SWRC Research Projects
Please join us for presentations on research projects being conducted by faculty, students and community members.
Dr. Darlene Chalmers
Animal Awareness for Substance Use Recovery and Community Reintegration
Social Work Research Centre Seed Grant: $10,000 (2025-2026)
This project will use a patient-oriented research (POR) process to explore the expansion of the PAWSitive Support Program at Drumheller Institution. While the program was developed using a community-based program development framework consistently seeking input and guidance from participants, a POR approach is relatively new within federal correctional institutions. POR focuses on the prisoner participant in the context of the whole person and has been defined as a “continuum of research that engages patients as partners, focuses on patient-identified priorities, and improves patient outcomes” (Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research, n.d.).
Dr. Kara Fletcher
A digital hub for strengthening relationships: Confronting the challenges of conspiracy thinking and misinformation in Saskatchewan. SHRF Connections Grant: $10,000 (2025-2026)
This proposal aims to create an accessible, engaging, and evidence-based virtual hub to address the psychological and relational impact of conspiracy theories and misinformation on Saskatchewan individuals, couple and families. The team will create a website with practical resources and information on conspiracy theories and misinformation. This website will include information sheets, infographics, support resources and tip sheets to help users better understand what conspiracies are, how individuals can recognize misinformation, and ways to support loved ones and family members. This website will provide an important psycho-educational resource promoting healthier coping strategies and conflict resolution for family members and have potential positive impact on mental health and well-being.
Love in the age of rage: The impact of misinformation, conspiracy theories and political polarization on intimate relationships, a pilot study SSHRC Explore Grant: $5954 (2024- 2026)
The current socio-political environment has created a context for conspirational narratives about COVID-19, vaccines, election fraud and other counterfactual information. A belief in conspiracy theories has increased in Canada since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conspiracy theories have undoubtedly impacted intimate relationships. For example, a recent study on the impact of QAnon involvement on interpersonal relationships found that involvement with QAnon created a "malignant force" in relationships which caused distance and distress (Mastroni & Mooney, 2024)
Mental health and substance abuse treatment in a Saskatchewan context: Who accesses and benefits from treatment? Who is missing?
SHRF Establishment Grant: $117,213 (2021-2026)
The purpose of this study is to identify, in the Saskatchewan context, the characteristics of those who are accessing mental health and substance abuse services, what their treatment experiences are, the characteristics of those who drop out of treatment, and the reasons for dropout. In an effort to improve treatment retention and outcome, the Saskatoon Health Region implemented a clinically validated self-report program called Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS) which tracks treatment outcome and experience in a database called Better Outcomes Now (BON) (Anker, Duncan, & Sparks, 2009).
Stories to tell: A pilot podcast project for youth with lived experience of crystal meth use in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
SSHRC Insight Development Grant: $74,935 (2022-2026)
The project is a two-year community podcast collaboration between the University of Regina Faculty of Social Work, and community organizations Chokecherry Studios and AIDS Saskatoon. The objective of this pilot research project is to respond directly to the current crystal meth crisis in the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. We will do this by documenting the perspectives of youth (age 18-25) who have lived experience of crystal meth and polysubstance use through a podcast project. The potential benefit of doing this includes mobilizing a community with lived experience, reducing stigma through informing and including the broader public, raising awareness, and working to mobilize policy responses.
Dr. Sulemana Fuesini
Fathers in Transition: A Narrative Inquiry into Immigrant Masculinities and Parenting in Saskatchewan
Social Work Research Centre Seed Grant: $10,000 (2025-2026)
In Saskatchewan’s rapidly diversifying communities, grassroots organizations have observed limited participation of immigrant men in family-focused programs. Barriers include cultural mismatch, rigid scheduling, and perceptions of exclusion (Omidvar et al., 2022). Despite these gaps, few studies in the Canadian Prairies have centered the voices of immigrant fathers to inform policy and service innovation. By prioritizing narrative inquiry and community collaboration, this project responds to urgent calls for inclusive, culturally responsive, and equity-focused approaches to parenting support in immigrant communities.
Dr. Daniel Ji
Institutional resistance: How gender diverse adolescents and young adults view and respond to Saskatchewan’s Education Amendment Act (Bill 137)
Social Work Research Centre Seed Grant: $10,000 (2025-2026)
In August 2023, the Saskatchewan government enacted the Education Amendment Act, also known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights. One of the requirements of this Act is for parental consent when students under 16 wish to use a different name or gender identity at school. The Act is being challenged on grounds that it may invalidate many young people’s identities as well as several sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code (Clarke & Sorensen, 2024). Results from this study will be used to challenge Saskatchewan’s enacted pronoun laws using both quantitative and qualitative data. Formulation of policy and legislation which supports the healthy growth and identity of gender diverse youth requires data which show what factors name and pronoun laws play in the lives of gender diverse youth. Knowledge will be mobilized in the form of research articles, community friendly reports, and information/fact sheets to maximize reach to academic and professional stakeholders.
