David Este

The University of Calgary | HBI · Faculty of Social Work

This study adds to a small body of Canadian literature investigating the ways that newcomer women experience, and are impacted by, intimate partner violence (IPV). The study involved qualitative interviews with 15 newcomer women who migrated to Saskatchewan, Canada, from 12 different countries. These findings provide insight into participants’ comp...

This qualitative study adds to research on the experiences of professionals who support newcomer women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Findings from seven focus groups with 32 service providers from newcomer-serving and domestic violence agencies in Saskatchewan, Canada, include newcomer survivors’ experiences of isolation, th...

In Canada, there is a dearth of comprehensive literature on the specific needs for the health and well-being of racialized newcomers, especially for mental health in the rapidly growing Filipino-Canadian diaspora. Using two focus groups with 14 participants, this article identified the following themes: Filipino-Canadian men’s conceptualization of...

One of the basic assumptions underlying all traditional definitions is that diversity is a characteristic of an individual or a group, which is a problematic to groupwork. This paper explores Phases 1 and 2 of a multi-method research project exploring groupworkers’ understandings of diversity and how their perceptions impact their approach to group...

Despite its historic prominence in group work, there is little empirical research to support our understanding of the professional use of self in group work. This paper reports the results of a SPARC endorsed study, which focused on group workers’ experience and struggle with their professional uses of self in groups in responding to diversity. Usi...

Objectives The overall goal was to synthesize knowledge on actions that need to be taken to promote health equity and the mental health of Black refugees in Canada. Design Group concept mapping systems were applied to generate and organize action-oriented statements related to the different social determinants of health. A total of 174 participant...

The participation of men is critical to preventing domestic violence, however, there is still little understanding of the capacities and supports that men need for well-being and healthy relationships. A men’s survey was designed to explore and identify the capacities and resources required by a diverse population of Canadian men. Data was collecte...

Qualitative research including interviews with Newcomer women who have experienced intimate partner violence and focus groups service providers who serve Newcomers and victims/survivors of intimate partner violence in the Canadian Prairie provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba).

Family socialization is integral to the development of well-adjusted children, and parenting by two parents provides important resources. For many families, children are socialized in contexts where their biological fathers are physically absent. Unfortunately, these children are regarded as fatherless in the literature and social commentary. Drawi...

This article describes the role that spirituality plays in the lives of African Nova Scotians. Utilizing the results of two studies involving members of this group, “The Strong Black Woman Project” and the “Racism, Violence, and Health Study,” three major themes emerge. These include spirituality as a source of strength, spirituality as a coping st...

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...

Background: The available evidence on interventions addressing the stigma of mental illness is limited because of small samples, lack of diversity in study samples, and exclusion of people living with mental illness. To date, no published studies have evaluated anti-stigma interventions for Asian men in Canada. Aim This paper describes the protoco...

In order to amplify our understanding of, and embrace diversity in groups, the current study aims to develop and test a model of working with diversity that will enable practitioners to better respond to diversity present in their groups.

Multiculturalism is regarded as a key feature of Canada’s national identity. Yet despite an increasingly diverse population, racialized Canadians are systematically excluded from full participation in society through personal and structural forms of racism and discrimination. Race and Anti-Racism in Canada provides readers with a critical examinat...

To date, there is limited literature documenting contributions of people of African descent to Canadian social welfare history. Based on both secondary and archival sources, we critically explore from anti-Black racism and African-Canadian feminist perspectives, the contributions of the Coloured Women’s Club of Montreal (CWCM) from 1902-1940 to the...

Objectives To explore and understand the experiences and priorities of pregnant women living with fears and worries related to fetal/infant and maternal health, the birthing process and ability to parent the infant (ie, pregnancy-related anxiety (PRA)) in Mwanza, Tanzania. Design Descriptive phenomenological approach. Setting Two clinics in the I...

As Canada becomes increasingly ethno-culturally diverse, health and human services professionals are challenged to provide mental health services that effectively meet the needs of newcomer populations. Currently, there is a dearth of literature focused on the ways in which members of Sudanese communities in Canada understand or make meaning of the...

