Christine A Walsh

• Professor (Associate) at University of Calgary

Elder abuse is one pathway into homelessness for older adults. Given the limited research on the experience of older adults staying in homeless shelters for victims of abuse, we conducted qualitative interviews with ten clients and five providers from an elder abuse shelter in Western Canada. Drawing on a feminist ethics of care framework, we explo...

Older adults who have experienced homelessness are more likely to live with trauma than their continually housed counterparts. Trauma-informed design (TID) recognizes that the built environment – defined as all physical elements that are human-made or curated to respond to human needs, desires, or purposes – impacts the physical, psychological, and...

Older people experiencing homelessness (OPEH) are a marginalized population with limited access to shelter/housing supports. Amidst these limited resources, understanding program-specific (in)eligibility criteria, along with strategies to sustain tenancy in different shelter/housing settings, is crucial to supporting OPEH in their housing goals. Th...

Background This scoping review aims to examine the extant literature and summarize findings related to barriers to accessing health care faced by older Chinese immigrants in Canada. Methods We conducted a search of electronic databases for peer-reviewed articles using a comprehensive set of keywords without limiting the search to a specific time p...

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an overarching methodology taken up across various disciplines. Rather than a specific approach, CBPR encompasses varied action-based methodologies. While many disciplines use CBPR methodologies in their work, Fat Studies has yet to broadly create research that uses CBPR methodologies. Fat Studies co...

Understanding the effects of White femininity on social work practice is a worthy endeavour provided the disproportionate numbers of White women that have built and occupied the professional role of social worker from the origins of colonization to present. Mainstream accounts of social work history narrate the profession to be a pursuit of well-in...

Older people with experiences of homelessness (OPEH) tend to experience more complex health, social, and psychological issues than people experiencing homelessness at younger ages. Simultaneously, many housing resources (e.g., shelters, temporary housing) are often ill equipped to meet the needs of OPEH. As such, OPEH are often unable to age in the...

Emerging research has highlighted the significance of aging in the right place (AIRP) by recognizing that secure and optimal housing should support an individual’s unique vulnerabilities and lifestyles. Existing literature, however, has yet to consider what it means for older people experiencing homelessness and/or housing insecurity to age-in-the-...

Background/Purpose: In early 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caught the world unguarded. Globally, older populations have been labelled as ‘vulnerable’ with greater risks in terms of infection and mortality (WHO, 2020). Older adults’ social vulnerability is compounded by the practice of self-isolation, which is promoted to reduce the spr...

This qualitative study, grounded in postcolonial theories and using critical discourse analysis, examines the discourses shaping Kosova’s National Strategy for the Reintegration of Repatriated Persons in order to contribute to the paucity of the literature on repatriating rejected asylum seekers. The main findings suggest that the dominant discours...

Montréal, Calgary, and Vancouver have seen a dramatic increase in homelessness among adults aged 50+. In order to identify ‘promising practices’ that promote aging-in-the-right-place for older people experiencing homelessness (OPEH) in Montréal, Calgary, and Vancouver, we conducted an environmental scan and three World Café workshops with 99 servic...

From 2008 to 2018 research across the social sciences has burgeoned concerning sex work and social stigma. This paper employs a scoping review methodology to map scholarship produced during this period and develop a more coherent body of knowledge concerning the relationship between social stigma and female-identified sex workers. Twenty-six pieces...

Employing Reid and Frisby’s feminist participatory action research model (FPAR) as a guide, men from diverse ethno-cultural backgrounds worked with women leaders to take action on the issue of intimate partner violence. Engaging with four interconnected phases, the research team adopted shared roles of leadership which led to 29 collective actions....

Despite the increased recognition of older adult homelessness in research, policy, and practice, few studies have considered the potential to co-produce knowledge using community-based participatory research (CBPR) filmmaking with older adults with homeless histories. This project redresses this gap. Using walk along and drive along interviews the...

Youth participatory action research (YPAR) is a methodology to engage youth in the research process and is focused on emancipation and empowerment. Although benefits have been outlined, ethical issues have also arisen. This article provides a narrative review of peer-reviewed literature regarding these ethical issues. After applying standardized se...

Minimal research has investigated disclosure/non-disclosure of abuse of older adults. To address this gap, this exploratory, qualitative study gathered the perspectives on reporting of elder abuse from 10 service providers working with elder abuse survivors across Alberta. Face-to-face and online interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcrib...

