Michaela Hynie

York University · Department of Psychology

Background Immigration inadmissibility on medical grounds is common among high-income countries. In Canada, the Immigrant and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) became law in 2002. With humanitarian protection as a priority, IRPA removed medical inadmissibility based on exceeding a cost threshold for the projected use of health and social services for r...

Purpose The purpose of this study was to understand the unique mental health concerns and access barriers experienced by South Asian Muslim youth populations living in the Peel Region of Toronto, Canada. Design/methodology/approach For this qualitative exploratory study, interviews (n = 15) were conducted with mental health professionals, educator...

Conducting research studies with vulnerable populations on sensitive topics such as adolescent pregnancy can be challenging depending on methodological approaches and ethical issues that may arise before, during, and after data collection. This methodological paper was developed based on experiences and lessons learned from a critical ethnographic...

Background Literature highlights barriers to mental healthcare access in the perinatal period, but none specific to Rwanda. The unique historical context of the genocide against the Tutsi may present distinct challenges. This study aimed to identify these barriers in Rwanda.Methods This study employed a qualitative interpretive descriptive approach...

Existing literature documents how older refugees are at risk of social exclusion and isolation, yet few researchers have investigated the social inclusion of recently (re)settled older Syrian refugees in Canada. Here we apply the social inclusion model to older migrants to analyze the social inclusion of 360 Syrian refugee older adults (51+ years)...

This study explored changes in shared decision-making roles (day-to-day, financial, and major life decisions) and their relationships to perceived stress among 148 Syrian refugee parents after resettling in Toronto using a generalized estimated equation model. Parents were categorized as “towards shared” decision-making for 20.3%, 23.0%, and 21.6%...

Objectives To explore the values, practices, and behaviours that support nursing students’ professional development in practice-based learning environments in Rwanda. Methods A focused ethnographic approach was used. Nursing students (n=12), nurses (n=11), clinical instructors (n=7) and nurse leaders (n=8) from three teaching hospitals and an educ...

Introduction: The intersection of gender, motherhood, and migration status creates distinct challenges for refugee mothers, but social support can facilitate their navigation of migration and motherhood. Taking a Salutogenic Theory approach (Antonovsky, 1979), we examined refugee mothers’ access to virtual social support during the COVID-19 pandemi...

Background The study assessed the association between language interpreter need and availability on satisfaction with healthcare services and trust in healthcare professionals among resettled Syrian refugees in Ontario. Methods 540 Syrian refugee parents who had resided in Ontario for an average of four years and had at least one child less than 1...

The new research report, Sustaining Welcome: Longitudinal Research on Integration with Resettled Syrian Refugees, interviewed over 200 resettled Syrian refugees each year between 2017 and 2020 to track changes in their integration experiences over time. Through this interview-based approach, the report offers one of the most detailed assessment of...

Do-It-Yourself assistive technologies (DIY-ATs) that can be designed, fabricated, or customized by non-technical individuals can enable people with disabilities and their community members to create and customize their own technological solutions. DIY-ATs may better fit user needs than mass-produced alternatives. Recently, researchers have started...

Background Canada’s approach to refugee resettlement includes government sponsorship, a pioneering private sponsorship model and a third blended approach. Refugees are selected and supported differently in each approach including healthcare navigation. Little is known about how well private sponsors facilitate primary care navigation and whether th...

Background Postnatal depression is a significant public health issue that demands attention, and recent evidence indicates that rates are relatively high in low-income countries such as Rwanda. However, lack of social support is recognized as a potential risk factor for postnatal depressive symptoms. This study sought to explore the influence of po...

Immigrant and refugee populations face multiple barriers to accessing mental health services. This scoping review applies the (Levesque et al. in Int J Equity Health 12:18, 2013) Patient-Centred Access to Healthcare model in exploring the potential of increased access through virtual mental healthcare services VMHS for these populations by examinin...

The “business self” has been theorized to contribute to a cultural disimagination that activist art has the potential to resist through societal critique and radical imaginaries. While scholarship has explored internalization of (neo)liberal subjectivity among professional artists, there has been little exploration of activist artist self-understan...

Despite the open policy of integration, refugees in South Africa have been experiencing increasing exclusion and discrimination in socio-economic development and from social services. State-sanctioned discrimination contributes to mistrust among marginalized groups toward the government and its institutions. However, public trust towards healthcare...

Negative self-conscious emotions (shame, guilt) may be a universal mechanism to support self-regulation to conform to social norms, which may be seen as part of the identity development process. They may work differently as a function of cultural differences in self-construal. The effect of cultural background on the self-regulation of shame and gu...

