- Overview
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We live in a Canadian society that is quickly developing in social and cultural representation. With growing diversity, it is important for us to gain a complete understanding of how children’s social and cultural environments can influence their health and wellness. This knowledge is essential to address any challenges related to inequality and exclusion experienced by some, for example, in their encounter with the healthcare system. In addition, it is important to identify the constellation of strengths and resiliencies adopted by others, for instance, in how they live well with their health and mental health.
My research program focuses on better understanding the developmental, social, and cultural factors that shape children’s health and well-being and those of their families. Insights gathered are intended to inform the creation and delivery of innovative, culturally responsive, and personalized interventions for underrepresented and underserved populations. My research has a strong interdisciplinary focus that spans clinical, developmental, and social/cultural psychology, and is grounded in principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization. Furthermore, a critical component of my work is ensuring that people’s lived and living experiences are accurately captured in my research. Therefore, I prioritize community-based participatory research and patient and family engagement.
- Publications
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An Evaluation of Racial and Ethnic Representation in Research Conducted with Young Adults Diagnosed with Cancer: Challenges and Considerations for Building More Equitable and Inclusive Research Practices
Current Oncology
Sharon H.J. Hou and Anika Petrella and Joshua Tulk and Amanda Wurz and Catherine Sabiston and Jacqueline Bender and Norma D’Agostino and Karine Chalifour and Geoff Eaton and Sheila Garland and Fiona Schulte
DOI: 10.3390/curroncol31040166
04/2024Social adjustment in children diagnosed with sickle cell disease: A retrospective study
Pediatric Blood & Cancer
Hailey M. Zwicker and Taryn B. Fay-McClymont and Sharon H. J. Hou and Sara Cho and Kaelyn McDonald and Gregory M. T. Guilcher and Keith O. Yeates and Brian L. Brooks and Fiona S. M. Schulte
DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30807
03/2024Describing and Exploring Coping Strategies among Those Diagnosed with Cancer as an Adolescent or Young Adult: A YACPRIME Study
Current Oncology
Amanda Wurz and Anika Petrella and Joshua Tulk and Catherine Sabiston and Fiona Schulte and Jackie Bender and Norma D’Agostino and Sharon H.J. Hou and Geoff Eaton and Karine Chalifour and Sheila Garland
DOI: 10.3390/curroncol31020050
01/2024Navigating parent-child value differences: Capturing strategies used by immigrant parents from the perspective of East Asian young adult children of immigrants
International Journal of Intercultural Relations
Sharon HJ Hou and Saba Safdar and Ian R. Newby-Clark and Benjamin Giguère
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101902
11/2023Mental health and health behaviors of parents of survivors of childhood cancer in the early COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the role of intolerance of uncertainty
Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research & Practice
Sharon H. J. Hou and Caitlin Forbes and Sara Cho and Andrew Tran and Victoria J. Forster and Claire E. Wakefield and Lauren C. Heathcote and Lori Wiener and Gisela Michel and Pandora Patterson and Mehak Stokoe and Kathleen Reynolds and Fiona M. S. Schulte
DOI: 10.1097/OR9.0000000000000107
07/2023An Investigation of Social Status among Adolescents and Young Adults Who Have Been Diagnosed with Cancer in Canada
Cancers
Fiona Schulte and Sharon H. J. Hou and Jacqueline L. Bender and Joshua Tulk and Amanda Wurz and Anika Petrella and Catherine Sabiston and Norma D'Agostino and Karine Chalifour and Geoff Eaton and Sheila Garland
DOI: 10.3390/cancers15133436
06/2023Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Longitudinal Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life of Pediatric Donors
Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings
Sharon H. J. Hou and Mehak Stokoe and Hailey Zwicker and Morgan Young-Speirs and Wendy Pelletier and Gregory M. T. Guilcher and Melanie Khu and Fiona Schulte
DOI: 10.1007/s10880-022-09933-1
01/2023An investigation of cultural influences in survivors of paediatric cancer: a systematic review protocol
BMJ Open
Sharon H J Hou and Fiona S M Schulte
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062452
11/2022The Perceived Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health Status of Adolescent and Young Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer and the Development of a Knowledge Translation Tool to Support Their Information Needs
Frontiers in Psychology
Hou, S.H.J. and Tran, A. and Cho, S. and Forbes, C. and Forster, V.J. and Stokoe, M. and Allapitan, E. and Wakefield, C.E. and Wiener, L. and Heathcote, L.C. and Michel, G. and Patterson, P. and Reynolds, K. and Schulte, F.S.M.
