size at follow-up and therefore to the statistical limits encountered. It is also possible that the intervention as delivered did not address the issues specific to this clinical population in enough depth. Nevertheless, it was observed that the evaluation and organization of patient care did not simultaneously include support for patients’ substance use or associated problems. The coordination between treatment and research should be optimized, not only to support the stated mission of governments to harmonize these two dimensions, but also to follow their recommendations as to the need to prioritize the integration of care for patients with comorbid disorders.

Ample empirical evidence highlights the significant prevalence of persons with mental health issues and concurrent disorders involved in the criminal justice system. This population frequently uses services provided by community based non-profit organizations for aid and support. Yet, there is a dearth of research that addresses the prevalence of mental health issues and concurrent disorders amongst those served by such organizations, and the barriers to community reintegration that they face. Focusing on the prevalence of mental health issues and concurrent disorders among individuals involved or at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system, the John Howard Society of Waterloo-Wellington and the University of Guelph embarked upon a mixed-methods community-engaged research partnership. Information for the clients in the ‘Community Aftercare’ program was collected in relation to mental health issues and concurrent disorders. Our data reveal the ‘typical’ profile of the clients accessing the Aftercare program, which includes a high prevalence of mental health issues and concurrent disorders. Further, interviews identified stigma, history of victimization, complex needs, criminal history, diminished welfare state, and a lack of social support/social capital as barriers faced by the Aftercare clients. The Aftercare program, however, acts as a form of social support and builds social capital for the clients. A lack of adequate funding to address the complex needs of the Aftercare clients was identified as a program limitation, and the findings revealed a need for additional funding.

Les personnes atteintes de troubles concomitants (TC) de santé mentale et d’usage de substances présentent des besoins biopsychosociaux particuliers et complexes, qui peuvent rendre leurs prises en charge plus ardue pour les professionnels de la santé. Au Canada comme dans d’autres pays, les infirmières et les infirmiers sont fréquemment appelés à intervenir auprès de personnes atteintes de TC par le biais d’une approche intégrée des soins centrés sur leurs besoins particuliers. Toutefois, les études soulignent des difficultés et barrières inhérentes à la complexité de cette prise en charge par les infirmières, comme le sentiment de fardeau ou d’échec professionnel, les attitudes défavorables ou l’inconfort à l’égard de ces personnes et le manque de connaissances ou d’habiletés quant à certaines approches psychothérapeutiques essentielles. Qui plus est, rares sont les occasions de formation continue portant spécifiquement sur les TC pour soutenir et mieux outiller les infirmières dans le développement de leurs compétences. Cette thèse par articles présente les résultats d’une étude visant à comprendre dans quelle mesure et de quelles manières un programme de formation continue virtuel portant sur les TC a contribué au développement des compétences des infirmières. Le programme de formation continue virtuel sur les TC développé et mis en place en 2018 au Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) en s’appuyant sur le modèle Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (©ECHO), s’adresse à l’ensemble des professionnels de la santé et des services sociaux du Québec. Celui-ci constitue un modèle de formation continue visant à soutenir le développement des compétences de ces professionnels dans la prise en charge de conditions de santé chroniques et complexes. Le modèle ECHO repose sur trois théories sociales de l’apprentissage, incluant la Théorie sociale cognitive, la Théorie des communautés de pratique et la Théorie de l’apprentissage situé. Le programme ECHO sur les TC comprend des séances éducatives virtuelles offertes en continu, d’une durée de 90 minutes à chaque deux semaines, guidées par une équipe interprofessionnelle d’experts dans le domaine des TC. La participation au programme s’effectue par l’entremise de visioconférences simultanées, au cours desquelles les professionnels inscrits au programme sont invités à présenter une situation clinique vécue, laquelle faisant ensuite l’objet d’une