The Peel Region of Toronto, Canada is home to over a third of the province's South Asian population. Youth are at a vulnerable time period in terms of their mental health. South Asian youth populations may face additional challenges to their mental health such as acculturative stress, intergenerational conflict, and racism and discrimination. This...

Resettlement country language literacy facilitates integration and counteracts social and economic marginalization. Thus, access to language learning is a social justice issue. Resettled refugees in Canada are eligible for free English/French language training. Between 2015-2017, Canada resettled 47,735 Syrian refugees. We explored predictors of la...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health services rapidly transitioned to virtual care. Although such services can improve access for underserved populations, they may also present unique challenges, especially for refugee newcomers. This study examined the multidimensional nature of access to virtual mental health (VMH) care for refugee newcome...

People with disabilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) have limited access to digital assistive technologies (ATs). Most ATs in LMICs are manufactured elsewhere and are expensive and difficult to maintain. Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technologies (DIY-ATs) designed, customized, and repaired by non-technical users offer exciting direction...

Background Prevalence of perinatal depression is high in Rwanda and has been found to be associated with the quality of relationship with partner. This study extends this work to examine the relationship between antenatal depressive symptoms and social support across several relationships among women attending antenatal care services. Methods Stru...

Negative self-conscious emotions (shame, guilt) support self-regulation to social norms, which may be part of the identity development process. This study addressed whether cultural background affected this process. European Canadian (EC, N = 99), Chinese Canadian (CC, N = 86), international Chinese students in Canada (IC, N = 65) and mainland Chin...

The purpose of this article is to explore the existing intersectional knowledge on integration and resettlement of refugees with disabilities in two of the top five resettlement countries in the world, Germany and Canada. There is limited research on the intersection of migration and disability, especially in the context of refugee resettlement. Re...

Background Prevalence of perinatal depression is high in Rwanda and has been found to be associated with the quality of relationship with partners. This study extends this work to examine the relationship between antenatal depressive symptoms and social support across several relationships among women attending antenatal care services. Methods Stru...

Finding appropriate employment is a common challenge faced by refugees when resettling in a new country. For refugees with higher education, finding work commensurate with their skills and qualifications may be even more difficult. Refugees with higher education may experience more distress around employment because their expectations for employmen...

Aim The future of the nursing profession in Rwanda in large part depends on the students who join the workforce and the education they have received. Preparing students with the necessary knowledge, values and judgement requires practice settings to be learner-centered. This study aimed at exploring strategies that might improve the current practic...

This brief report explored trends of cigarette smoking among Syrian newcomers in the first two years of resettlement in Canada. 1794 adult Syrian refugees were surveyed about their physical and mental health, and smoking behaviours. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and logistic regressions. Almost 27%...

Background: Canada launched the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative in 2015 and resettled over 40,000 refugees. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of depression-level symptoms at baseline and one year post-resettlement and analyze its predictors. Methods: Data come from the Syrian Refugee Integration and Long-term Health Outcomes in Canada study (S...

Background: Perinatal depression and anxiety are increasingly recognized as important public health issues in low and middle-income countries such as Rwanda and may have negative consequences for both mothers and their infants. Maternal mental health may be particularly challenged in Rwanda because of the prevalence of risk factors such as poverty...

Unmet health care needs are under explored among refugees. Previously we found unmet health care needs in Syrian refugees may be higher than in the general Canadian population (Oda et al. CMAJ Open 5(2):E354–E358, 2017; Oda et al. J Immigr Minor Health, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0780-z). This follow-up study with Syrian refugees who...

Thirty-nine adults from mainland China (MC) and 34 adults of European descent from Canada (EC) were recruited and presented with five types of shame concepts (xiu chi, can kui, diu lian, xiu kui, and nan wei qing) and four types of guilt (nei jiu-1—harm to others, nei jiu-2—trust violation, zui e gan, and fan zui gan), which were based on Mandarin...

Islam is a monotheistic religion and is considered a way of life offering guidance and healing both within the public and private spheres of Muslims. Culturally sensitive counseling for Muslims requires integrating culturally grounded beliefs, faith-based values, and social norms into counseling practices. The goals of this chapter are to understan...

This study examined differences in the experience of shame and guilt in undergraduate students from mainland China (MC: collectivist. N = 39) and Canada (EC: individualist. N = 34). Participants were presented with five types of shame concepts (xiu chi, can kui, diu lian, xiu kui, and nan wei qing) and four types of guilt (nei jiu-1—harm to others,...

There is little longitudinal research that directly compares the effectiveness of Canada's Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) and Privately Sponsored Refugee (PSR) Programs that takes into account possible socio-demographic differences between them. This article reports findings from 1,921 newly arrived adult Syrian refugees in British Columbia, Ont...