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.867151
2022A Transdiagnostic, Modular Approach to Treating Pica in Young Gir,,,l
Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology
Moline, R. and Thomassin, K. and Hou, S.
DOI: 10.1037/cpp0000438
2022Exploring Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Posttraumatic Growth among Children Living beyond Cancer and Their Parents Using an Actor–Partner Interdependence Model
Cancers
Wurz, A. and Patton, M. and Merz, E.L. and Hou, S.H.J. and Cho, S. and Schulte, F.
DOI: 10.3390/cancers14030704
2022A systematic review of the effectiveness of behavioural treatments for pica in youths
Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
Moline, R. and Hou, S. and Chevrier, J. and Thomassin, K.
DOI: 10.1002/cpp.2491
2021A web-based adaptation of the quality of life in bipolar disorder questionnaire: Psychometric evaluation study
JMIR Mental Health
Morton, E. and Hou, S.H.J. and Fogarty, O. and Murray, G. and Barnes, S. and Depp, C. and Michalak, E.
DOI: 10.2196/17497
2020Integrating Delphi Consensus Consultation and Community- Based Participatory Research
Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning
Melinda J. Suto and Sara Lapsley and Anusha Balram and Steven J. Barnes and Dragos C. Ragazan and Jehannine Austin and Mike Scott and Lesley Berk and Erin E. Michalak
DOI: 10.15402/esj.v5i1.67847
02/2019Keeping pre-adolescents safe: Parental knowledge and safety promotion strategies
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
Morrongiello, B.A. and Hou, S. and Cox, A.
DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2019.01.002
2019Supervising for Home Safety Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) Testing Community-Based Group Delivery
Journal of Pediatric Psychology
Morrongiello, B.A. and Hou, S. and Bell, M. and Walton, K. and Filion, A.J. and Haines, J.
DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsw083
2017The Delphi Consensus Consultation Method: Using Community Engagement to Identify Effective Self-Management Strategies for Bipolar Disorder
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Sara Lapsley and Melinda J. Suto and Steven J. Barnes and Mike Scott and Erin E. Michalak
DOI: 10.4135/9781473992955
2017Effective self-management strategies for bipolar disorder: A community-engaged Delphi Consensus Consultation study
Journal of Affective Disorders
Michalak, E.E. and Suto, M.J. and Barnes, S.J. and Hou, S. and Lapsley, S. and Scott, M. and Murray, G. and Austin, J. and Elliott, N.B. and Berk, L. and CREST.BD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.06.057
2016Parents and tots together: Pilot randomized controlled trial of a family-based obesity prevention intervention in Canada
Canadian Journal of Public Health
Walton, K. and Jordan Filion, A. and Gross, D. and Morrongiello, B. and Darlington, G. and Simpson, J.R. and Hou, S. and Haines, J.
DOI: 10.17269/CJPH.106.5224
2015Creativity is linked to ambition across the bipolar spectrum
Journal of Affective Disorders
Johnson, S.L. and Murray, G. and Hou, S. and Staudenmaier, P.J. and Freeman, M.A. and Michalak, E.E.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.02.021
2015Implications for psychiatric care of the Word 'recovery' in people with bipolar disorder
Psychiatric Annals
Michalak, E.E. and Hole, R. and Holmes, C. and Velyvis, V. and Austin, J. and Pesut, B. and Hou, S.
