Melissa deJonge, a PhD student at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, was recently awarded the 2023-2024 Inlight Research Fellowship, given by the Inlight Student Mental Health Research Initiative at the University of Toronto.
The $10,000 fellowships support graduate scholars who are currently leading research projects that aim to improve student mental health and well-being on campus and recognize the importance of student-led and co-designed research solutions.
“The overarching aim of my research project is to co-produce a framework with post-secondary students for supporting processes of social inclusion, for example social support, belongingness, a positive campus climate and mental health through on-campus physical recreation programs,” says deJonge, whose supervisor is Catherine Sabiston, a KPE professor and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Mental Health.
“Applying youth co-design principles and using a qualitative grounded theory approach, strategies for facilitating meaningful engagement from students throughout the research process will be used to co-produce the framework.”
deJonge explains that the incorporation of co-design principles is important for fostering research results that are student-centered, and will enhance the relevance and use of the research findings. The co-produced framework will be the first of its kind and will inform an implementation toolkit.
“A toolkit will be foundational for guiding decision-making and resource allocation to enhance the national and global impact of the proposed work, with the aim of promoting widespread dissemination of physical recreation and social inclusion practices for fostering mental health across post-secondary campuses,” says deJonge.
“Overall, the results from this project will support a high-impact research agenda focused on promoting protective factors in the university setting for supporting student mental health and well-being, with an important focus on physical recreation.”
deJonge, who is in her fourth year of a PhD degree at KPE, completed her bachelor of science in psychology at Queen’s University and her master of science in exercise sciences at U of T. She became interested in the relationship between mental health and physical activity while completing her undergraduate degree at Queen’s. After starting her graduate studies of exercise sciences at KPE, she worked with Sabiston as a research coordinator, with the aim of furthering her knowledge on physical activity intervention research for mental health.
“It was during this time that I became increasingly interested in physical activity as an evidence-based lifestyle alternative to psychotherapy and medication for supporting mental health and well-being in both clinical and non-clinical populations,” says deJonge. “The post-secondary environment is of particular interest to me, as post-secondary students represent a population where the risk of onset and prevalence of mental illness and symptoms of poor mental health are high.
“Expanding the range and quality of alternative lifestyle interventions such as physical activity programming and recreation opportunities available to students, is important for meeting the diverse mental health needs of the post-secondary community.”