The numbers of older persons experiencing homelessness (OPEH) is on the rise globally Yet housing and shelter options that support the varied and complex needs of this population are scarce. In order to understand effective solutions for housing OPEH, it is critical to explore promising practices that support aging in the right place for OPEH. In a...

Minimal research has investigated disclosure/non-disclosure of abuse of older adults. To address this gap, this exploratory, qualitative study gathered the perspectives on reporting of elder abuse from 10 service providers working with elder abuse survivors across Alberta. Face-to-face and online interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcrib...

Debates around the issues of knowledge of, and for, social work and other social justice-oriented professions are not uncommon. More prevalent are the discussions around the ways by which social work knowledge is obtained. In recent years, social work scholars have drawn on the epistemology of pragmatism to present a case for its value in the creat...

Although geriatric depression is a prevalent, serious, and under-recognized mental health condition in residential care facilities, there is a dearth of related research in Canada. This exploratory mixed methods study examines the perspectives and practices of regulated nurse professionals on assessment of geriatric depression in residential care f...

Older adults aged 55 to 64 are vulnerable to housing insecurity and homelessness due to complex, interacting factors including decreasing options for employment, poor health, changing life circumstances, and ineligibility for seniors’ benefits or seniors’ subsidized housing. Despite the vulnerability of low-income preseniors, few researchers have e...

Although research on supportive housing models for older homeless adults is gaining momentum, few studies have considered the unique experiences of formerly homeless older adults residing in single-site permanent supportive housing (PSH). Drawing on the concepts of home and social exclusion, this qualitative case study explored the everyday experie...

Research training is a key area of social work education and integral to the success of future practitioners. Innovative pedagogical models for teaching research have been proposed, including those based on experiential approaches. This exploratory study evaluated a research practicum (RP) model for social work students. The intended outcome of the...

Mentorship has been proposed as a key process for preparing doctoral students as effective educators. However, few models have been described in-depth. To address this challenge, four social work doctoral graduates and one senior faculty member shared their insights drawing on their study on collaborative teaching mentorship, reflecting on their me...

This research examined formal social participation among elderly Chinese adults living alone and the association between utilization of community-based services and formal social participation , which refers to participation in employment, volunteer jobs, and social groups. Using a secondary analysis on a survey data from a simple random sample of...

Purpose This paper presents an analysis of how health intersects with the experience of housing insecurity and homelessness, specifically for migrant women. The authors argue that it is important to understand the specificities of the interplay of these different factors to continue the advancement of our understanding and practice as advocates fo...

This article presents findings from a systematic literature review of studies that focus on the repatriation of rejected asylum seekers from Kosova. We approached the literature from a critical standpoint in order to identify the main gaps in knowledge as well as to recommend future steps. The findings question the adoption of repatriation as a sus...

This paper aims to present a thematic analysis investigating the experiences and reflections of doctoral students in social work at a Canadian university who were mentored in the development of teaching expertise, including course design, delivery and evaluation, by a senior faculty member. Recommendations to others who are considering engaging in...

In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, universities across Canada are currently exploring ways to decolonize and indigenize their institutions and curriculum. The profession of social work has had an historical and ongoing role in the oppression of Indigenous Peoples, and now has the responsibility to advance and...

With problem-oriented approaches to practice, policy and research, youth considered to be ‘at-risk’ are not often viewed from a strengths-based perspective. Explorations of youths’ strengths are critical to help create environments where youth can flourish. The purpose of this research was to explore the resilience, healthy capabilities and strengt...

In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, universities across Canada are currently exploring ways to decolonize and indigenize their institutions and curriculum. The profession of social work has had an historical and ongoing role in the oppression of Indigenous Peoples, and now has the responsibility to advance and...

Spousal bereavement becomes increasingly common among older-aged individuals, posing considerable challenges to adults in late life. Immigrants, and older Chinese immigrants to Western countries, specifically may experience heightened negative outcomes as a consequence of spousal bereavement, due to migratory stress and marginalisation. This system...

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a methodology increasingly used within the social sciences. CBPR is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of research methodologies, including participatory research, participatory action research, feminist participatory research, action research, and collaborative inquiry. At its core, they sh...

The eradication of poverty continues to be a priority for policymakers worldwide. At the same time, trends in population aging results in a strong need to understand and address poverty in the later life years. While the literature on poverty is vast, the specific focus on old age poverty is limited. Research has an important role to play to this e...

In recent years, Canada has experienced a massive influx of highly-educated immigrants. However, despite high education and skill levels, recent immigrants experience many obstacles to effective socioeconomic integration in the mainstream society. Perhaps, this is because there are complex factors behind the obstacles to successful settlement and i...

