Don't let things you have done define you!: An anti-oppressive constructivist study of youth voices defining wellness

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dc.contributor.advisorKhanlou, Nazilla
dc.contributor.authorChristmas-Krumreich, Candice Marie
dc.date.accessioned2024-03-18T18:04:18Z
dc.date.available2024-03-18T18:04:18Z
dc.date.issued2024-03-16
dc.date.updated2024-03-16T10:38:42Z
dc.degree.disciplineHealth
dc.degree.levelDoctoral
dc.degree.namePhD - Doctor of Philosophy
dc.description.abstractProblem Statement How health is defined and subsequently measured impacts programming. Who defines adaptive behaviour influences validation of youth mental health. Psychocentric discourses emphasize the “at-risk youth,” pathologizing individual behaviours and outcomes. Professionals devise definitions of youth wellness, rarely consulting with youth. Methods My study explored how youth from a small Canadian city define wellness within personal, relational, collective, and structural domains, to inform theory and practice around youth health strategies. Charmaz’s Constructivist Grounded Theory method was used. A critical, anti-oppressive theoretical approach identified power dynamics impacting youth wellness. Dialogical Action Theory framed pragmatic policy recommendations. Sampling was purposeful in locations where youth were present and snowballing used for recruitment. There were 16 youth aged 16 to 23 years with functional literacy of English, eligible to participate in semi-structured interviews (16) and two sets of focus groups (4). Results Youth self-identified by gender: six boys, six girls, and four gender diverse. Fifteen provided individual definitions of wellness; focus groups produced two co-created definitions. A holistic, ecologic model of meta-themes is a theoretical contribution to defining youth wellness. At the Personal Level, wellness was associated with competence, creativity, mindfulness, and self-care. At the Relational Level, wellness was promoted through positive friendships, empathetic kin, and non-judgemental “close” adults. Wellness at the Communal Level involved mental health supports, youth-friendly “safe spaces,” altruism, and social justice causes. These youth of the postmodern Information Age provided a wealth of practical advice around youth mental health, discrimination and stigma, safety, social media, substance use and homelessness. Policy recommendations include mediating wellness through early detection of languishing (e.g., depression, anxiety, and disordered eating); fostering empowerment through wellness literacy and youth voices in policy and program development; creating healing-centred engagement youth hubs; providing critical literacy skills to further social justice; and protecting the vulnerable and marginalized. Conclusion Of concern is the prevalence of stigma associated with mental health and substance use challenges and intergenerational trauma experienced by youth in this study. Youth wellness calls for whole-person restorative healing interventions, also extended to families and communities, given the collective nature of supports needed to foster healthy youth development.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10315/41916
dc.languageen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectHealth care management
dc.subjectHealth education
dc.subjectIndividual & family studies
dc.subject.keywordsYouth health
dc.subject.keywordsAdolescent health
dc.subject.keywordsChild health
dc.subject.keywordsHealth programming
dc.subject.keywordsHealth education
dc.subject.keywordsWellness
dc.subject.keywordsWell-being
dc.subject.keywordsAnti-oppressive
dc.subject.keywordsConstructivist
dc.subject.keywordsGrounded theory
dc.subject.keywordsGender
dc.subject.keywordsLGBTQ2S+
dc.subject.keywordsEcologic
dc.subject.keywordsHolistic
dc.subject.keywordsStrengths-based
dc.subject.keywordsYouth-friendly
dc.subject.keywordsSocial justice
dc.subject.keywordsInformation Age
dc.subject.keywordsMental health
dc.subject.keywordsSubstance use
dc.subject.keywordsStigma
dc.subject.keywordsDiscrimination
dc.subject.keywordsSocial media
dc.subject.keywordsHomelessness
dc.subject.keywordsEmpowerment
dc.subject.keywordsHealth literacy
dc.subject.keywordsYouth hubs
dc.subject.keywordsYouth shelters
dc.subject.keywordsHealing centred engagement
dc.subject.keywordsCritical
dc.subject.keywordsYouth voices
dc.subject.keywordsTrauma
dc.subject.keywordsIntergenerational trauma
dc.subject.keywordsVulnerable
dc.subject.keywordsMarginalized
dc.subject.keywordsOppressed
dc.subject.keywordsRestorative
dc.subject.keywordsWhole-person
dc.subject.keywordsCommunity
dc.subject.keywordsCommunity-based
dc.subject.keywordsYouth development
dc.subject.keywordsFamily
dc.subject.keywordsKin
dc.subject.keywordsSupport
dc.subject.keywordsSystems
dc.subject.keywordsHealthcare
dc.subject.keywordsPsychology
dc.subject.keywordsPsychotherapy
dc.subject.keywordsPsychiatry
dc.subject.keywordsViolence-informed care
dc.subject.keywordsTVIC
dc.subject.keywordsShame
dc.subject.keywordsHealing journey
dc.subject.keywordsHarm reduction
dc.subject.keywordsResilience
dc.subject.keywordsPolicy
dc.subject.keywordsHealth policy
dc.subject.keywordsEquity
dc.subject.keywordsKingston
dc.subject.keywordsDiscourses
dc.subject.keywordsDialogical action
dc.subject.keywordsMad theory
dc.subject.keywordsIntersectionality
dc.subject.keywordsConsent
dc.subject.keywordsSafety
dc.subject.keywordsParenting
dc.subject.keywordsSchool
dc.subject.keywordsCounsellors
dc.subject.keywordsMoral injury
dc.subject.keywordsLanguishing
dc.subject.keywordsCOVID-19
dc.subject.keywordsSocial construct
dc.subject.keywordsLanguage
dc.subject.keywordsYouth identities
dc.subject.keywordsHealth practitioners
dc.subject.keywordsIndigeneity
dc.subject.keywordsBehaviours
dc.subject.keywordsChoices
dc.subject.keywordsNormalization
dc.subject.keywordsNormativity
dc.subject.keywordsDiscipline
dc.subject.keywordsGeneration
dc.subject.keywordsGeneration gap
dc.subject.keywordsHealth intervention
dc.subject.keywordsKnowledge creation
dc.subject.keywordsCo-creation of knowledge
dc.subject.keywordsCulture
dc.subject.keywordsSalutogenic
dc.subject.keywordsPsychosocial
dc.subject.keywordsSpiritual
dc.subject.keywordsSpirituality
dc.subject.keywordsDomains
dc.subject.keywordsRelational
dc.subject.keywordsStreet-involved
dc.titleDon't let things you have done define you!: An anti-oppressive constructivist study of youth voices defining wellness
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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