Inlight Network Publications
These are publications that Inlight has supported through funding, mentorship, and collaboration
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Digital Tools to Support Post-Secondary Student Mental Health and Wellbeing
Haley M. LaMonica, Ian B. Hickie, William Capon, Maya Ahia, Lexi Ewing, Wendy Lee, Frank Iorfino, Yun J. C. Song, Kristin Cleverley
7 October 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.70094
Snippet: Digital technologies have acted as a revolutionising force across diverse industries, including addressing health system and accessibility challenges (Botelho 2021). The scalability and cost-effectiveness of digital technologies are essential to meet the growing demand for mental health care (McGorry et al. 2024), enabling assessment, intervention delivery, and, importantly, routine outcome monitoring to…
One-on-one and group-based physical activity intervention compared to a waitlist control for post-secondary student mental health and social well-being: A 3-arm parallel randomized controlled trial protocol
Melissa L. deJonge, Sandra Yuen, Luc Simard, Catherine M. Sabiston
29 August 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0330851
Snippet: Physical activity (PA) service provision in the post-secondary context is recognized as important for promoting student mental health. Nonetheless, most evidence is of poor quality and lacks critical information regarding how the PA programs are designed, delivered, and made accessible to students. This study will examine PA program effectiveness for…
Perfectly to a Tee: Understanding User Perceptions of Personalized LLM-Enhanced Narrative Interventions
Ananya Bhattacharjee, Sarah Yi Xu, Pranav Rao, Yuchen Zeng, Jonah Meyerhoff, Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, David C. Mohr, Michael Liut, Alex Mariakakis, Rachel Kornfield, and Joseph Jay Williams
4 July 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3715336.3735810
Snippet: Stories about overcoming personal struggles can effectively illustrate the application of psychological theories in real life, yet they may fail to resonate with individuals’ experiences. In this work, we employ large language models (LLMs) to create tailored narratives that acknowledge and address unique challenging thoughts and situations faced by individuals…
Narrative Inquiry as Contemplative Methodology
Lauren A.H. Brown
July 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.241733
Snippet: This reflective essay describes how contemplative practices, including mindfulness, presence, deep listening, contemplative reading, free writing, visualization, bearing witness, and loving kindness, were engaged during my doctoral research study. As a novice researcher but experienced practitioner, contemplative practice guided my research and creative processes, allowing me to present a deeper understanding…
Support Seeking on Campus: A Qualitative Study of the Unique Experiences of Racialized University Students
Rya Buckley, Shutong Yu, Jessica Soliman, and Chloe A. Hamza
27 March 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000415
Snippet: Despite experiencing greater rates of mental health challenges, racialized postsecondary students are accessing campus-based supports at lower rates than their White peers. As much of the existing research pertaining to racialized students’ support-seeking at postsecondary institutions has focused on the barriers to access, little is known about the experiences of racialized students…
Modeling associations between physical recreation engagement and correlates of post-secondary student psychosocial well-being: Exploring differences among students living with and without a mental health condition
Melissa L deJonge, Catherine M Sabiston, Chloe A Hamza, Simon C Darnell
26 March 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102846
Snippet: The purpose of the study was to examine on-campus physical recreation engagement as a student-life activity for supporting post-secondary student psychosocial well-being, physical activity (PA) guideline adherence, and academic achievement among post-secondary students. The study aimed to: (1) test a comprehensive model examining associations between engagement in on-campus physical recreation, psychosocial…
Stepped care, stepped care “lite” & matching intervention components to individual mental health needs: A rapid scoping review of mental health and substance use interventions for post-secondary students
Sarah Brennenstuhl, Celeste Agard, Rachel Ho, Kristin Cleverley
25 March 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319473
Snippet: Stepped Care Models (SCM) and other approaches for organizing the delivery of services and resources by individual mental health (MH) needs are being increasingly implemented in post-secondary institutions. However, no consensus definitions exist of what constitutes a SCM for post-secondary students (PSS), and there is little guidance for evaluation of…
Frameworks Used to Engage Postsecondary Students in Campus Mental Health Research: A Scoping Review
Kristin Cleverley, Soha Salman, Julia Davies, Lexi Ewing, Emma McCann, Katherine Sainsbury, Mikaela Gray, Carrie K. Y. Lau, Orly Lipsitz, Sapolnach Prompiengchai
21 March 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.70144
Snippet: There is an increasing prevalence of mental health concerns reported among postsecondary students (PSS) and growing demands for care on campuses around the world, as such there is an urgent need for research and innovations in PSS mental health that engages PSS. However, best practices and guidelines for facilitating PSS…
Measuring perception of mental health care on campus: Partnering with students to adapt and validate the Youth Service Satisfaction Scale
Sarah Brennenstuhl, Celeste Agard, Aandra Yuen, Denise Alton, Chris Bartha, Carrie Lau, Shari Russell Opara, and Kristin Cleverley
10 March 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2025.2467327
Snippet: Often overlooked as providers of mental health services,post-secondary institutions (PSI) must ensure they are meeting the needs of a growing number of students using mental health services on campus. Monitoring experience is key not only for ensuring quality of care but also demonstrating the institution’s accountability to students. However,…