We are an interdisciplinary group of visual researchers at the University of Calgary who have been working on a collaborative project to explore experiences and practices of place as expressed and situated in Calgary. Each of us approaches this project using different methods of visual research (e.g., photographic creation, analysis of archival or...

In 2000, for the first time in human history, the global number of older adults surpassed the number of children. Globally, the older adult population will continue to grow at unprecedented rates. The number of older adults is projected to increase to 1.5 billion by 2050. These changes have significant social and economic implications, and for futu...

Making communities more “age-friendly” has been an ongoing trend since the WHO launched its global Age-Friendly Cities project. However, research on how to assess and implement age-friendly communities in China is scarce even though China has the largest number of older adults in the world. The international research collaboration between the Facul...

Aboriginal women in Canada are at significantly higher risk for spousal violence and spousal homicide than non-Aboriginal women. Although the majority of Aboriginal people in Canada live in urban settings, there is a dearth of literature focusing on the experiences and violence prevention efforts of urban Aboriginal peoples. In order to understand...

Constricted definitions of resiliency have limited application to refugees who typically negotiate complex interpersonal, intercultural, historical, and geopolitical factors in order to overcome the challenges of flight, exile, forced migration, and resettlement. Researchers were approached by eight South Sudanese refugee women resettled in Calgary...

Feminist activism is multiple and contested. Feminist activism promotes social, political, economic, or environmental change through the use of a various strategies, actions, or initiatives enacted within micro, mezzo, and macro contexts. Although feminist activism is frequently associated with visible social or political movements such as equal pa...

The World Café (TWC), used as an effective conversational tool around the world, shares several tenets with other participatory approaches to learning and development. It has not been critiqued, however, for its insufficient attention to reflexivity, power differentials, and structural inequalities within its process, specifically in relation to TW...

Community Voices is a participatory action research study conducted in collaboration with people with lived experiences of homelessness in Calgary, Alberta to gather insights into service provision. Following convenience and snowball recruitment strategies, seven focus groups with members of the homeless community were conducted by trained facilita...

As a consequence of international migration, a large number of workplaces are becoming linguistically diverse. This creates challenges for the workplace integration of immigrants and increases the risk of their social exclusion. A systematic review was conducted to determine the effects of linguistic diversity on social integration of immigrants wi...

The primary objective of the qualitative study was to describe women’s resilience in older adulthood according to older women’s interpretations of their experiences and the contexts of their lives. Intersectionality and critical feminist gerontology served as theoretical frameworks for examining, interpreting and highlighted the dynamic nature of i...

Low-income preseniors represent a vulnerable, often overlooked population facing multiple challenges related to finding and sustaining employment, limited financial resources, mental and physical health challenges, mobility issues, and ineligibility for pensions and benefits for seniors. These issues make finding suitable, affordable housing partic...

The objective of this study was to explore housing insecurity among women newcomers to Montreal, Canada. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 newcomer women who had experienced housing insecurity and five women’s shelter service providers. The primary cause of housing insecurity for newcomer women was inadequate income in the face of r...

Climate change research requires integrative and collaborative research from multiple disciplines because of its complexity and sizeable consequences. Eco-social work has an important role to play. Relatively new, scholarship on eco-social work is growing and identifying ways in which the discipline’s unique values, theories, perspectives and pract...

Our design-based research project used constructivist grounded theory methodology to determine if specific pedagogies used in an online gerontological social work course stimulated learners " critical reflection and reflexivity. The purpose of our study was to describe the learning that occurred in response to an instructional design based on socia...

This article considers the use of participatory action research and Photovoice as a tool for engaging graduate level social work students in research education. Photovoice is an investigative tool that assists people in critically reflecting on the everyday social and political realities of their lives, enriching their understanding of their commun...

Social work students and faculty are increasingly embracing online education and collaborative teaching. Yet models to support these activities have not been adequately developed. This paper describes how a team of instructors developed, delivered, and evaluated an undergraduate gerontological social work course using a collaborative online teachin...

Increasingly qualitative research uses novel and multiple data collection methods, many of which have not been adequately documented or evaluated. This paper reviews the application of qualitative interviewing and emerging research data collection methods (photovoice, digital storytelling, design charrette and poetry) both individually and collecti...

Navigating settlement is complex and oftentimes stressful for international migrants. Transnational networks may provide support in addressing settlement hurdles, as may settlement or other community organizations. However, elements of the migration experience, including transnational obligations (such as remittances) and transnational networks, ma...

