Jean-Frédéric Ménard’s research while affiliated with University of Quebec in Montreal and other places

Research increasingly suggests that positive youth development programmes play an important part in preventing youth violence and promoting positive developmental trajectories. We conducted a focussed ethnography of LOVE, a social development programme aimed at supporting youth who have been exposed to violence. Building on a previous study's exploration of this programme's afterschool setting, we examined the programme's social functioning in school settings. Findings underline the role of playfulness—alongside an egalitarian/friendly approach, gentle authority/structure, strengths‐based support and a safe space to express vulnerability—to foster in youth the ability to feel free, confident/empowered, connected/empathic and positive feelings about school and life.

Background: Secondary use of health data has reached unequaled potential to improve health systems governance, knowledge, and clinical care. Transparency regarding this secondary use is frequently cited as necessary to address deficits in trust and conditional support and to increase patient awareness. Objective: We aimed to review the current published literature to identify different stakeholders’ perspectives and recommendations on what information patients and members of the public want to learn about the secondary use of health data for research purposes and how and in which situations. Methods: Using PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines, we conducted a scoping review using Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and PubMed databases to locate a broad range of studies published in English or French until November 2022. We included articles reporting a stakeholder’s perspective or recommendations of what information patients and members of the public want to learn about the secondary use of health data for research purposes and how or in which situations. Data were collected and analyzed with an iterative thematic approach using NVivo. Results: Overall, 178 articles were included in this scoping review. The type of information can be divided into generic and specific content. Generic content includes information on governance and regulatory frameworks, technical aspects, and scientific aims. Specific content includes updates on the use of one’s data, return of results from individual tests, information on global results, information on data sharing, and how to access one’s data. Recommendations on how to communicate the information focused on frequency, use of various supports, formats, and wording. Methods for communication generally favored broad approaches such as nationwide publicity campaigns, mainstream and social media for generic content, and mixed approaches for specific content including websites, patient portals, and face-to-face encounters. Content should be tailored to the individual as much as possible with regard to length, avoidance of technical terms, cultural competence, and level of detail. Finally, the review outlined 4 major situations where communication was deemed necessary: before a new use of data, when new test results became available, when global research results were released, and in the advent of a breach in confidentiality. Conclusions: This review highlights how different types of information and approaches to communication efforts may serve as the basis for achieving greater transparency. Governing bodies could use the results: to elaborate or evaluate strategies to educate on the potential benefits; to provide some knowledge and control over data use as a form of reciprocity; and as a condition to engage citizens and build and maintain trust. Future work is needed to assess which strategies achieve the greatest outreach while striking a balance between meeting information needs and use of resources.

The authors invite innovative engagement with the notion and exercise of children’s agency through work situated within the context of the Children’s International Summer Villages camp and theoretically grounded in both childhood studies and critical legal pluralism. By exploring campers’ participation in activities infused with law-related issues, the paper suggests that children can be understood as creators of law and thus as significant legal agents.

Background: Learning Health Systems rely on the secondary use of health data to improve care. Transparency regarding this secondary use is frequently cited as necessary to increase patient awareness, support alternative approaches to consent, and foster trust. Objective: To review the current published literature to identify different stakeholders’ perspectives and recommendations on what exactly should be communicated to members of the public regarding the secondary use of health data for research, how and at what conditions. Methods: Using PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we conducted a scoping review through several bibliographic databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and PubMed) to locate a broad range of studies published in English or French up to November 2022. We included articles that reported a stakeholder’s opinion or recommendations of what should be communicated to patients or members of the public regarding the secondary use of health data for research, how to communicate the information or at what conditions. Data were collected and analyzed using an iterative thematic approach with NVivo software. Results: A total of 178 articles was included in this scoping review. Communication was deemed crucial for many purposes including: a) educating patients and members of the public on the potential benefits; b) giving some control over data use c) as a form of reciprocity and, d) as a condition to build and maintain trust. Elements that should be communicated include generic content such as governance and regulatory frameworks, scientific aims and potential future uses of the data and specific content that is relevant to each person with regards to the use of their data. Methods for communication generally favored broad approaches such as nationwide publicity campaigns, mainstream and social media for generic content and mixed approaches for specific content including websites, patient portals and face-to-face encounters. Content should be tailored to the individual as much as possible with regards to length, avoidance of technical terms, cultural competence, and level of detail. Conclusions: This review can serve as a foundation for evaluating current communication approaches with regards to secondary use of health data or designing future strategies. Future work will be needed to assess which strategies achieve the greatest outreach while striking a balance between transparency and utilization of resources.