Dr. Lise Milne
Research in Assisting the Well-being of Pregnant Women. iA Financial: $10,000 (2025-2099)
The Child & Youth Trauma Research Incubator (ThRIve) Office of VP (Research) Innovation Fund: $60,000 (2024-2027); Canadian Foundation for Innovation: $60,000 (2024-2027).
Stemming from a SSHRC Partnership Grant on Child and Youth trauma, a need was identified to develop dynamic spaces across Canada for community-led research to be accelerated, actioned, and assessed. Currently, deeper understanding of the impact of trauma on children and youth is restricted by the disconnection between academia, community knowledge, and lived experience. The Child and Youth Trauma Research Incubator (ThRIve) is a multi- pronged network of labs to create conducive environments for collaborative, community-based research to be nurtured and amplified at the institutional level. Seven regional labs (including University of Regina), one lead lab at McGill University and one virtual lab are being established.
Exploring the optimal conditions for implementing a trauma-focused prenatal group program in Saskatchewan: Interrupting the intergenerational cycle of trauma
SHRF Establishment Grant: $119,958 (2022-2026)
This project will set to uncover the necessary conditions to successfully implement an evidence-informed prevention program in Saskatchewan - Supporting the Transition and Engagement in Parenthood (STEP) for expectant parents with histories of childhood trauma.
Research Chair in Intervention and Prevention Approaches to Support Child and Adolescent Health and Well-Being - University of Regina Child Trauma Research Centre (CTRC). Research Chair: $300,000 (2022-2025)
Dr. Michele Sorensen
Subgrant: Retracing, reimagining and reconciling our roots
(PI: Rita Irwin, UBC) SSHRC Insight Grant: $45,000 (2020-2025)
Michele Sorensen will design learning opportunities engaging with the themes of retracing, reimagining and reconciling our roots in university classes or community based settings. Through discourse circles, arts based experiences, and focus groups, those involved will address reconciliation among Indigenous peoples, settlers and new immigrants. Sharing the learning from these arts informed experiences will offer educators and cultural workers new insights into various forms of reconciliation.
Subgrant: Learning with the land
(PI: Rita Irwin, UBC) SSHRC Partnership Development Grant: $9,500 (2022-2026)
Learning with the Land: Learning with Respect is an International arts-based educational research project initiated by Professor Rita Irwin (University of British Columbia) celebrating and centring First Nations perspectives to challenge Western-Euro-centric understandings of Land.
Dr. Kedi Zhao
Older East and Southeast Asian adults' perceptions and coping strategies of anti-Asian racism in the post-pandemic era: A mix-methods exploration SSHRC Insight Development Grant: $74,346 (2025-2027)
Anti-Asian racism is a social issue that entrenches in Canadian society. The largescale anti-Asian racism that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe harm to East and Southeast Asian communities in Canada, particularly to older adults. However, how older East and Southeast Asian adults cope with anti-Asian racism after the pandemic is still not clear. Through a mixed method design, this study explores various contextual and individual factors that affect their perceptions and coping strategies of anti-Asian racism in Canada. It is anticipated that the findings from this study can help us identify the 9 evolving influences of anti-Asian racism on older adults from East and Southeast Asian communities, and explore how relevant services and policies can be improved to better support them and other racialized communities.
Conceptualizing East Asian older adults’ mental health struggles: The influences of anti-Asian racism arising from the COVID-19 pandemic SWRC Start-Up Grant: $5,000 (2024-2025)
This project aims to conceptualize East Asian and Southeast Asian older adults' mental health issues resulting from anti-Asian racism, an urgent social issue that still has not obtained enough attention in the literature. By focusing on theories that explore this social issue at the macro, mezzo, and micro level of context, this project can present a more comprehensive understanding of East Asian and Southeast Asian older adults' mental health issues caused by racism. This conceptualization can provide a solid theoretical foundation for future research and practice to continuously address such issues and promote the well-being of older racialized adults.
Navigating cannabis use as a cultural conflict: Understanding differences among Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China
SSHRC Explore Grant: $7,000 (2025-2027)
It is anticipated that findings from the study can uncover rich information on how the interactions between participants’ heritage culture and Canadian culture influence their perceptions of cannabis use. Particularly, various social factors from participants’ social and cultural contexts are anticipated to emerge and help us understand the contextual influences. Participants’ individual reasoning during this process can also be uncovered to highlight their proactive role in this navigation. Participants’ unique upbringings and their influences on how they perceive and navigate cannabis use as a cultural conflict will be expected to show from the interviews. Furthermore, the intertwined effects of their sociocultural contexts and individual human agency of exploring this cross-cultural context will be uncovered throughout the study. Findings from this study can show the complexity and nuances of navigating cultural conflicts in cross-cultural contexts. These insights can provide references for future research to continue exploring immigrants’ and migrants’ cross-cultural experiences.
Exploring international students’ immigration intention to Canada amid drastic immigration policy changes
Social Work Research Centre Seed Grant: $10,000 (2025-2026)
This study aims to understand international students’ lived experiences of navigating these policy changes and how their immigration intention has been impacted by these changes. Findings from this study can uncover challenges faced by this marginalized group and provide important insights into promoting social justice for them in Canadian society.