DOI: 10.3928/00485713-20120507-04
2012 - Research
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Implementing a Clinical Pathway in Community Pediatric Practices
Many children who have severe neurological impairments and who are non-verbal, non-mobile, and have limited cognitive abilities, experience on-going pain and irritability of unknown origin (PIUO). This problem can be pervasive and disruptive to everyday life and activities. The Pain Pathway was originally developed and tested by clinicians that bring expertise in pediatric pain, complex care, and palliative medicine to manage the pain experience and healthcare for these children. This project aims to determine whether this tool, the Pain Pathway, can be used by general pediatricians in a community context. Guided by a patient-oriented research framework, we use a hybrid design to implement and evaluate the Pain Pathway in community pediatric practices. The goal of this work is to create a systematic, cohesive approach to better serve and reach this population of children and families living in British Columbia.Health Equity Considerations in Children with Health Complexity
Children living with health complexity are an equity-deserving group. These children and their families can face disadvantages in receiving accessible and high-quality care. However, we do not know how disability status, as related to these children’s health conditions, interact with their social and cultural backgrounds to affect their healthcare experiences and health. In this research, we seek to establish a foundational understanding of intersecting social and cultural determinants, including disability status, as related to health inequities in children with health complexity and their families. This work will help to identify the full spectrum of strengths and barriers faced by this group of children and families, and inform priorities for future research directions.Healthcare and Psychosocial Experiences of Racialized Youth Living with Serious and Life-Threatening Illness
Youth with severe and life-threatening illnesses, including diagnoses of eating disorders and cancer, have complex healthcare needs. However, there is an incomplete understanding in how these illnesses impact racialized and minoritized groups. In this research, we explore the lived experiences of racialized youth diagnosed with eating disorders and/or cancer, with a focus on the social and cultural considerations that are integral to the healthcare experiences, healthcare engagement, and well-being of these individuals and their families. The impacts of these illnesses may be similar or different in important ways that can in turn shed light on ways that we can develop and deliver tailored care to these youth and families. We use an intersectionality framework to capture the complex and dynamic interaction of culture and illness on youth experiences and outcomes. Outcomes will allow us to plan future care so that they best support the needs of racialized youth with serious and life-threatening illnesses.Grants2024-2027: CIHR Strengthening the Health Workforce for System Transformation Grant, Capacity Building in the Pediatric Eating Disorders Workforce: System Transformation to Improve the Continuum of Care, Co-Applicant and EDI Co-Champion
2023-2028: Canadian Cancer Society Emerging Scholar Research Grant, IMplementation of Physical Activity for Children and adolescents on Treatment (IMPACT): Adapting and evaluating individual- and system-level outcomes to support uptake, Research Team Member
2023-2025: CIHR Implementation Science and Knowledge Mobilization, A hybrid Implementation-Effectiveness Study on the Pain Pathway in Community Pediatric Practices in BC to Manage Pain and Irritability in Children with Severe Neurological Impairments, Early Career Researcher and Co-Investigator
2023-2025: SSHRC Insight Development Grant, Well-being and Vicarious Resilience in Healthcare Professionals: Cultural Considerations, Co-Applicant
2023-2024: BC Children’s Hospital Trainee Boost Award, Establishing a Foundational Understanding of the Intersectionality of Disability and Social/Cultural Determinants as Related to Health Inequities in Children Living with Health Complexity, Principal Applicant
2022-2024: Kids Cancer Care in Childhood Cancer Research, Surviving and Thriving: Creating an Online Follow-up Care Platform for Survivors of Childhood Cancer, Co-Principal Applicant
2022-2024: BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Clinical and Translational Research Seed Grant, Evaluation of an Innovative, Culturally Responsive, and Equitable Mixed Model of Care for Survivors of Childhood Cancer and Their Families in BC, Canada, Principal Applicant
Honours & Awards2024: Peer Mentorship Excellence By a Trainee, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
2024: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Postdoctoral Fellow Award, University of Calgary
2024-2027: Michael Smith Health Research BC Trainee Award, Michael Smith Health Research BC
2022-2024: Programs and Institutions Looking to Launch Academic Researchers (PILLAR) Award, Empowering Next-Generation Researchers in Perinatal and Child Health (ENRICH)
2023: Howard Research Publication Award, Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute
2019: Diversity Graduate Travel Award, Society for Personality and Social Psychology
2018: Certificate for Teaching Excellence, Council of Canadian Departments of Psychology
2016: Certificate of Academic Excellence, Canadian Psychological Association
2010: Chancellor’s Service Award, University of California, Los Angeles
Congratulations CIHR Spring 2024 Project Grant recipients
Congratulations to the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) and Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI) investigators and their teams who were awarded $5 million in funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Spring 2024 Project Grant competition.
