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Answering (or Not Answering) the Call: Young Individuals’ Attitudes Toward Policing Careers
(Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa, 2026-04-17) Sherratt, Kaila; Kempa, Michael
In the context of a drastic decline in recruitment to police agencies across Western democratic nations, the thesis examined the nature of young individuals’ current attitudes towards law enforcement careers. In addition, the study examined how these nuances and characteristics differed across policing careers in Canada generally and the RCMP specifically. Participants (N = 230) were asked to answer questions regarding their career aspirations and whether they planned on applying to a law enforcement agency upon completion of their degree. Afterwards, participants were asked to answer questions on various scales when thinking about a policing career in general versus one with the RCMP specifically. These scales examined concepts such as overall job interest and career outlook, apprehension about work-life balance, social disapproval, and mentoring. Some of the results were consistent with previous literature, indicating that men were more interested in a law enforcement career than women, and that the reputation and perspective of a police organization were barriers for some participants when considering a career in law enforcement. However, there were unique findings regarding mentoring, work-life balance, and the lack of alternative job opportunities, which are discussed. Specifically, participants who said they were going to apply and those who said they were unsure about pursuing a career in law enforcement reported lacking access to mentorship opportunities, which would have been impactful on their decisions. Younger individuals, participants not pursuing a criminology degree, and those who indicated they were not planning to pursue a career in law enforcement reported greater apprehension about work-life balance. Lastly, those who indicated they were not going to apply identified a lack of other job alternatives as an influential factor. This means they would consider joining a law enforcement agency if they could not secure employment elsewhere. This is true for policing in general and for the RCMP specifically. Overall, this thesis makes a significant contribution to the literature and provides new insights into how young individuals currently perceive policing careers. In addition, while not the primary objective of this analytic thesis, the results point to various policy interventions that could encourage youth recruitment.
The Effects of High Resistance Training Volume During Caloric Restriction Among Resistance Trained Individuals on Body Composition, Resting Energy Expenditure, 24-hour Total Nitrogen Balance and Maximal Strength
(Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa, 2026-04-17) Nait-Yahia, Samir; Doucet, Éric
Athletes employ weight-loss protocols to lower fat mass (FM) and maintain fat-free mass (FFM) for performance purposes. Under mass-stable conditions, high resistance training volumes (HVRT) have been associated with greater increases in FFM than low resistance training volumes (LVRT). However, less is known about the effects of HVRT under caloric restriction (CR). Therefore, it remains unclear whether HVRT could elicit greater retention of FFM and improvements in strength during CR. Objectives Determine the effects of HVRT and high protein intake on FFM and strength in resistance-trained individuals after a 40% CR.
Sub-Saharan African Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Experiences of Mental Health and Supports in the Ottawa Region
(Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa, 2026-04-17) Nguia Nyandja, Tiziane-Zeta; Chreim , Samia
Background. Literature on immigrant women shows they experience disproportionate mental health challenges linked to social determinants, raising public health concerns. Research highlights differences across racial and immigrant groups and emphasizes the need for intersectional services. However, few studies investigate sub-Saharan African women’s perspectives, including their experiences with mental health and barriers to accessing services. This study aims to provide insight into these critical issues. Approach. This study adopts a qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with 17 participants in Ontario from sub-Saharan African countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Participants, aged 18 or older, immigrated to the National Capital Region at different times. Interviews averaged 60 minutes and were analyzed inductively using thematic analysis as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006). This process involved data transcription, code generation, and the identification and refinement of themes. Study credibility was enhanced through rich descriptions, reflexivity regarding researcher bias, and member checking during the analysis process. Result. The findings indicate that sub-Saharan immigrant women’s mental health challenges are linked to their perceived success during resettlement. Although difficulties during resettlement shape the overall experience, mental health concerns are commonly influenced by life events such as childhood trauma, illness, postpartum experiences, or divorce, rather than resettlement itself. Participants expressed turning to culturally relevant forms of support, typically in the following order: prioritizing reliance on faith, seeking support from mothers, sisters and female friends, and occasionally designated cultural spaces or the wider community. The findings show that Western mental health services are accessed only as a last resort when other supports have not yielded relief. This study extends existing literature by highlighting the importance of alternative and culturally rooted support systems. Conclusion. This study explains limited use of formal mental health services, showing that limited awareness and pre-existing beliefs, competing settlement priorities, and reliance on alternative coping strategies reduces mental health prioritization. Formal care is usually sought only after individuals experience mental health challenges and find that alternative supports are not effective
Multi-Proxy Annual Profiles in Narwhal Tusks Reveal Biogeochemical Baseline Restructuring Under Rapid Arctic Change
(Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa, 2026-04-17) Brault Nikolajew, Shanie; Bataille, Clément
The Arctic is undergoing rapid physical and biogeochemical change, yet major gaps remain in our understanding of how these transformations propagate through marine food webs and influence the ecology of long-lived marine mammals. Climate-driven shifts in prey availability, sea-ice dynamics, and habitat structure shape diet, mobility, and contaminant exposure, but the ecological consequences of these interacting pressures remain difficult to disentangle. Similar isotopic and elemental responses can arise from changes in foraging behaviour, movement patterns, or environmental baselines, creating a central interpretive challenge for long-term geochemical records. This thesis uses incrementally growing narwhal tusks as natural archives to disentangle ecological change from climate-driven restructuring of baseline conditions. Multi-proxy geochemical profiles were measured along annual growth layer groups in two narwhal tusks from contrasting Canadian Arctic regions, Baffin Bay and Hudson Bay, spanning the late 1990s to early 2020s. Stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N in collagen; δ13C and δ18O in carbonate), isotopic spacing between carbonate and collagen (∆13Ccarb-coll), mercury concentrations, lead isotope ratios (206Pb/204Pb, 208Pb/206Pb, 206Pb/207Pb), and selected elemental ratios (Pb:Ca, Cd:Ca, As:Ca) were integrated with regional time series of sea-ice extent, coastal ocean temperature and salinity, and Arctic climate modes. Additional population-level δ13C and δ15N data from Pond Inlet narwhal embedded teeth and Baffin Bay beluga teeth were used to evaluate whether inferred baseline shifts are expressed across individuals, populations, and species. The dominant isotopic signal was a pronounced decline in δ15Ncollagen in the Baffin Bay individual, whereas δ15Ncollagen remained comparatively stable in the Hudson Bay individual. Mobility-sensitive tracers showed strong interannual variability but no sustained directional trends, indicating no long-term relocation sufficient to account for the observed δ15N pattern. In both individuals, Ba:Ca, Sr:Ca, and ∆13Ccarb-coll displayed consistent early-life structure, supporting an ontogenetic transition toward an adult-like feeding regime and changes in macronutrient routing. Bulk collagen isotopes behaved differently: δ13Ccollagen covaried with δ13CCO3 in both tusks, indicating a shared sensitivity to baseline carbon-system variability, while the contrasting δ15N records may reflect population-specific baseline forcing, potentially limiting the use of bulk δ15N as a long-term trophic indicator. Toxicological proxies showed contrasting trajectories, with mercury increasing through time in both individuals, consistent with trophic biomagnification combined with climate-sensitive baseline forcing, whereas Pb:Ca, Cd:Ca, and As:Ca declined systematically, consistent with changing exposure pathways driven by sea-ice loss, altered primary production, circulation shifts, and reduced atmospheric inputs. Lead isotope variability further indicated changes in contaminant provenance, particularly in Baffin Bay. Independent multi-individual datasets revealed coherent shifts toward lower δ13C and δ15N beginning around the early 2000s at the population level in narwhals and also in belugas, demonstrating that the signal extends beyond single individuals to multiple populations and species. The concordance of these records is consistent with an ecosystem-scale baseline driver potentially linked to climate-driven loss of sea ice and associated reorganization of carbon and nitrogen cycling at the base of the food web in Baffin Bay. In this region, the population-level decline in δ15N is interpreted as reflecting increased reliance on regenerated nitrogen and enhanced N2 fixation under declining sea-ice conditions, processes that would lower baseline δ15N values in primary producers and propagate upward to apex predators. Concurrent declines in δ13C are consistent with shifts in dominant carbon sources associated with reduced ice-algal production, enhanced pelagic phytoplankton growth, and changing CO2 availability, indicating baseline restructuring within the Baffin Bay ecosystem. Together, these findings establish narwhal tusks as high-resolution archives of both ontogenetic ecology and multi-decadal baseline restructuring. The integration of isotopic and elemental tracers within annual growth layers provides a robust framework for disentangling ecological change from shifting environmental baselines and for improving understanding of how Arctic marine systems and the species inhabiting them respond to changes in primary production, reorganization of biogeochemical cycling, ongoing sea-ice loss, and evolving contaminant pathways.
Understanding Caregiver-Reported Outcomes in Clinical Trials for Children with Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review
(Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa, 2026-04-17) Al-Baldawi, Yousif; Potter, Beth
Objective: To examine how caregiver-reported outcomes are incorporated in clinical trials involving children and adolescents with intellectual disability (ID), including alignment with regulatory guidance about observer- versus proxy-reporting. Methods: We conducted a scoping review, using a systematic search strategy and screening citations in duplicate to identify interventional trials in children and adolescents with ID, published 2019-2024, that included caregiver-reported outcomes. We extracted trial characteristics and outcome measurement instruments (OMIs) from eligible reports, analyzing OMIs used as primary endpoints. Results: From 8,167 citations, we identified 88 trials, 38 of which included a caregiver-reported primary outcome; 20 unique OMIs were primary endpoints. Caregiver characteristics, training, and OMI psychometric properties were infrequently reported. OMIs were not easily classifiable as observer- versus proxy-reported based on instructions and item wording. Conclusions: Clearer reporting of caregiver-reported OMIs in pediatric ID trials, including instrument characteristics and measurement details, is needed to improve interpretability and alignment with guidance.