Using Virtual Reality to Examine Peer Defending Behaviors
Bullying is one of the top threats to youth in Canada, linked to serious outcomes like increased anxiety and depression, relationship problems and poor academic achievement. Bystander intervention - standing up for the person being bullied - is a very effective way to stop bullying. Although peers witness 85% of bullying, very few intervene. Our research aims to understand why some youth defend their peers while others don't. By using a new virtual reality (VR) tool developed by Dr. Lambe, we can explore these behaviours in the moment as the bullying event unfolds. We hope to use the findings from our research to inform bullying-intervention strategies and empower youth to intervene safely and effectively. This research is currently funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant and is conducted with collaborators Dr. Ralph Redden (St.FX) and Dr. Natalie Spadafora (Brock).
Bullying is one of the top threats to youth in Canada, linked to serious outcomes like increased anxiety and depression, relationship problems and poor academic achievement. Bystander intervention - standing up for the person being bullied - is a very effective way to stop bullying. Although peers witness 85% of bullying, very few intervene. Our research aims to understand why some youth defend their peers while others don't. By using a new virtual reality (VR) tool developed by Dr. Lambe, we can explore these behaviours in the moment as the bullying event unfolds. We hope to use the findings from our research to inform bullying-intervention strategies and empower youth to intervene safely and effectively. This research is currently funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant and is conducted with collaborators Dr. Ralph Redden (St.FX) and Dr. Natalie Spadafora (Brock).
Bystander Intervention for Campus Sexual Violence
The rate of sexual violence is very high on university campuses. Around 1 in 10 female students experience sexual assault in a Canadian postsecondary setting each year, and 71% of all students report witnessing or experiencing unwanted sexual behaviour in a postsecondary setting. In 2016 the Antigonish Women's Centre and Sexual Assault Services Association worked to develop Waves of Change, a bystander intervention program for combatting sexual and gender-based violence on university campuses. By creating a logic model and conducting surveys among the students receiving this training, our research aims to better understand how students' knowledge and attitudes are related to their bystander actions, as well as to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the Waves of Change program. This research is currently funded by a SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant, and involves collaboration with the StFX Sexual Violence Prevention Office and the Antigonish Women's Centre.
The rate of sexual violence is very high on university campuses. Around 1 in 10 female students experience sexual assault in a Canadian postsecondary setting each year, and 71% of all students report witnessing or experiencing unwanted sexual behaviour in a postsecondary setting. In 2016 the Antigonish Women's Centre and Sexual Assault Services Association worked to develop Waves of Change, a bystander intervention program for combatting sexual and gender-based violence on university campuses. By creating a logic model and conducting surveys among the students receiving this training, our research aims to better understand how students' knowledge and attitudes are related to their bystander actions, as well as to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the Waves of Change program. This research is currently funded by a SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant, and involves collaboration with the StFX Sexual Violence Prevention Office and the Antigonish Women's Centre.
Creating an Open Educational Resource for Clinical Psychology
The overarching goal of this project is to develop an "Introduction to Clinical Psychology" Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook that will be freely available at StFX University and other institutions. Currently, no open-access textbook exists for this subject, and commercial options are expensive and/or do not include Canadian content. This OER will consist of 10 chapters covering key topics such as ethics, assessment, prevention, and intervention in clinical psychology. Our aim is to improve accessibility and inclusivity for students studying mental health care by providing a free, comprehensive resource. This research is funded by Atlantic OER with collaborator Dr. Angela Weaver.
The overarching goal of this project is to develop an "Introduction to Clinical Psychology" Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook that will be freely available at StFX University and other institutions. Currently, no open-access textbook exists for this subject, and commercial options are expensive and/or do not include Canadian content. This OER will consist of 10 chapters covering key topics such as ethics, assessment, prevention, and intervention in clinical psychology. Our aim is to improve accessibility and inclusivity for students studying mental health care by providing a free, comprehensive resource. This research is funded by Atlantic OER with collaborator Dr. Angela Weaver.
