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COVID-19 Research
Research
MSVU faculty engaging in innovative COVID-19 Research
COVID-19 has required us all to change the ways in which we approach our daily lives . When the pandemic began, MSVU researchers quickly pivoted to study the effects of COVID-19 from a variety of different perspectives . Lots of innovative research has been conducted at the Mount over the past year; the following are a few highlights:
Dr . Janice Keefe
Researchers studying long-term care policies for family support visits during COVID-19
A team of researchers led by Dr . Janice Keefe, Professor in Family Studies and Gerontology and Director of the NS Centre on Aging, received $149,984 in funding from the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement to study the implementation of policies that support and hinder families as partners in care during the COVID-19 pandemic . The study involves partnerships with six publicly funded long-term care homes in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island that are implementing support visitations in line with their province’s public health directives . Interviews will be conducted with administrators and staff implementing the policies to identify the barriers and facilitators as public health measures evolve . Interviews with individuals approved in these roles will also be conducted to understand their experience, and impact on them and residents .
“This research is timely as public health measures continue to evolve,” said Dr . Keefe . “Our findings will be used to inform implementation and sustainability of support visitation interventions in long-term care settings across Canada . ”
Dr . Joan Turner Dr . Jessie-Lee McIsaac
MSVU researchers receive new CIHR funding to further research on impact of pandemic on families
Dr . Joan Turner, Child & Youth Study Professor, and Dr . Jessie-Lee McIsaac, Tier II Canada Research Chair in Early Childhood: Diversity and Transitions and head of MSVU’s Early Childhood Collaborative Research Centre, received an $80,000 grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to study the effects of the pandemic on families with young children . Using an online survey, Phase I of their research explored the early pandemic experiences of Maritimes families, including how young children spent their time, impacts on routines, emotional challenges, access to food and outdoor spaces, loss of services and changes to parental employment . Phase II, which the grant is supporting, will build on these initial results and incorporate a follow-up survey and telephone interviews with participants .
“The need to study family life during this changing time is critical to provide well-timed, relevant information on the resources needed to support early childhood development and health and will mitigate the potential impacts now and into the future,” said Dr . Turner .
MSVU researcher studying SARS-CoV-2 vaccination intent
In Spring 2020, Psychology Professor Dr . Christine Lackner was one of the recipients of MSVU’s internal COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants for urgent research related to the pandemic . Dr . Lackner launched a national study on families health intentions following COVID-19, specifically whether families will choose to vaccinate . The study’s objective was to determine the demographic (including socio-economic status, age and family composition) and psychological predictors (trust in science or authority, perceived risk/omission bias, and anxiety) of these decisions . Understanding intentions to vaccinate will enable policymakers and public health professionals to develop information campaigns targeting those with the greatest degree of hesitancy .
“It is important to study vaccination intentions in the family context as parents have been the driving force in the anti-vaccination movement and children, relative to adults, are less likely to be COVID-19 symptomatic, and, in turn, less likely to fully isolate,” said Dr . Lackner .
Dr . Christine Lackner