Self-Criticism as a Moderator of the Link between Daily Sleep and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury
Sarah Kuburi, Zoé Xinyuan Wu, Teresa Orbillo, Alya Sadeghi, and Chloe A. Hamza
28 February 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-025-02161-4
Snippet: Emerging adults (ages 18–29 years) in post-secondary school experience significant disruptions in sleep and increased vulnerability to mental health challenges. One burgeoning mental health concern that may be exacerbated by poor sleep is nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Prior cross-sectional studies have shown that poor sleep is commonly reported among young adults who engage…
Investigating the Role of Situational Disruptors in Engagement with Digital Mental Health Tools
Ananya Bhattacharjee, Joseph Jay Williams, Miranda L. Beltzer, Jonah Meyerhoff, Harsh Kumar, Haochen Song,
David C. Mohr, Alex Mariakakis, and Rachel Kornfield
25 February 2025
DOI: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2502.09776
Snippet: Challenges in engagement with digital mental health (DMH) tools are commonly addressed through technical enhancements and algorithmic interventions. This paper shifts the focus towards the role of users’ broader social context as a significant factor in engagement. Through an eight-week text messaging program aimed at enhancing psychological wellbeing, we…
An Argument for More High-Quality Research Focused on Mental Health in the Post-Secondary Context
Nicola Byrom, Julia Pointon-Haas, Rebecca Upsher, Frank Iorfino, Sarah McKenna, Emma McCann, Michael Priestley, Hannah Rachael Slack, Kristin Cleverley
19 February 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.70002
Snippet: We argue that while a substantial proportion of emerging adults are in post-secondary education, there is relatively little consideration of this context within research and policy around youth mental health. The unique challenges young adults face in post-secondary education overlay underlying risk factors experienced by emerging adults. While post-secondary education…
How you ask matters: evidence-based assessment connecting decentering, reappraisal, and self-reported wellbeing in a post-secondary sample
Yiyi Wang, Joanne M. Chung, Norman A. S. Farb
14 January 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1472125
Snippet: Effective and efficient Wellbeing measurement is essential within the social sciences and public health. Wellbeing is described as a three-factor construct composed of Life Satisfaction, Positive Affect, and Negative Affect, yet there are few measurement models validated for the increasingly popular use of longitudinal, app-based assessment. We explored Wellbeing measurement…
The inequitable psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on post-secondary students with preexisting health conditions: A longitudinal study
Sarah Kuburi, Chloe A. Hamza, Antonio Lorenzo, Altea Kthupi, Shaza A. Fadel, and France Gagnon
12 December 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2435955
Snippet: Evidence suggests young adults in post-secondary school experienced increased distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, but students’ experiences likely varied. Effects may have also changed over time as students adapted. This study examined the mental health of students with and without preexisting health conditions at two points during the pandemic…
Understanding the Role of AI in Helping University Students Manage Their Psychological Well-being
Ananya Bhattacharjee
11 October 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3688085
Snippet: University students face numerous challenges in maintaining their psychological well-being. How can we leverage emerging AI tools and algorithms to help them navigate these challenges?
Examining trajectories of nonsuicidal self-injury across the first year of university
Brooke C. T. Farrell, Lexi Ewing, Chloe A. Hamza
2 September 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.09.003
Snippet: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent among emerging adults in post-secondary school, but little is known about change and stability in NSSI during the transition to university. Moreover, there has been limited person-centered work focusing on heterogeneity in NSSI engagement among students over time. The present study aimed to investigate the…
A Longitudinal and Within-Person Perspective on Self-Compassion and Internalizing Symptoms in Emerging Adults: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation
Tracy K. Y. Wong and Chloe A. Hamza
25 August 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968241273184
Snippet: Emerging adulthood (ages 18–25 years) is a period of increased vulnerability for mental health challenges. A potential protective factor is self-compassion, which is thought to promote better mental health through healthier emotion regulation capacities. However, longitudinal research on the associations among self-compassion, emotion regulation, and mental health is lacking. To…
An examination of nonsuicidal self-injury disclosures in a high-risk university sample
Ariana C. Simone and Chloe A. Hamza
1 December 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2023.2283735
Snippet: There is a lack of research examining factors that promote the disclosure of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among post-secondary students. However, elucidating which factors facilitate disclosures among students – particularly students with high risk NSSI – is important given that disclosure may facilitate access to care. Methods: Participants included 149 post-secondary students with…
Longitudinal Associations among Identity Processes and Mental Health in Young Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Social Support
Tracy K. Y. Wong and Chloe A. Hamza
21 October 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01883-7