riche discussion entre pairs et d’une rétroaction personnalisée par l’équipe d’experts. Des capsules didactiques portant sur les pratiques exemplaires dans le domaine des TC sont également présentées aux participants, en fonction de leurs besoins d’apprentissage. Un devis mixte convergent a été utiliser pour collecter et analyser les données QUANtitatives et QUALitatives issues d’une population potentielle de 65 infirmières ayant participé au programme de formation ECHO sur les TC pour les vagues de formation 2018-2019 et 2019-2020. Dans le volet QUAN, une étude de cohorte prospective observationnelle a été mené pour mesurer l’évolution des infirmières à six mois (T1) et 12 mois (T2) suivant leur entrée au programme (T0) quant à leur: 1) sentiment d’auto-efficacité; 2) participation; 3) satisfaction et acceptabilité; 4) connaissances; 5) attitude; et 6) perception de la performance clinique. Dans le volet QUAL, une étude descriptive interprétative a été réalisée auprès de 10 infirmières ayant participé au programme ECHO, afin d’explorer leur expérience et perceptions à l’égard du développement et de la mise en pratique de leurs compétences, ainsi que des facteurs ayant influencé ce processus. Enfin, l’emploi d’une stratégie de comparaison des résultats QUAN et QUAL a facilité leur intégration, permettant ainsi de mettre en évidence leurs similitudes, différences ou éléments de complémentarité. Les analyses de variance effectuées dans le volet QUAN de l’étude ont indiqué une amélioration significative quant au niveau de connaissances sur les TC (pT1–T0 = 0,0045; pT2–T0 = 0,0014) et au score d’attitude à l’égard des TC (pT1–T0 = 0,0472 ; pT2–T0 = 0,0139) des infirmières (n = 28) à T1 et T2. En contrepartie, seules les infirmières (n = 16/28) ayant participé à au moins 25 % des 20 séances virtuelles offertes au cours d’un curriculum de formation ont montré une augmentation significative de leur sentiment d’auto-efficacité à T2 (pT2–T0 = 0,0213). En complémentarité, l’analyse thématique réalisée dans le volet QUAL de l’étude a mis en lumière qu’au cours de leur participation, les infirmières ont davantage développé huit éléments de compétences propres à la pratique auprès de personnes atteintes de TC, et que plusieurs facteurs d’ordre personnel, interpersonnel, contextuel et organisationnel avaient facilité ou contraint ce processus. Enfin, les constats mixtes de l’étude, illustrés par six thèmes, font état de six conditions clés pour favoriser le développement des compétences et leur mise en œuvre dans la pratique: 1) des expériences de mise en pratique et de validation; 2) des relations de réciprocité et de confiance en contexte de formation interprofessionnelle; 3) un partage d’expériences similaires entre pairs et des activités de mentorat; 4) une collaboration avec des experts; 5) une attitude positive solidifiée à l’égard de l’exercice de son rôle professionnel en situation de complexité et d’adversité; et 6) des expériences d’apprentissage d’équipe, adaptées aux particularités des milieux et en partenariat avec les organisations. Cette étude a permis de mieux comprendre comment un programme de formation continue virtuel sur les TC reposant sur le modèle ECHO a contribué au développement des compétences des infirmières. Les résultats suggèrent que dans certaines conditions, le programme de formation ECHO sur les TC peut favorablement contribuer au développement des compétences des infirmières et au renouvellement de leur pratique. Des recommandations sont formulées à l’effet d’orienter la recherche vers l’évaluation des effets du modèle ECHO sur le changement des pratiques et la santé des personnes atteintes; et d’explorer des avenues de recherche visant la conjugaison de stratégies auprès des professionnels et sur le plan de l’intervention, du contexte et des organisations, pour favoriser la mise en œuvre effective des pratiques exemplaires. / People with concurrent disorders (CD) in mental health and substance use have specific and complex biopsychosocial needs, which can make their care more challenging for healthcare professionals. In Canada, as in other countries, nurses are frequently called upon to intervene with people with CD through an integrated approach to care that focuses on their specific needs. However, studies point to difficulties and barriers for nurses caused by the complexity of this care. These include feelings of being burdened or of professional failure, judgmental attitudes about or discomfort with these individuals, and lack of knowledge or skills in certain essential psychotherapeutic approaches. Moreover, there are few continuing education opportunities specifically focused on CD to support nurses and give them the tools they need to