Exploring the Gap: The Gender Pay Gap Amongst Psychologists

“Over the years, the number of women pursuing psychology as a career has greatly increased (Sentell et al., 2001). Despite the growing number of women in the field of psychology, there is still an evident pay gap depending upon gender. The same is true with many other professions (Sentell et al., 2001). The gender pay gap is defined here as the difference in women’s earnings in relation to the earnings of men (Pelletier et al., 2019). It is derived from outdated societal attitudes and beliefs about the place and value of women in the workplace (Government of New Brunswick, n.d.).”

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Effects of Social Media on Body Image in Young Adults

“Society is used to the negative impacts of impossibly thin, airbrushed models on the covers of magazines. Even if people know it is not realistic, it sets a precedent for beauty standards - it feels like something people should strive towards. But what happens in a digital age with consistent opportunities for comparison?”

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Social Determinants of Health, Indigenous Communities and COVID-19: How has physical environment and access to healthcare influenced Indigenous health & wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic?

“The rise of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has exposed many barriers to healthcare experienced by Indigenous people and emphasized the “Social Determinants of Health.” COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted marginalized Indigenous communities, resulting in poorer overall health outcomes. This includes Indigenous peoples who live on-reserve or off-reserve and who might be status or non-status.”

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The need to better understand the interactions of legalized cannabis and mental health

“Cannabis is one of the most commonly used recreational substances globally and the second-most used in Canada (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, 2007). Since its legalization in 2018, which permitted the sale (from government sanctioned locations), growth and recreational use for citizens of legal age (Cannabis Act, 2018), its recreational and therapeutic usage has increased (Statistics Canada, 2019). Pain, anxiety, and depression are the most common indications for the therapeutic use of cannabis (Sexton et al., 2016). However, the existing body of literature only supports cannabis’s efficacy in alleviating pain – not symptoms of anxiety and depression (Kosiba et al., 2019).”

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Forest Bathing: Nurturing Mental Health with Nature

“Though COVID-19 has led to psychological distress for many, there are a multitude of strategies to cope with stress and anxiety, such as reaching out to friends and family, physical activity, deep breathing, and even taking up a hobby (Canada, 2008). One unique strategy that has shown to have benefits for elevated levels of stress and anxiety is forest bathing. We are blessed in New Brunswick to be able to make use of this emerging strategy in our expansive green outdoors to improve our mental health.”

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Ambient Activities for an Aging Population

“Residents affected by dementia in long term care (LTC) facilities often experience a lack of engagement and interaction. Whether it is due to the strain put on LTC workers, or extenuating circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, this lack of stimulation can lead to disruptive behaviours and can impact their emotional well-being.”

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The Reality of Family Violence in Canada: One Student’s Impact on Family Violence Research

“In Emma Robinson’s time at the University of New Brunswick, she has made an impactful difference at the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research at UNB (MMFC). Before she arrived at UNB to pursue a Masters in Sociology, Emma completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in English and Theatre Studies. Gender studies was an area that Emma was captivated by, which eventually led her to learning extensively about the world of domestic and sexual violence. Emma’s Master’s studies have centred around working with youth, women and Christian communities happening across a wide range of research projects at the MMFC, in the community and government.”

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Shades of an Acculturation Paradigm in Health Care: Race and Ethnicity

“Disparities between diverse population groups in effective healthcare treatments and outcomes may place certain groups at higher risk than others. In spite of development and advances in the healthcare system, prior research has proved the presence of disparities in the use of health services based on race.”

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The Role of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre in Family Violence Research

“While many people are aware of the term family violence, it is often accompanied by reluctance from society to accept the term as a present situation for individuals of many different backgrounds. The stereotypes towards family violence indicate that it is often neglected as it suggests the notion that it is an issue only for a small percent of the population. A common stereotype dictates that people of low socioeconomic status, for example, are the only people to experience family violence, which is not accurate. The reality of the situation is that family violence has no limits to whom it can affect, and it takes a heavy toll on society.”

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iGenNB: Intergenerational Living for Community Well-Being

“Intergenerational living is an internationally known co-living model where older adults and seniors share their homes with younger adults to foster a mutually beneficial living arrangement. In exchange for affordable living, the younger adults will provide household services such as snow removal, grocery shopping, running errands, gardening, companionship, and more.

Read this article to learn how iGenNB, a pilot intergenerational living program in New Brunswick, hopes to “improve quality of life, reduce ageism, and lessen the strain on community care services.”

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How a Mixed Methods Research Design Can Add Meaning to Our Findings in STEM

“The purpose of conducting research is to convey knowledge that is both accurate and applicable outside of a lab setting. Yet, as researchers we often limit ourselves between opting for one of two divided categories: quantitative or qualitative methods.”

Learn more about a mixed methods approach and how that can affect findings in STEM.

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Modernizing Economics: Internetization and the New Global Economy

As an economics professor at the University of New Brunswick, Dr. Constantine Passaris aspires to change how the academic community and general public view globalization. After the IT Revolution of the late 20th century, our society has transformed into a global village. With this in mind, Dr. Passaris theorises on his take of modern globalization which he calls "internetization" to best define this economic pillar of the 21st century.

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A Higher Grade of Education: Investigating Inclusion in New Brunswick High School Science Classrooms

Jeremy Smith, a Fredericton based high school science teacher, decided to focus his research on a problem he experiences daily. Smith explored the impacts of class composition on New Brunswick’s high school science classrooms to determine ways to enhance student learning. Research such as Smith’s shows that important research does not need to happen in the conventional setting to have an impact on important issues.

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Tools for Success: Building Tools for Better Quality of Care

With 19.5% of the population being aged 65 or older, New Brunswick has the highest proportion of older adults in Canada and it is projected that by 2026 this will rise to 25.7% of the population.  In 2016, there were 67 nursing homes, and 390 special care homes providing residential care. With a large proportion of the population living in long-term care, it is important to know how to care for patients and their needs, including choices and interactions between staff and the patient.

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Changing how Discoveries are Made

Science is built upon discoveries and building evidence to support a theory. Individual researchers publish results based on their data and then others use this information to guide their own research. The process works, but how efficiently? Does this methodology truly reflect the potential of the 21st century?

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