Presented at Faculty of Community Services (FCS): “Faculty Achievement Event”, at Ryerson University, Toronto, ON.

Grounded in the experiences of 30 gang-involved respondents in Calgary, this Canadian study examined criminal gang involvement of youth from immigrant families. Our analysis showed that gang-involved youth had experienced multiple, severe and prolonged personal and interpersonal challenges in all facets of their lives and that gradual disintegratio...

Limited research has evaluated interventions to reduce HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) vulnerability among lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) women, and other women who have sex with women. The Queer Women Conversations (QWC) study examined the effectiveness of a group-based psycho-educational HIV/STI intervention with LBQ women in Tor...

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...

The limited research that exists suggests that lesbian, bisexual queer (LBQ) and other women who have sex with women are at similar risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI) as heterosexual women. However, scant research has evaluated HIV and STI prevention strategies for LBQ women. The authors present the rationale and study protocol for deve...

Housing insecurity is a major barrier to leaving domestic violence; it may force abused women to live in inadequate conditions or to return to their abusers. Immigrant women face additional barriers. Longitudinal interviews with 37 abused immigrant women living in three Canadian cities investigated key causes of housing insecurity. Results show a n...

This paper explores the personal and professional lived experience of the first generation of university-educated African Canadian social workers in Canada. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 11 research participants, the life stories of these ‘leading edge’ social workers are examined. The aim is to understand the barriers they faced...

Since its inception as a country in 1867, Canada has been perceived as an immigrant nation. Factors such as the national and racial origins of prospective immigrants; the need for workers to fulfil specific labour markets; the availability of relatives in Canada; internal economic growth; recession or depression; international conditions affecting...

Critical ethnography was used as a pragmatic research methodology to explore the postpartum depression (PPD) experiences of immigrant and refugee women. We examined the social, political, economic, and historical factors that affected the help-seeking behavior of these women during PPD episodes. The critical ethnography method allowed participants...

The purpose of this paper is to present research on the effects of postpartum depression (PPD) on mothers, fathers, and children that point to a re-conceptualization of PPD as a mental health condition that affects the whole family. As such, the objectives of this paper are to discuss: (1) the incidence and effects of PPD on mothers and fathers; (2...

An emerging concern for health care providers is how to assist immigrant and refugee women adapt to a new milieu and to cope with postpartum depression (PPD). Thirty women were interviewed to find out their perspective on what factors influence their help-seeking behavior and decision making about postpartum care and what strategies would be helpfu...

Postpartum depression is a serious condition that can have long lasting traumatic effects on women and their families. Until recently postpartum depression research has focused more on the population as a whole rather than refugee and immigrant women. Informed by Kleinman's explanatory model and the postcolonial feminist perspective, 30 immigrant a...

Abstract This qualitative, community-based research study explored the influence of gender on community perceptions of HIV/AIDS service needs among African immigrant men and women in Calgary, Canada. A total of 41 key informant participants (24 male, 17 female) from 14 sub-Saharan countries completed individual, semi-structured interviews. Thematic...

We sought to explore the professional, personal and community domains of physician retention in 4 rural communities in Alberta and to develop a preliminary framework for physician retention. We used a qualitative, collective case study design to study 4 rural communities (cases) in Alberta that retained family physicians for 4 years or longer. Part...

There is consensus that supporting fathers' involvement in their children's care is essential and that nurses can play an important role, facilitating this process. There is little evidence about how nurses' education as family nurses enable them to work with fathers. This study aimed to explore undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of their...

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...

It is estimated that 37% of Canadians experience some types of mental health problem. As a result of the migration process, many immigrant and refugee women suffer serious mental illness such as depression, schizophrenia, posttraumatic stress disorder, suicide, and psychosis. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study, informed by the ecolog...

As they attempt to settle in and adapt to Canadian society, refugee women may not only have experienced war or state violence, some may also be survivors of intimate partner violence. Through in-depth interviews with five refugee women, this article explores the impact of these forms of violence on the participants. Insights focused on the nature o...