Between November 2015 and January 2017, the Government of Canada resettled over 40,000 Syrian refugees through different sponsorship programs (GAR and PSR). Timely access to healthcare is essential for good health and successful integration. However, refugee support differs depending on sponsorship program, which may lead to differences in healthca...

There is little longitudinal research that directly compares the effectiveness of Canada’s Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) and Privately Sponsored Refugee (PSR) Programs that takes into account possible socio-demographic differ-ences between them. This article reports findings from 1,921 newly arrived adult Syrian refugees in British Columbia, On...

The participatory design, fabrication and customization of assistive technology can be an empowering experience for users with disabilities and their caregivers and teachers. These inherently creative activities can bring together multiple stakeholders and facilitate ongoing dialogues among them. We utilized a Do-It-Yourself assistive technology (D...

Psynopsis, Canada's Psychology Magazine, 2018. For access to the full Psynopsis magazine please go to: https://cpa.ca/psynopsis/

More people are currently displaced from their homes by war and conflict than ever previously recorded, and many are displaced for decades. As a result, there is increasing interest in promoting stable, if not permanent, solutions. The success of these solutions is in part evaluated by how well refugees are integrating into their new communities. I...

Integration is shaped by policies at multiple levels that can create support but also barriers to successful integration.

With the global increase in the number of refugees and asylum seekers, mental health professionals have become more aware of the need to understand and respond to the mental health needs of forced migrants. This critical review summarizes the findings of recent systematic reviews and primary research on the impact of post-migration conditions on me...

Objectives This qualitative study set out to understand the mental health challenges and service access barriers experienced by South Asian youth populations in the Peel Region of Toronto, Canada. Setting In-depth semistructured interviews were carried out with South Asian youth living in Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon), a suburb o...

In three studies we examined the experience and management of conflict between different types of multiple identities. Participants described a conflict between pairs of role, relational, or social identities before rating the experience (i.e., magnitude, stress, and growth) and management of conflict on a newly developed scale assessing four strat...

Background: Canada welcomed 33 723 Syrian refugees between November 2015 and November 2016. This paper reports the results of a rapid assessment of health care needs and use of health care services among newly arrived Syrian refugees in Toronto. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Toronto among Syrian refugees aged 18 years or more wh...

Technology specifically designed for people with disabilities is important in lowering boundaries to education, employment and basic life needs. However, the growth of a vibrant tech sector in Kenya has had little effect on the prevalence of digital assistive technology in the country. In this chapter, the authors report on initial explorations und...

Canadian immigrants can be without health insurance for many reasons but limited data exists regarding uninsured health outcomes. Uninsured Canadian residents were identified in the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System for all visits to emergency departments in Ontario, Canada between 2002/3 and 2010/11 (N = 44,489,750). Frequencies for main d...

This paper outlines the understanding of the connections made by Rwandan practitioners in the human social services between the application of conventional counseling training and local practices. Undertaken by a group of social researchers from three Canadian Schools of Social Work and academics and students from the University of Rwanda Social Wo...

The 2014 Ebola crisis has highlighted public-health vulnerabilities in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea—countries ravaged by extreme poverty, deforestation and mining-related disruption of livelihoods and ecosystems, and bloody civil wars in the cases of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ebola’s emergence and impact are grounded in the legacy of coloniali...

Millions of refugees have fled the conflict in Syria since 2010. But the urgency of the situation only captured the full attention of the media, governments, and the public once refugees began entering Europe in large numbers in 2015. Yet, even as our attention finally shifts to refugees fleeing Syria, it shifts further away from the hundreds of th...

Most analyses of the success and sustainability of community-university engagement initiatives focus on the university environment. We explore the impact of changes in the larger social and political systems on the community as well as those within the university on the meaning and use of a shared community space. The York University-TD Community E...

Previous research suggests that individuals of East Asian (vs. European) cultural backgrounds are more indecisive, and this cultural difference is related to naïve dialecticism, a lay belief system that tolerates contradictory information. The present research extends this line of work by examining a proximal mediating mechanism underlying the rela...

Background Common perinatal mental disorders (CPMDs) in women (depression & anxiety) are recognized as a significant public health concern. In African countries, CPMDs are most prevalent. However, there is limited evidence in literature about CPMDs in Rwanda.PurposeTo determine CPMDs in a selected district hospital of the Eastern Province of /Rwand...

Educators are being challenged to develop new pedagogies and e-learning platforms for engaging students, especially in higher education. Traditional Learning Management Systems (LMS), such as Moodle and Webct, have not, we suggest, offered sufficient innovation consistent with the new pedagogies required for education in the 21 st century. Current...

