94 Making Connections (IntroPSYC and Health): Social determinants of health and science communication
By Meghan E. Norris and Riley J.T. Bonar
This unit continues our exploration of topics related to psychopathology.
This week, in our Making Connections, we want to connect you with information from the Public Health Agency of Canada. This short optional video introduces the importance of understanding inequities as it relates to health. It also makes connections between many topics we have addressed throughout the course: the interaction of nature and nurture, the importance of development, the importance of understanding historical context when understanding health issues, and truth and reconciliation.
We intend for this video to be a meaningful reflection point for students in this class. This video is only 3 minutes and 40 seconds long, but you now know some of the nuanced research that informs the content in this video, and the methodologies by which research was done.
Creating a very short video that accurately conveys evidence-based research is incredibly challenging. It is much easier to create videos that may stray from the data to increase hits. There is a formal discipline dedicated to creating accurate, scientifically informed communications known as science communication. If this is an area you would like to learn more about, we encourage you to explore the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada (SWCC) via their homepage.
We have many experts studying topics in clinical psychology in the Department of Psychology at Queen’s University, many of whom you have learned about already. To learn more about research happening in our department, we invite you to explore the work of more of our Clinical Psychologists:
Dr. Kate Harkness studies the role of stress and early trauma in the etiology and ongoing pathology of major depression in adolescence and adulthood. My current work focuses on neurohormonal, social cognitive, and motivational/reward factors that increase the sensitivity to, and generation of, stress in major depression.
Dr. Jeremy Stewart’s research aims to understand and quantify vulnerability to suicidal and self-injurious behavior in youth across distinct units of analysis (e.g., environmental circumstances, behavior, physiology). My ongoing projects focus on how individual differences in executive functioning, trait impulsivity, stressful life events (particularly peer rejection), reward responsiveness, and other variables may contribute to the escalation from suicidal thinking to action in adolescents and young adults.
References:
Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d). Public Health Agency of Canada. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health.html
Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Social determinants of health [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plDaS8_LoYo
Science Writers and Communicators of Canada. (n.d.). https://sciencewriters.ca/
How to cite this using APA Style:
Norris, M. E., & Bonar, R. J. T. (2026). Making connections (IntroPSYC and health): Social determinants of health and science communication. In PSYC 100: Principles of psychology. eCampusOntario. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/testbookje/chapter/making-connections-intropsyc-and-health-social-determinants-of-health-and-science-communication/