Snippet: Emerging adulthood (ages 18–25) is a period of identity exploration, particularly for young adults navigating the transition to post-secondary school. Little is known about how changes in identity exploration may be related to emerging adults’ mental health, or the role of social support plays in identity-related processes. In the…
The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on post-secondary students: A longitudinal study
Antonio Lorenzo, Altea Kthupi, Weihan Liu, Chloe A. Hamza, Antoaneta A. Todorova, Sarah Kuburi, Anne K Ellis, Charles Keown-Stoneman, Shaza A. Fadel, and France Gagnon
30 July 2023
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115401
Snippet: This prospective longitudinal study measured sex-specific changes in depression, anxiety, and stress scores using, validated Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) in a cohort of 1445 post-secondary students (500 males, 945 females) assessed at three time points from December 2020 to January 2022. Participants…
A Longitudinal Examination of Recent Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury among University Students
Maria Ilieff and Chloe A. Hamza
20 May 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-023-00544-y
Snippet: Nonsuicidal self-injury is a burgeoning mental health concern amongst post-secondary students. In the present study, the link between posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) was examined among post-secondary students over time, while accounting for the role of co-occurring depressive symptoms. Participants were 841 first-year university students with self-reported…
A Diary Study of the Within-Person Associations Between Daily Stressors and Negative Affect Among Post-Secondary Students With Recent Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Engagement
Lexi Ewing, Chloe A. Hamza
18 March 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968241239374
Snippet: Exposure to stressors is known to lead to psychological impairment over time. However, the proximal relation between stressors and distress remains unclear, particularly among emerging adults with existing mental health concerns. Using daily diary methods, we explored the associations between five subtypes of daily stressors and negative affect among 160 post-secondary students with recent nonsuicidal self-injury engagement. We also examined whether this relation was moderated…
Whiteness, Canadian university athletic administration, and anti-racism leadership: ‘A bunch of white haired, white dudes in the back rooms’
Braeden McKenzie, Janelle Joseph, and Sabrina Razack
21 September 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2023.2259397
Snippet: This paper theorises ‘whiteness’ in relation to systems of power, leadership, and oppression within post-secondary sport athletic departments in Ontario, Canada. Using results from the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Anti-Racism Project, we position whiteness as a significant and unavoidable obstacle to productive anti-racism leadership and labour within university athletics. While…
The Stride program: Feasibility and pre-to-post program change of an exercise service for university students experiencing mental distress
Ivan Jeftic, Bonnie Furzer, James A Dimmock, Kemi Wright, Timothy Budden, Conor Boyd, Aaron Simpson, Michael Rosenberg, Catherine M Sabiston, Melissa deJonge, Ben Jackson
16 August 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102507
Snippet: Rates of mental illness are disproportionately high for young adult and higher education (e.g., university student) populations. As such, universities and tertiary institutions often devote significant efforts to services and programs that support and treat mental illness and/or mental distress. However, within that portfolio of treatment approaches, structured exercise has…
A Person-Centered Investigation Into the Co-Development of Perceived Stress and Internalizing Symptoms Among Post-Secondary Students
Lexi Ewing, Chloe A. Hamza
3 February 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01738-1
Snippet: The early post-secondary years are regarded as a period of heightened vulnerability for stress and internalizing symptoms among emerging adults. However, there is a lack of research examining variability in stress and internalizing symptoms among students, the co-occurrence of stress and internalizing symptoms, or predictors of distinct profiles of stress…
Psychological Distress in Treatment-Seeking University Students: An Intersectional Examination of Asian Identity and Gender Identity
Maryam Sorkhou, Tayyab Rashid, Jessica Dere, and Amanda Uliaszek
17 November 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2022.2145252
Snippet: We sought to elucidate the presentation of psychological distress across treatment-seeking university students at the intersection of gender and ethnic identity, concentrating on East and South Asian identity. Using retrospective baseline data from 1530 university students utilizing on-campus counseling services, ANOVAs were conducted to evaluate the effects of gender and…
Understanding experiences of disclosing and receiving disclosures of nonsuicidal self-injury amongst peers in university: A qualitative investigation
Ariana A. Simone, Shutong Yu, and Chloe A. Hamza
13 November 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2022.2144807
Snippet: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a frequently occurring mental health concern among emerging adults in university, but one that is often concealed. Given that the disclosure of NSSI can provide opportunities to receive support, promoting positive disclosure experiences for students is important. However, the experiences of disclosing for both disclosers and…
Varsity athletes’ fitness perceptions, fitness-related self-conscious emotions and depression when sidelined from play
Alfred Min, Ross M. Murray, Tahla den Houdyker, Catherine M. Sabiston
11 July 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2098035
Snippet: Explore the association between varsity athletes’ fitness perceptions and symptoms of depression while sidelined from sport for an extended period, and test whether fitness-related self-conscious emotions (i.e., shame, guilt, authentic pride, hubristic pride) mediate this relationship…
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