This empirical research study examines the experiences of three male-to-female transgender teachers who transitioned genders, in three different decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s) while actively teaching within Canadian K–12 public schools. I utilize poststructural storylines to explore how these transgender teachers navigated the personal, pedagogical, and political and the survival and transition strategies they developed to become intelligible within their schools. Their storylines illustrate how they developed counternarratives to challenge traditional discourses of trans invisibility, silence, shame, and fear.

Background: Public safety personnel experience various mental health conditions due to their work’s complex and demanding nature. There are barriers to seeking support and treatment; hence, providing innovative and cost-effective interventions can help improve mental health symptoms in public safety personnel. Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the impact of Text4PTSI on depression, anxiety, trauma, and stress-related symptoms, and the resilience of public safety personnel after six months of providing supportive text message intervention. Methods: Public safety personnel subscribed to Text4PTSI and received daily supportive and psychoeducational SMS text messages for six months. Participants were invited to complete standardized self-rated web-based questionnaires to assess depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and resilience symptoms measured on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), respectively. The assessment of mental health conditions was conducted at baseline (enrolment) and six weeks, three months, and six months after enrollment. Results: One hundred and thirty-one subscribers participated in the Text4PTSI program, and eighteen completed both the baseline and any follow-up survey. A total of 31 participants completed the baseline survey and 107 total surveys were recorded at all follow-up time points. The baseline prevalence of psychological problems among public safety personnel were as follows: likely major depressive disorder (MDD) was 47.1%, likely generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was 37.5%, low resilience was 22.2%, and likely PTSD was 13.3%. At six months post-intervention, the prevalence of likely MDD, likely GAD, and likely PTSD among respondents reduced; however, a statistically significant reduction was reported only for likely MDD (−35.3%, X² (1) = 2.55, p = 0.03). There was no significant change in the prevalence of low resilience between baseline and post-intervention. There was a decrease in the mean scores on the PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-C, and the BRS from baseline to post-intervention by 25.8%, 24.7%, 9.5%, and 0.3%, respectively. However, the decrease was only statistically significant for the mean change in GAD-7 scores with a low effect size (t (15) = 2.73, p = 0.02). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest a significant reduction in the prevalence of likely MDD as well as the severity of anxiety symptoms from baseline to post-intervention for subscribers of the Text4PTSI program. Text4PTSI is a cost-effective, convenient, and easily scalable program that can augment other services for managing the mental health burdens of public safety personnel.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: First responders are confronted with traumatic event(s) in their work that have a significant toll on their psychological health and that may contribute to or result in post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) for many responders. Persons with a PTSI usually seek management therapies, which they hope will be effective. Evidence indicates that digital delivery of these therapies is an innovative, efficient and effective way to improve PTSI symptoms as in-person delivery. Objective: This project aims to implement and provide accessible, convenient and economical SMS text messaging services, known asText4PTSI and Text4Wellbeing, to first responders in Alberta, Canada, to prevent and improve the symptoms of PTSI among first responders and to improve their overall quality of life. We will evaluate post-traumatic symptoms and the impact of Text4PTSI and Text4Wellbeing on stress, anxiety and depression in relation to the correspondent's demographic backgrounds. Methods: First Responders who subscribe to Text4PTSI or Text4Wellbeing receive daily supportive and psychoeducational text messages for six months. The text messages are pre-programmed into an online software program delivering messages to subscribers. Baseline and follow-up data are collected through online questionnaires using validated scales at enrollments of 6 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks (endpoint). In-depth interviews will be conducted to assess satisfaction with the text-based intervention. Results: We hypothesize that participants who enrol in this program will have improved PTSI symptoms, increased or improved quality of life and significant reduction of associated stress, depression and anxiety symptoms, among other psychological concerns. Improvement will be determined in comparison to established baseline parameters. Conclusions: This research will be beneficial for practitioners and will inform policy and decision-making regarding psychological interventions for PTSI. Lessons from this study will inform the scale-up of the intervention, a cost-effective, zero contact therapeutic option to manage PTSI.

Background: This cross-sectional study explored variation of the prevalence of perceived stress, depression and anxiety among different self-identified gender identity groups in the Canadian population during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Anxiety, depression, and stress were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) respectively. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. Results: There were 8267 respondents to the online survey; 982 (12.0%) were male-identified, 7120 (86.9%) female-identified, and 92 (1.1%) identified as a diverse gender group. Prevalence rates for clinically meaningful anxiety (333 (41.7%), 2882 (47.6%), 47 (61.0%)), depression (330 (40.2%), 2736 (44.3%), 46 (59.7%)), and stress (702 (79.6%), 5711 (86.4%), 74 (90.2%)) were highest among respondents who self-identified as “other gender” followed by female-identified and then male-identified, respectively. There were statistically significant differences between gender groups for mean scores on GAD-7 (F (2, 6929) = 18.02, p < 0.001), PHQ-9 (F (2, 191.4) = 11.17, p < 0.001), and PSS (F (2, 204.6) = 21.13, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Gender identity differences exist in terms of the prevalence and severity of anxiety, depressive, and stress symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This finding highlights the importance of incorporating self-identified gender identity in medical research, clinical practice, and policy.