Participatory Action Research (PAR) is increasingly recognized within academic research and pedagogy. What are the benefits of including feminism within participatory action research and teaching? In responding to this question, we discuss the similarities and salient differences between PAR and feminist informed PAR (FPAR). There are eight themes...

Abstract Studies in residential care facilities suggest that routine screening can assist in the early detection of geriatric depression. However, the effectiveness of screening instruments in residential care in the US and Canada has not been adequately evaluated. We conducted a systematic narrative review of the English-language literature publis...

Background : Attention to the interaction between individual agency and the structural causes and solutions to repeated incarceration is important to create sustainable change. In order to create this change, we will need to work in new ways to investigate the issues and to collaboratively identify and implement solutions. Purpose : Arts-and commun...

Most studies describing youth engagement, focus on the positive aspects for youth development and the individual benefits associated with participation in youth engagement activities. Receiving less attention within the literature is research investigating the benefit of youth engagement for the wider community. This paper describes and analyses th...

While studies show that women are at heightened risk for violence during pregnancy, there is a gap in understanding the realities of pregnant immigrant women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper presents a review of the research on IPV of pregnant immigrant women, and examines specific ethical dilemmas that may emerge while co...

We examine the shelter experiences of women who become homeless for the first time after age 50 using data drawn from interviews with eight women living in shelters in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, or Halifax. The findings highlight ways in which shelter site, situation, and service delivery affect older women's shelter experience. Attention to the...

We know relatively little about the definitions and perceptions of elder abuse held by marginalized groups of older adults in Canada. The current study used focus group methodology to explore perceptions of elder abuse among marginalized groups such as Aboriginal persons, immigrants, refugees, and lesbians. We found both similarities and difference...

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to determine the role of transitional housing in ending homelessness for women and (2) to explore how gender-specific experiences of homelessness may inform housing service delivery models. Using a participatory research methodology, photovoice, and focus group discussion, nine women with lived experience...

The focus of this article is on the use of found poetry as a tool in qualitative research to examine the experience of precarious housing and homelessness among immigrant women in Montreal. Immigrant and refugee women exhibit greater risk for homelessness than women in general or male newcomers due to higher rates of poverty. Yet little is known ab...

The Caribbean region has high levels of migration, yet limited research exists on the effects of parental migration on children left behind. We searched electronic databases, websites and grey literature and found 20 studies examining the experiences of Caribbean children left behind as a result of migrating parents. Left-behind children of migrant...

The Caribbean region has high levels of migration, yet limited research exists on the effects of parental migration on children left behind. We searched electronic databases, websites and grey literature and found 20 studies examining the experiences of Caribbean children left behind as a result of migrating parents. Left-behind children of migrant...

This article reports on a study of the lived experiences of 10 women who participated in feminist activism within a grassroots feminist organization. The study analyzed the women’s narratives to determine how power shapes their subjective experiences in feminist activism. Their narratives were categorized into two broad themes: the intrapersonal lo...

When older adults with dementia are hospitalized for psychiatric treatment, which elder abuse screen to use is questionable. This article reviews screens to identify desirable characteristics. For clinician completion, the Elder Assessment Instrument and the Brief Abuse Screens for the Elderly are recommended. For the older adult, the brief Hwalek-...

Social work is a discipline that emphasizes personal contact and has traditionally been taught face-to-face. This paper examines whether online learning is appropriate for educating social workers about family violence. It describes a newly-developed online course in family violence and evaluates its effectiveness. Two surveys of the class and an a...

While various curriculum strategies have been presented for teaching research, little is known about the effectiveness of different teaching approaches. This study compared two models for teaching research to MSW students: a mentorship model (TM1) and a more structured, didactic model (TM2). Students (n=23) self-completed the Research Self Efficacy...

The aging population of Canada and the associated caregiving demands highlight the need for elder abuse research. The objectives of this article are to provide a review of literature while identifying recommendations and directions for future research. Significant gaps in the knowledge base are identified that preclude the development of effective...

To tackle the complexity of issues associated with homelessness, an interdisciplinary lens with direct input from service providers and community members is necessary. Within a community–university partnership between a larger inner-city multiservice shelter serving the homeless population, and faculties of social work and nursing in a Canadian uni...

The demands placed on human service workers in supporting people through challenging circumstances can contribute to high levels of stress and burnout. Self-care practices implemented regularly may decrease the impact of the high levels of stress while also serving as strategies for coping during particularly stressful times. The interconnections b...

