Kathy Georgiades

Dr. Kathy Georgiades’ integrated program of research, mentorship and collaboration seeks to improve child and youth mental health at the population level and reduce inequities in access to effective mental health care. To achieve these goals, Dr. Georgiades designs and implements epidemiologic studies of child and youth mental health and access to care among the general population and among underserved population sub-groups, including immigrants, refugees, racial and ethnic minoritized children and youth, as well as those living in socio-economically disadvantaged communities. These studies generate high quality evidence designed to address fundamental questions related to population prevalence, incidence and determinants of child and youth mental disorders and access to mental health care; and when repeated, provide foundational data that permit evaluation of child and youth mental health policies and practices. Inherent in all of her studies are close partnerships with policy makers, administrators and practitioners who use the evidence generated to facilitate data-driven and evidence-informed decisions related to the allocation and targeting of child and youth mental health resources and the implementation and evaluation of policies and practices designed to improve child and youth mental health and reduce inequities in timely access to effective care. 

Current Activities

Some Active Research Projects:

Canadian Longitudinal Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY 2023): This $3.1M CIHR-funded study leverages the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY) – a nationally representative sample of over 45,000 children aged 1-17 years with data collected by Statistics Canada immediately prior to the pandemic – to conduct a follow-up survey with this sample in 2023, when they are 5-21 years of age. This study will examine longitudinal changes in child health and functioning, before versus after the COVID-19 pandemic, and examine the extent to which changes in health and functioning are more prevalent for specific population sub-groups and communities. By documenting the scale of change in population health over time (pre- vs. post-pandemic) and by identifying sub-groups most vulnerable to ill-health, this study will provide policymakers and service providers with reliable, high-quality evidence to inform resource allocation, universal and targeted interventions, and mitigation strategies for future pandemic preparedness. 

Brief Digital Interventions in School Mental Health Settings: Brief Digital Interventions (BDIs) are online modules designed to assist students struggling with mild-to-moderate mental health concerns. The primary objectives of this project are to evaluate changes in student mental health concerns after using BDI(s) and user satisfaction with the BDI in select school boards in Ontario. This evidence will be used to iteratively enhance and tailor the BDI for use within school mental health settings across Ontario schools. 

Mental Well-Being and Help-Seeking among Refugee Children and Families in Hamilton: This study is assessing the mental health needs, barriers and facilitators to receiving care, and preferences for mental health support among refugee children and their parents/caregivers using a mixed-methods survey. Refugee parents/caregivers and children who have resettled in Hamilton, Ontario will be recruited. The findings from this study will enable service providers in the settlement and health sectors to develop culturally sensitive mental health promotion and prevention strategies, as well as reduce barriers and promote facilitators to refugee families’ access to mental health supports. 

Monitoring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response on the Mental Health and Well-being of Children (ON:PATH): This longitudinal study  is designed to monitor the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic response on the mental health and well-being of children and families in Ontario by following a representative sample of 1,200 children and youth (4-17 years) and their primary care giver across 5 different timepoints during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study  serves as a foundation for comprehensive, integrative knowledge-translation efforts that support evidence-informed policymaking by engaging policymakers, stakeholders, researchers and citizens. 

Thriving Together: Assessing the Mental Health Needs of Newcomer Students and their Families: This study will assess the mental health needs of newcomer children and families, including levels and types of common mental health concerns, mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, barriers and facilitators to receiving care, and sources of strength and resilience using a community-based participatory study framework.  The results from this study will be used to inform a strategic framework for developing, implementing, and evaluating mental health promotion and prevention interventions for newcomer children and families. 

Publications

Five Most Impactful Publications:

Aitken, M., Perquier, F., Haltigan, J.D., Wang, L., Andrade, B.F., Battaglia, M., Szatmari, P., & Georgiades, K. (2023). Individual- and family-level associations between child psychopathology and parenting. Development and Psychopathology. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579423000202 

Kamali, M*., Edwards, J*., Anderson, J., Duku, E., & Georgiades, K. (2022). Social disparities in mental health service use among children and youth in Ontario: evidence from a general, population-based survey. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. doi:10.1177/07067437221144630 

Georgiades, K., Duncan, L., Wang, L., Comeau, J., Boyle, M. H. & the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Team. (2019). Six-month prevalence of mental disorders and service contacts among children and youth in Ontario: Evidence from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(4), 246-255. Doi: 10.1177/0706743719830024.

Sim, A*., Georgiades, K. (2022). Neighbourhood and family correlates of immigrant children’s mental health: results from a population-based cross-sectional survey. BMC Psychiatry. doi: 10.1186/s12888-04096-7

Edwards, J*., Wang, L., Duncan, L., Comeau, J., Anderson, K.K., & Georgiades, K. (2022). Characterizing children and youth contacting mental health services: a survey and health administrative data linkage study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 16(48). doi: 10.1186/s13034-022-00483-w. 

To read more from Dr. Kathy Georgiades: https://experts.mcmaster.ca/display/georgik