develop their skills. This article-based thesis presents the results of a study carried out to understand how, and to what extent, a virtual continuing education program on CD contributed to nurses’ competency development. The virtual continuing education program for CD was developed and implemented in 2018 at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), based on the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (©ECHO) model. It is intended for all health and social services professionals in Quebec. ECHO is a model of continuing education designed to support the competency development of these professionals in the management of chronic and complex health conditions. The ECHO model is based on three social theories of learning, including the Social Cognitive Theory, the Communities of Practice Theory, and the Situated Learning Theory. The ECHO program for CD consists of 90 minute virtual educational sessions, offered bi-weekly on an ongoing basis. The sessions are guided by an interprofessional team of experts in the field of CD. Participation in the program takes place through videoconferences, during which professionals enrolled in the program are invited to present a real-life clinical situation, which is then the subject of a rich peer discussion and personalized feedback from the team of experts. Short didactic presentations on best practices in the field of CD are also presented to participants, based on their learning needs. A convergent mixed-methods design was used to collect and analyze QUANtitative and QUALitative data from a potential population of 65 nurses who participated in the ECHO CD program during its first two cycle (2018–2019 and 2019–2020). In the QUAN component, a prospective observational cohort study was conducted to measure nurses’ evolution at six months (T1) and 12 months (T2) following their entry into the program (T0) with respect to their: 1) self-efficacy; 2) participation; 3) satisfaction and acceptability; 4) knowledge; 5) attitude; and 6) perceived clinical performance. In the QUAL component, an interpretive descriptive study was conducted with 10 nurses who had participated in the ECHO program. The study explored their experiences and perceptions regarding the development of their competency and their clinical practice, as well as factors that influenced this process. Finally, a strategy of comparing QUAN and QUAL results facilitated their integration and thus highlighted their similarities, differences, or complementary elements. Longitudinal analyses of variance performed in the QUAN component of the study indicated a significant increase in the level of knowledge about CD (pT1–T0 = 0.0045; pT2–T0 = 0.0014) and in the attitude score toward CD (pT1–T0 = 0.0472; pT2–T0 = 0.139) of nurses (n= 28) at T1 and T2. In contrast, only nurses (n = 16/28) who participated in at least 25% of the 20 virtual sessions offered during a program cycle showed a significant increase in their self-efficacy score at T2 (pT2–T0 = 0.0213). In addition, the thematic analysis conducted in the QUAL component of the study revealed that, during their period of participation, nurses further developed eight competency elements specific to practice with people with CD, and that several personal, interpersonal, contextual, and organizational factors either facilitated or constrained this process. Finally, the study’s mixed-methods findings, illustrated by six themes, point to six key conditions that foster the development of nurses’ competencies and their implementation in clinical practice: 1) Opportunities for practice and validation; 2) Reciprocal and trusting relationships in an interprofessional learning environment; 3) Peer-to-peer sharing of similar experiences and mentoring activities; 4) Collaboration with experts; 5) Reinforcement of positive attitudes about performing professional role in complex and adverse situations; and 6) Learning experiences that are team-based, tailored to the setting specifics and receive organizational support. This study provides a better understanding of how a virtual continuing education program for CD, based on the ECHO model, contributed to nurses’ competency development. The results suggest that under certain conditions, the ECHO program for CD can contribute positively to the development of nurses’ competencies and the renewal of their clinical practice. Recommendations are made in two areas: first, to direct research toward evaluating the impact of the ECHO model on practice change and health outcomes; and, second, to explore research avenues for combining strategies among professionals and with regard to intervention, context and organizations, to support effective implementation of best practices.