Rehabilitation Approaches for Youth with Adjustment Problems (RAYAP)

Principal investigator

Nadine Lanctôt

Researchers

Delphine Collin-Vézina, Sophie Couture, Denis Lafortune, Catherine Laurier, Geneviève Parent, Katherine Pascuzzo, Miguel Terradas, Mathilde Turcotte, Marie-Pierre Villeneuve

Project status:

Ongoing

Years:

June 2022 - May 2026

Abstract

Our team's goal is to generate scientific knowledge that will contribute to the development of promising rehabilitation interventions to support the psychosocial adjustment of vulnerable youth aged 12 to 25. Our university team is firmly committed to studying the factors that promote or hinder the development of vulnerable young people and recommending the best practices to support their psychosocial adjustment. We have expanded our focus and are signing our renewed funding proposal with a new name: Rehabilitation Approaches for Youth with Adjustment Problems (RAYAP). While our initial programming focused on vulnerable young girls and women only, our team now includes all vulnerable youth, regardless of their sex and gender. Our scientific program is grouped into three areas. First, Axis 1 "Adverse Life Courses, Psychosocial Difficulties and Change Mechanisms" aims to establish the nature and extent of the consequences of adverse life courses on the development of vulnerable young people, but above all, to target factors capable of bringing about positive changes. Axis 2 "Experiences and Needs Regarding Rehabilitation Interventions—Perspectives of Young People, Parents and Practitioners" is dedicated to giving a voice to these individuals in order to understand the meaning they give to rehabilitation interventions, the role they attribute to themselves and the impacts they perceive. Last, Axis 3 "Effects of Rehabilitation Interventions on the Adjustment of Vulnerable Young People" will seek to evaluate the effects of interventions on young people’s development and adjustment. To meet these objectives, we will employ a variety of quantitative, mostly longitudinal, qualitative and mixed designs.   Our team’s expertise is recognized through our numerous projects and scientific contributions, but also through our involvement in initiatives for vulnerable youth deployed across Québec. The Special Commission on the Sexual Exploitation of Minors and the Special Commission on the Rights of the Child and Youth Protection are examples of the need for an in-depth reflection on the shortcomings of rehabilitation services offered to young people in difficulty. Members of our team have also been invited to provide their scientific expertise in major projects undertaken in Québec to improve the quality of these rehabilitation services: portrait of practices on the transition to adulthood of young people in care (INESSS, 2018), documentation of best practices in the area of runaways (INESSS, 2018), revision of the norms and standards of practice in youth protection (INESSS, 2020), and application guide for the use of supervision measures (MSSS, 2019). More than ever before, these initiatives justify the importance of our scientific program. Our team will continue to generate and disseminate new knowledge and to train the next generation of scientists at the highest level.

Funding Organization:

Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC) - Soutien aux équipes de recherche