This article presents the findings from a community-based qualitative study that utilized an arts-informed method to understand the changes in refugee youth's roles and responsibilities in the family within the (re)settlement context in Canada. The study involved 57 newcomer youths from Afghan, Karen, or Sudanese communities in Toronto, who had com...

Strokes will become an increasing burden on the Canadian health care and social systems in coming years. Caring for people who have experienced a stroke is a challenging issue. The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) developed Stroke Assessment Across the Continuum Best Practice Guidelines (BPGs) to support the best possible care for th...

Introduction: Women’s migration is increasing globally. In spite of recent reports to the contrary, it is often believed that the lives of immigrant women and their families improve steadily after immigration, with enhanced health and mental health a logical consequence to settling in prosperous countries such as Canada. Main Body: When immigrant w...

Introduction: Maternal mental health has a significant impact on the health and well-being of both mothers and their children. Yet despite the prevalence and severity of unmet maternal mental health needs, mental health is often overlooked as a national health priority, and this seems particularly true in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs)....

East Asians exhibit naïve dialecticism, a set of worldviews that tolerates contradictions. As influenced by naïve dialecticism, East Asians are more likely to hold and less likely to change ambivalent attitudes, compared with European North Americans. If East Asians have a heightened tendency to see both positive and negative aspects of an object o...

Research partnerships are the foundation of successful engaged scholarship, which typically unites partners across disciplines, institutions, sectors, and countries. While rewarding and generative, these partnerships can also be challenging due to differences in expectations, power, and culture, and difficulties in trust and communication. This art...

This manuscript explores predictors of access to sexual health services among urban immigrant adolescents who live in Toronto, Canada. Surveys (n = 1216) were collected from pre-existing youth groups in community settings. A binary logistic multivariate model was developed to examine associations between access to sexual health services and a serie...

Due to experiences of forced migration, a large proportion of resettled refugee families arrive in resettlement countries with low levels of education, limited official language fluency, fractured family relationships, and less than optimal physical and mental health. These pre-migration determinants intersect with systemic barriers in ways that ma...

In two studies, we examined the relationship between self-aspects and socially engaging and socially disengaging emotions elicited by imagined and real physical health problems. In Study 1, participants imagined themselves experiencing a health problem described in a hypothetical scenario and rated the extent to which they would experience a list o...

Research with immigrant and refugee families consistently documents acculturation gaps and role reversals between migrant youth and their parents. However, debate exists over whether these necessarily lead to family conflict and distress. This question was explored in this community-based qualitative study through focus groups and interviews with 7...

Ambivalent attitudes are comprised of conflicting components. In response to this evaluative conflict, North Americans are more likely to change high ambivalent attitudes than low ambivalent attitudes. However, East Asians exhibit greater tolerance for inconsistencies than do North Americans. Hence, we hypothesized that culture would interact with...

Immigration can have powerful effects on gender roles and family relationships. In the present study, 102 Pakistani married immigrant women in Canada completed questionnaires on recalled pre-migration, and perceptions of current post-migration, personal autonomy in their family; life satisfaction; living arrangements (i.e., whether with in-laws) in...

Recent immigrants and refugees (newcomers) vary on many dimensions but do share similar challenges. Newcomers must rebuild social networks to obtain needed social support but often face social exclusion because of their race, language, religion, or immigrant status. In addition, most have limited access to personal, social, and community resources....

The effects of life stress, social support, cultural beliefs, and social norms on parenting styles were examined for mainland Chinese (MC), Chinese Canadian (CC) and European Canadian (EC) mothers of 2- to 6-year-old children. Authoritarian parenting increased with stress and traditional parenting beliefs and decreased with social support. EC mothe...

Current North American sexual standards allow women to be sexual within committed relationships but may still restrict women’s sexuality to a greater extent than men’s. We investigated whether these gender double standards interact with an age double standard that describes the elderly as less sexual than the young, to create particularly limiting...

Purpose The aim of this paper is to report on student perceptions of 24 graduate student internships funded in 2007‐2008 by York University's Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) Unit. These internships provided opportunities for students to engage in research with community agencies around real world problems. Design/methodology/approach The principal so...

It has become evident that sexual health and HIV-risk behaviours cannot be addressed effectively without paying adequate attention to constructions of gender and sexuality. While the body of literature examining these themes is growing and becoming more nuanced, there is still a significant gap in our understanding of the relationship between gende...

HIV and AIDS remains one of the most serious problems facing youths in many sub-Saharan African countries. Among young people in South Africa, gender is linked with a number of HIV-risk behaviours and outcomes. The literature suggests that factors such as socioeconomic status, intimate partner violence, and several psychosocial factors contribute t...