BACKGROUND Learning Health Systems rely on the secondary use of health data to improve care. Transparency regarding this secondary use is frequently cited as necessary to increase patient awareness, support alternative approaches to consent, and foster trust. OBJECTIVE To review the current published literature to identify different stakeholders’ perspectives and recommendations on what exactly should be communicated to members of the public regarding the secondary use of health data for research, how and at what conditions. METHODS Using PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we conducted a scoping review through several bibliographic databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and PubMed) to locate a broad range of studies published in English or French up to November 2022. We included articles that reported a stakeholder’s opinion or recommendations of what should be communicated to patients or members of the public regarding the secondary use of health data for research, how to communicate the information or at what conditions. Data were collected and analyzed using an iterative thematic approach with NVivo software. RESULTS A total of 178 articles was included in this scoping review. Communication was deemed crucial for many purposes including: a) educating patients and members of the public on the potential benefits; b) giving some control over data use c) as a form of reciprocity and, d) as a condition to build and maintain trust. Elements that should be communicated include generic content such as governance and regulatory frameworks, scientific aims and potential future uses of the data and specific content that is relevant to each person with regards to the use of their data. Methods for communication generally favored broad approaches such as nationwide publicity campaigns, mainstream and social media for generic content and mixed approaches for specific content including websites, patient portals and face-to-face encounters. Content should be tailored to the individual as much as possible with regards to length, avoidance of technical terms, cultural competence, and level of detail. CONCLUSIONS This review can serve as a foundation for evaluating current communication approaches with regards to secondary use of health data or designing future strategies. Future work will be needed to assess which strategies achieve the greatest outreach while striking a balance between transparency and utilization of resources.

In this study, 20 medical assistance in dying (MAiD) providers were interviewed about their experience when assessing patients with unmet needs, including medical, financial or social needs. Collectively they had experience with over 3700 MAiD assessments and found that unmet needs were rare. In the cases where patients had unmet needs, these were usually related to loneliness and poverty. This led to the ethical dilemma of providers deciding to honor their wishes for MAiD, knowing that some of their suffering was due to society's failure to provide for them.

We describe an ontological approach to childhood studies that we refer to as Childhood Ethics. This involves an interdisciplinary hermeneutic orientation towards examining the morally meaningful dimensions of matters that affect young people. We draw on our empirical research with young people from 3‐ to 17‐years old, examining their experiences in a diversity of contexts and geographical settings. Our investigations challenge dominant binary conceptions of young people along lines of decisional in/capacity and im/maturity. We argue for a view of children as active agents with meaningful relational engagements and participation interests and capacities and outline corresponding implications for research and practice.

There is developing evidence that more effective means for preventing violence should involve social development programs for youths. A focused ethnographic study was conducted over 8 months in a social development program situated in Montreal (Quebec, Canada), aimed at providing support to youths who have been exposed to violence as actors, recipients, or witnesses. The study included participant observation, interviews with youths and staff members, and a review of documents, to examine how the program operates socially and how these social processes affect youths favorably and unfavourably. Youths’ experiences with the program were meaningful by permitting them to examine and reflect on who they are, what they have experienced and how to “connect” with others. The safe social space that was created by the youths and coordinators allowed for this meaningful engagement with the program, which led to outcomes that could go beyond the program itself and affected youths’ relationships with others, their self-perception, as well as their mental wellbeing. The program contributed to help manage some of the difficulties youths were facing.