Canadian Psychology

Prescriptive authority for psychologists and scope of practice: A national survey of Canadian psychologists and psychology students.
Over 4 decades, prescriptive authority for psychologists (RxP) has made gradual and substantive progress in the United States, while in Canada, advocacy started within the last decade. Previous studies have indicated increasing degrees of support for RxP over the years. With the latest Canadian survey on this topic being conducted 20 years ago, the present study aimed to provide an updated report of the interests, beliefs, and attitudes of Canadian psychologists and psychology students on the topic of RxP. A total of 370 survey responses were collected from a sample of Canadian psychologists and psychology students. Descriptive statistics and group comparisons were calculated. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to organize patterns of response to survey items based on underlying constructs. Results were indicative of generally positive attitudes towards RxP. The greatest agreement rates were specific to how RxP could benefit the public and improve accessibility and quality of care. Comparisons based on demographic characteristics indicated that younger participants would be more likely to enroll in RxP training if psychologists in Canada obtained RxP. There was a preference for RxP training to begin at the predoctoral level, followed by the postdoctoral level. There is a strong perception that RxP has the potential to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, improve the range of treatment options available to underserved populations, and reduce cost to patients. A majority of respondents indicated they would enroll in RxP training were it available in Canada. These findings inform recommendations for policy, practice, and future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Biphobia: A systematic literature review.
Bisexual people experience specific stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination because of their sexual/romantic orientation. Known as biphobia, this form of oppression has been found to negatively impact the mental and physical health of bisexual individuals. Despite the clear necessity of studying this phenomenon, the available literature tends to remain sparse and scattered. As a result, this systematic literature review aims to compile recent knowledge on biphobia. More precisely, scientific articles published between 2011 and 2022 are analysed to identify research findings and gaps. The results outline the key findings and characteristics of 41 articles that investigate biphobia in Western contexts. In particular, three topics are covered: attitudes toward bisexuality, experiences of biphobia, and biphobia-related consequences. The present article also points out several limitations of the current literature and provides avenues for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Examining the impact of on-/off-script sexual orientation on mental health.
While sexual minorities face pervasive social stigma and discrimination detrimental to mental health (e.g., Chamberland et al., 2012), variations exist within these communities. For example, whether the identity, attraction, and behavioural dimensions of sexual orientation (SO) converge or diverge within an individual seems to predict mental health. The on-/off-script model posits that convergence (on-script) or divergence (off-script) between SO dimensions can influence mental health. Yet, studies assessing the impact of SO on mental health generally only measure one SO dimension. This study aims to test the usefulness of measuring both identity and behavioural SO dimensions when predicting global mental health and to test the added usefulness of the on-/off-script model. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed separately for men and women in a population sample (n = 80,985) from the Canadian Community Health Survey. Results show that using two SO measures improved the assessment of mental health disparities. However, the on-/off-script model statistically improved the results only for men, and the effect was very small. Mental health disparities were therefore analysed according to an additive model. While heterosexual identity predicted a better outcome than bisexual or gay/lesbian identities, having only other-gender partners predicted a better outcome than not having any partner but a worse outcome than having only same-gender partners. This study represents one of the largest known population-based tests of the on-/off-script model, and it suggests that the model is not better than an additive model to explain the combined effects of self-identified and behavioural SO. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
The role of emotional intelligence in collaborative problem solving: A systematic review.
We systematically reviewed over 2 decades of research to establish whether and how the abilities entailed in the construct of emotional intelligence (EI) affect the quality of a specific type of teamwork—namely, collaborative problem solving (CPS). Through a literature search following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we identified 47 relevant publications, presenting a total of 50 single studies that matched our inclusion/exclusion criteria. Having analyzed this body of research, we found that there is consistent and strong evidence—including some experimental data—that team members’ abilities of perceiving, understanding, and managing emotions (a) positively affect the relational aspects of CPS (e.g., team cohesion and team trust); (b) indirectly contribute to team performance; and (c) moderate the effects of other group variables such as team diversity on CPS, again promoting better outcomes. Besides multiple confirmations of these positive effects for both objectively tested and subjectively rated EI abilities, we encountered a small but consistent body of evidence testifying to the “dark side” of EI—more specifically, showing that a higher ability to recognize/express negative emotions in the team can, under circumstances, undermine the quality of CPS. Lastly, we established that research is much scarcer and less conclusive when it comes to the effects of EI abilities on individual performance in CPS (e.g., team-playing behaviour and emergent leadership), and we here attempt to explain these mixed findings. Practical implications and avenues for future research are also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)

Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne - Vol 66, Iss 1