Little attention has been paid to the needs of refugee children in Canada. The last decade has seen increasing numbers of Roma refugees settling in southern Ontario, and this qualitative study explored the needs of Roma refugee children in the education, health and social services sectors. We interviewed or conducted focus groups with 24 Roma and 6...

The literature examining the relationship between homeless individuals and companion animals is scarce. To date there are only five published studies, none of which explore this issue within a Canadian context or from the perspectives of women living in homeless shelters. The benefits of companion animals with respect to enhancing the psychological...

Adults aged 65 years and older represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the population in Western countries. It has been suggested that, with the increasing population of older adults, enhanced dependency and care-giving responsibilities there will likely occur a concomitant rise in all forms of violence against older adults (Fulmer, 2000;...

The voices of elderly people from marginalized groups are rarely solicited, and the relationship between elder maltreatment and belonging to an oppressed group has not been adequately investigated. This article reviews the literature on oppression and elder abuse and describes findings from the secondary analysis of data from focus group discussion...

In the twenty-five years since Canadians began to experience results of withdrawal of social housing programs at federal and provincial levels, we have seen an upsurge in the number of persons who are now numbered among the homeless. In a country of 34 million, we now spend between $3 billion and $6 billion dollars annually on a variety of supports...

Social work education accreditation requires the completion of course work specifically around issues related to oppression and diversity within society. Educators offer a range of approaches to engage students in discussion about oppression and diversity from academic content and structured curriculum to reflective practice and experiential learni...

This article identifies factors that contribute to the success of youth shelter and support programs. In 2006 seventeen exemplary youth shelters were visited in Canada (n=9), United Kingdom (n=2), and United States (n=6). Data was collected through one-to-one interviews with shelter administrators. The findings demonstrate that community relationsh...

The increase focus on the role of research in the social service sector, pressure for practitioners to engage in research and the demand for integration of research and practice challenges faculties about ways in which to engage social work students in research. This paper evaluates a research based practicum program within a social work faculty at...

This exploratory study examined the nature of therapeutic conversation between helping professionals and homeless persons as an intervention to optimize health. Meaningful conversation occurred in relationships where there was a sense of connection and the presence of rapport. Emergent facilitators of therapeutic conversation included respectful en...

In post-secondary curricula, the introduction of research paradigms that emphasize community inclusion and social action is increasingly valued by scholars. However, there is only a modest amount of scholarship regarding how the delivery of such material should be structured, or the challenges and/or successes with various course models. In this ar...

Reports on child health in Canada often refer to the disproportionate burden of poor health experienced by Aboriginal children and youth, yet little national data are available. This paper describes the health of First Nations and Inuit children and youth based on the First Nations and Inuit Regional Health Survey (FNIRHS). The FNIRHS combines data...

This study reports on the needs of impoverished and homeless women in Canada related specifically to a broad range of shelter characteristics. The findings highlight multiple factors to consider related to aspects of shelter site, situation, and service. Recommendations are made for shelter operators, urban planners, and policy makers to better mee...

Women confront unique challenges when faced with homelessness, not the least of which is negotiating how to express their sexuality. Research has tended to look at the sexuality of women who are homeless pathologically, yet in housed women a healthy sex life is an important predictor of happiness and well-being. The complex relationship between hea...

The interdisciplinary nature of social work scholarship results in theoretical and methodological fusions between disciplines. Literature relating to social work research, though, minimally describes the unique research designs and rationale required to conduct interdisciplinary research. Presented here is the qualitative research methodology util...

We employed participatory, community-based research methods to explore the perceptions of home among women who are homeless. Twenty women engaged in one or more techniques including qualitative interviews, digital story telling, creative writing, photovoice, and design charrette to characterize their perceptions of home. Analysis of the data reveal...

Few studies have examined stress reactivity and its relationship to major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among maltreated youth. We examined differences between maltreated and control participants in heart rate and cortisol resting and reactivity levels in response to a psychosocial stressor. We recruited 67 fema...

Shelter service has been a local response to the increasing prevalence of homelessness in North America and Europe. Prior research conducted by this research team using people- and- place theories and methods identified three interrelated factors that affect shelter success: community relationships, the built environment, and the provision of servi...

This paper brings together the (seemingly) disparate disciplines of Literature and Social Work to investigate issues of teaching lesbian representation, oppression, and marginalization. We will begin by exploring the ways in which such issues remain themselves marginalized in both Literary Studies and Social Work, and how these institutional practi...