Browsing by Author "Teale-Sapach, Michelle"

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Open Access
The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale: A Review with a Theoretical and Empirical Examination of Item Content and Factor Structure
(Public Library of Science, 2013-03-01) Carleton, R. Nicholas; Thibodeau, Michel A.; Teale-Sapach, Michelle; Welch, Patrick G.; Abrams, Murray P.; Robinson, Thomas; Asmundson, Gordon J.G.
The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) is a commonly used freely available self-report measure of depressive symptoms. Despite its popularity, several recent investigations have called into question the robustness and suitability of the commonly used 4-factor 20-item CES-D model. The goal of the current study was to address these concerns by confirming the factorial validity of the CES-D.
Open Access
Demographic and cognitive risk factors for police mental disorder symptoms
(SAGE Publications, 2019-12-17) Korol, Stephanie; Vig, Kelsey D.; Teale-Sapach, Michelle; Asmundson, Gordon J.G.; Carleton, R. Nicholas
The current study was designed to assess whether cognitive risk factors (i.e. anxiety sensitivity (AS), intolerance of uncertainty (IU)) explained variance in mental disorder symptoms in Canadian police officers beyond variance explained by demographic variables (i.e. sex, marital status, education, years of service). Police participants (708 men; 271 women) completed measures assessing posttraumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, IU and AS. Multivariate analysis of variance demonstrated that only main effects of sex were significant for all symptom variables, except SAD. Hierarchical multiple regressions demonstrated that AS and IU accounted for greater variance than sex on all mental disorder symptom measures, which suggests that cognitive risk factors explain more variance in mental disorder symptoms than sex. Efforts to reduce AS and IU may be beneficial for improving police mental health.
Open Access
Safeguard programs and mandatory mental health checks in Canadian police agencies: history, trends, and future directions
(SG Publishing, 2025-03-20) Handley, Kyle; Carleton, R. Nicholas; Deschênes, A.A.; Devlin, J.; Kamkar, K.; Lee, V.; Mackoff, R.; Martin-Doto, C.A.; Shields, N.; Stockdale, K.; Teale-Sapach, Michelle
This paper traces the emergence of Safeguard programs in Canadian police agencies and explores the research and methods of delivering routine, mandatory mental health check-ups to sworn and civilian personnel in positions with frequent exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic content or situations. A definition for Safeguards is proposed and future directions for police leaders and research are discussed.
Open Access
Self-Compassion Training for Individuals With Social Anixety Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2019-08) Teale-Sapach, Michelle; Carleton, R. Nicholas; Asmundson, Gordon; Martin, Ronald; Beshai, Shadi; Rector, Neil
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is an impairing disorder that is often chronic because many individuals meeting diagnostic criteria avoid seeking treatment due to the stigma associated with receiving mental health care (Olfson et al., 2000). Self-compassion is the ability to offer oneself kindness and compassion in response to failure, suffering, or insecurity (Neff, 2003a). Research evidence has supported the effectiveness of self-compassion training programs at improving psychological well-being in general community samples (e.g., Neff & Germer, 2013); nevertheless, research is needed regarding the effectiveness of self-compassion training in clinical samples. The current randomized controlled trial was designed to (a) examine the effectiveness of a self-guided self-compassion training program, and (b) determine whether self-compassion training can help mitigate SAD symptoms in a clinical sample. Participants with SAD (n = 63) were randomized to either a waitlist control condition, a 6-week self-guided self-compassion training condition, or a 6-week self-guided applied relaxation training condition. Measures of self-compassion, SAD-related symptoms, and other measures of psychological well-being were completed pre-, mid-, and post-treatment, as well as at 3-months follow-up. Multilevel linear modelling was used to test the effectiveness of the self-compassion program at improving self-compassion and life satisfaction, as well as reducing symptoms of SAD, general anxiety, stress, and depression in comparison to the waitlist control and the applied relaxation training conditions. Results supported the self-compassion training program as superior for improving the measures of psychological distress relative to the waitlist control condition, but not relative to the applied relaxation training condition. The self-compassion training condition appeared superior for ii developing self-compassion and reducing fear of self-compassion compared to both the waitlist control and applied relaxation training conditions. The results also supported the development of self-compassion as potentially beneficial for managing SAD symptoms. The current trial provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of a self-help self-compassion training program and provides the first evidence that self-guided self-compassion training is beneficial for individuals with SAD. Keywords: randomized controlled trial; social anxiety disorder; self-compassion; self-compassion training
Open Access
Sleep Quality and Mental Disorder Symptoms among Canadian Public Safety Personnel
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2020-04-15) Angehrn, Andréanne; Teale-Sapach, Michelle; Ricciardelli, Rosemary; MacPhee, Renée, S.; Anderson, Gregory S.; Carleton, R. Nicholas
Poor sleep quality is associated with numerous mental health concerns and poorer overall physical health. Sleep disturbances are commonly reported by public safety personnel (PSP) and may contribute to the risk of developing mental disorders or exacerbate mental disorder symptoms. The current investigation was designed to provide estimates of sleep disturbances among PSP and explore the relationship between sleep quality and mental health status. PSP completed screening measures for sleep quality and diverse mental disorders through an online survey. Respondents (5813) were grouped into six categories: communications officials, correctional workers, firefighters, paramedics, police officers, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Many PSP in each category reported symptoms consistent with clinical insomnia (49–60%). Rates of sleep disturbances differed among PSP categories (p < 0.001, ω = 0.08). Sleep quality was correlated with screening measures for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and alcohol use disorder for all PSP categories (r = 0.18–0.70, p < 0.001). PSP who screened positive for insomnia were 3.43–6.96 times more likely to screen positive for a mental disorder. All PSP reported varying degrees of sleep quality, with the lowest disturbances found among firefighters and municipal/provincial police. Sleep appears to be a potentially important factor for PSP mental health.
Open Access
Social Anxiety Disorder Constructs: Beyond Fearing Negative Evaluation
(University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-02) Teale-Sapach, Michelle; Carleton, R. Nicholas; Asmundson, Gordon J.G.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a severely distressing disorder that interferes with activities of daily living for 7-13% of the population, making it a significant mental health concern (Kessler et al., 2005). Pioneering cognitive models of SAD underscored fear of negative evaluation as a central cognitive construct contributing to the development and maintenance of the disorder (Clark & Wells, 1995). Other cognitive constructs have since been shown as predictive of social anxiety symptoms, including fear of positive evaluation (Weeks, Heimberg, & Rodebaugh, 2008), anxiety sensitivity (Rodriguez, Bruce, Pagano, Spencer, & Keller, 2004), and most recently, intolerance of uncertainty (Carleton, Collimore, & Asmundson, 2010). The current study extends Carleton and colleagues’ (2010) work by concurrently examining all of the aforementioned cognitive constructs and assessing those relationships within a clinical sample. Participants meeting diagnostic criteria for SAD are currently being recruited (n=40 currently completed, estimated final total of n=80 expected by early March) to complete measures of social anxiety symptoms and each of the constructs of interest. Analyses to date suggest intolerance of uncertainty (p<.05), along with anxiety sensitivity (p<.05), and fear of positive evaluation (p<.05) account for variance in SAD symptoms comparable to the variance accounted for by the classically hallmark construct, fear of negative evaluation. The results of such investigations provide important directions for clinicians (i.e., targets for cognitive therapies) and researchers (i.e., avenues for building comprehensive predictive models). Comprehensive results, implications, and directions for future research will be discussed.