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© 2022. This work is licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization World Mental Health International College Student (WMH-ICS) initiative aims to screen for mental health and substance use problems among postsecondary students on a global scale as well as to develop and evaluate evidence-based preventive and ameliorative interventions for this population. This protocol paper presents the Canadian version of the WMH-ICS survey, detailing the adapted survey instrument, the unique weekly cross-sectional administration, the multitiered recruitment strategy, and the associated risk mitigation protocols.

Objective: This paper aims to provide a methodological resource for researchers conducting cross-national comparisons of WMH-ICS data, as well as to serve as a useful guide for those interested in replicating the outlined cross-sectional methodology to better understand how mental health and substance use vary over time among university students.

Methods: The online survey is based on the WMH-ICS survey instrument, modified to the Canadian context by the addition of questions pertaining to Canadian-based guidelines and the translation of the survey to Canadian French. The survey is administered through the Qualtrics survey platform and is sent to an independent stratified random sample of 350 students per site weekly, followed by two reminder emails. Upon survey closure every week, a random subsample of 70 nonresponders are followed up with via phone or through a personal email in an effort to decrease nonresponder bias. The survey is accompanied by an extensive risk mitigation protocol that stratifies respondents by the level of need and provides tailored service recommendations, including a facilitated expedited appointment to student counseling services for those at increased risk of suicide. The anticipated sample size is approximately 5500 students per site per year.

Results: In February 2020, the Canadian survey was deployed at the University of British Columbia. This was followed by deployment at Simon Fraser University (November 2020), McMaster University (January 2021), and the University of Toronto (January 2022). Data collection at all 4 sites is ongoing. As of May 6, 2022, 29,503 responses have been collected.

Conclusions: Based on international collaboration, the Canadian version of the WMH-ICS survey incorporates a novel methodological approach centered on the weekly administration of a comprehensive cross-sectional survey to independent stratified random samples of university students. After 27 months of consecutive survey administration, we have developed and refined a survey protocol that has proven effective in engaging students at four Canadian institutions, allowing us to track how mental health and substance use vary over time using an internationally developed university student survey based on the criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition).

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR1-10.2196/35168

Details

Title
The World Mental Health International College Student Survey in Canada: Protocol for a Mental Health and Substance Use Trend Study
Author
Jones, Laura B  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Judkowicz, Carolina  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Hudec, Kristen L  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Munthali, Richard J  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ana Paula Prescivalli  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Wang, Angel Y  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Munro, Lonna  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Xie, Hui  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pendakur, Krishna  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Rush, Brian  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gillett, James  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Young, Marisa  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Singh, Diana  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Todorova, Antoaneta A  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Auerbach, Randy P  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bruffaerts, Ronny  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gildea, Sarah M  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; McKechnie, Irene  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gadermann, Anne  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Richardson, Chris G  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sampson, Nancy A  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kessler, Ronald C  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Vigo, Daniel V  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
First page
e35168
Publication year
2022
Publication date
Jul 2022
Publisher
JMIR Publications
e-ISSN
19290748
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2696739436
Copyright
© 2022. This work is licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.