Objectives: This article examines family and social factors that affect refugee mental health during resettlement by presenting qualitative analysis of the concept of home and its functional and psychological meanings based on findings from research with Sudanese refugees in Canada. Design: Data were collected in two successive multi-method, com...

As part of a larger case study exploring physician retention factors and strategies employed by rural communities, the objective of this analysis was to explore the community factors that promoted physician retention. A qualitative, collective case study design was employed to study four rural communities (cases) in Alberta that retained family phy...

In their effort to adapt to life in Canada, immigrant and refugee fathers encounter several stressors, including underemployment and role changes within their families. Through a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with fourteen Russian immigrant and twenty Sudanese refugee men in Canada, the authors examine the perceptions and experien...

Résumé Un nombre significatif de chercheurs et de cliniciens portent attention au développement du rôle du père dans la famille, particulièrement sous l’angle de l’engagement paternel. Pourtant, l’examen pancanadien des curriculums d’enseignement universitaire en soins infirmiers effectué en 2002 a révélé que dans 68 institutions offrant la formati...

This article discusses existing issues in social work research education. It includes challenges to delivering research education at the MSW level such as student anxiety and disinterest, and incorporates an exploration of post graduation interest in research. The authors recommend that professors increase the emphasis on practical applications of...

As they attempt to settle and adapt into Canadian society, new immigrants and/or refugees fathers face multiple stressors, some of which include underemployment or unemployment, social isolation, and changing roles within the family. Through a qualitative research involving in-depth interviews with 20 Sudanese refugee men recruited through a criter...

Since 1970, there have been numerous contributions to the discipline of Black Canadian history. This article assesses the work of a number of historians and other social scientists in the literature. Each of the authors clearly acknowledges that Black Canadians have experienced racism and discrimination since their arrival in Canada and discusses h...

The trend toward multidisciplinary research funding and partnerships brings together researchers with diverse perspectives. However, guidelines for effective supervision in multidisciplinary research are lacking. The New Canadian Children and Youth Study is described as an example of multidisciplinary, multi-site research involving researchers and...

Family mediation includes working with peoples of diverse cultures. Mediators need to learn about other cultures and become creative in their work with clients with diverse backgrounds. Using examples from Vietnamese, Pakistani, and Ismaili communities, this article discusses ways mediators can enhance their ability to work with people from differe...

Existing studies have elaborated on personal and structural factors that shape the prevalent reality of occupational dislocation, underemployment, and unemployment among foreign-trained immigrant professionals. Complementing the current literature, this study explores how some immigrants manage to re-establish themselves as professionals in Canada....

Most immigration studies focus on the negative consequences of immigration for families and for parenting. Immigration is also viewed as a factor that undermines fathers’ capacity to implement their fathering roles. The impact of immigration on fathers has received very little attention. This paper is based on 54 interviews with immigrant fathers t...

This article examines the role that Union United Church, the oldest Black church in Montreal, Quebec, played as a social welfare institution from 1907 to 1940 during the establishment of the city’s Black community. The Union Church and its affiliated church groups played a significant role in the Black community. As a social welfare institution, it...

Paternal disengagement has been identified as a key risk factor for Canadian children. Prior to this study, the specific barriers to paternal engagement facing immigrant and refugee fathers had not been studied or identified, nor had strategies been developed to ensure that the needs of this population are met in new and existing services. The desi...

Advancements in computer software have lead to increased use of computers to assist researchers with qualitative data analysis. This article explores the process of teaching and learning qualitative research with and without the use of software, based on the experiences of students and instructors in a graduate-level research course. The authors co...

L'immigration continue d'être d'une importance primordiale pour le Canada. Dans le Rapport annuel au Parlement sur l'immigration 2008, Jason Kenney, ministre de la Citoyenneté, de l'Immigration et du Multiculturalisme, a déclaré : «L'immigration renforce et vivifie notre société, enrichit notre culture, appuie l'engagement international du Canada p...

In theory, boards of directors of nonprofit organizations are thought to be instrumental in their agency’s effective functioning, and the available professional literature supports this perception. The board’s supposed duties are usually listed for members and others in the form of impressively-worded declarations of intent. Board members are expec...