Mark A Ferro
Biographic Data
| ID | 5413598 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mark A Ferro |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mark A |
| FAMILY NAME | Ferro |
| SIGNATURE | FERRO M A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Waterloo |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0979-3233 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 32 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 12 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 32 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
The Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Associations Between Social Media and Mental Health Among a Large Sample of Adolescents, Inclusive of Transgender/Gender‐Diverse Adolescents
INTRODUCTION: The objectives of this study were to examine: (1) the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between social media (SM) time and mental health outcomes among a large sample of Canadian adolescents (ages 12-18) and (2) if associations are moderated by gender. METHODS: Data from the Cannabis, Obesity, Mental health, Physical activity, Alcohol, Smoking, and Sedentary behaviour (COMPASS) study were used to conduct two cross-sectio…
Life meaning and purpose as an unrecognized determinant of mental health equity in Canadian adolescents
Consistent with determinants of health models and past cross-national analyses of adolescent health survey data in Canada, results provide prospective evidence in support of life meaning and purpose as an intermediary determinant of mental health in adolescents. Experiences that foster a sense of meaning and purpose in life require recognition as determinants of health, and suggest an intangible resource that can be applied to clinical and public…
Tree-based item-response theory model for evaluating differential item functioning in patient-reported outcome measures
Equivalence of psychiatric structured interviews and symptom checklists in predicting health-related quality of life in children with chronic physical illness
Trajectories of Psychopathology Among Youth with Physical Illness
Associations Between Family Factors and Mental Health Service Use Among Children with Physical Illness
Classifying Patterns of Delinquent Behaviours and Experiences of Victimization
Stronger together
This study demonstrates the importance of social support and connections with both friends and family, as well as keeping and maintaining a routine, over the pandemic. Interventions supporting positive relationships and engagement in these coping behaviours may be protective for adolescent mental health during disruptive events
Response shift in parent-reported psychopathology in children with chronic physical illness
Longitudinal Association Between Youth Multimorbidity and Psychological Distress
Correlates of Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Children With Physical Illness and Physical–Mental Multimorbidity
This study measured physical activity (PA) and explored its correlates among children with multimorbidity (co-occurring chronic physical and mental illness; MM) versus those with chronic physical illness only (PI). This study used baseline data from the Multimorbidity in Children and Youth Across the Life Course (MY LIFE) study, an on-going cohort study following 263 children with a PI 2 to 16 years of age (mean age: 9.8 years, SD = 4.0; 47.7% fe…
Internalizing–Externalizing Comorbidity and Impaired Functioning in Children
Health professionals should be mindful that children with internalizing-externalizing comorbidity may experience worsening functioning that is disruptive to daily activities and should use this information when making decisions about care. Given the exploratory nature of this study, additional research with larger and more diverse samples of children is warranted
Population-Based Teacher-Rated Assessment of Anxiety Among Canadian Kindergarten Children
Despite anxiety being a prevalent mental health problem in children, little data exist on the pervasiveness and levels of anxiety symptoms in kindergarteners. Data from the Early Development Instrument, a teacher-completed, population-level measure of child development, were collected across Canada from 2004 to 2015. The final analytic sample consisted of 974,319 children of whom 2.6% were classified as "highly anxious". Compared to children who …
Parenthood and well‐being
The present study examined correlates of well‐being amongst a cross‐sectional, national sample of Canadians, focusing on respondents’ parenthood and immigration status. Indirect associations via time pressure and religious practices were examined, in addition to the moderating role of religious practices on the relationship between time pressure and well‐being. Participants were from the 2015 Canadian General Social Survey between 25 and 65 years…
Cannabis Use, Screen Time, and Internalizing Symptoms among Canadian Youth
Covid-19-Related Psychological and Psychosocial Distress Among Parents and Youth With Physical Illness
Despite the initial thrust of research aimed at understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth with physical illness and their parents, knowledge gaps in the literature remain, providing the impetus for additional investigation. This study described changes in psychological distress from prior to during the COVID-19 pandemic for parents and youth with physical illness, compared parent-proxy and youth self-reported perceptions of COVID…
Associations between Longitudinal Patterns of Substance Use and Anxiety and Depression Symptoms among a Sample of Canadian Secondary School Students
The objective of this study is to examine the longitudinal associations between latent classes of substance use and anxiety and depression scores among youth who use substances. This study uses data from three waves (Wave 1: 2017/18, Wave 2: 2018/19, and Wave 3: 2019/20) of the COMPASS study. Students in grades 9 and 10 who reported substance use at baseline ( n = 738) report their substance use (alcohol, cannabis, cigarettes, and e-cigarettes) a…
Measuring health-related quality of life in young children with physical illness
Health-related quality of life in children with and without physical–mental multimorbidity
Perceived Needs for Mental Health Care Among Emerging Adults With Cancer
The challenges of living with cancer can compound the normative stresses of navigating emerging adulthood and have long-term psychiatric consequences. However, there is a lack of information on the mental health services required by this potentially vulnerable group of young people. This study estimated the prevalence of mental disorder among emerging adults (EAs) with cancer and examined their perceived needs for mental health care. Data from 5,…
Measurement Invariance of the Flourishing Scale among a Large Sample of Canadian Adolescents
Our aim was to examine measurement invariance of the Flourishing Scale (FS)-a concise measure of psychological wellbeing-across two study samples and by population characteristics among Canadian adolescents. Data were retrieved from 74,501 Canadian secondary school students in Year 7 (2018-2019) of the COMPASS Study and from the original validation of the FS ( n = 689). We assessed measurement invariance using a confirmatory factor analysis in wh…
Reluctancy towards Help-Seeking for Mental Health Concerns at Secondary School among Students in the Compass Study
Youth populations represent a key population for addressing mental health, yet many youths express reluctance towards help seeking. Considering the volume of time that almost all youth spend at school during the school year, it is important to assess the role of the school environment in relation to students' attitudes toward help-seeking. Data from 47,290 grade 9 to 12 students and 116 Canadian secondary schools that participated in the 2018-19 …
Psychiatric Disorders in the Adolescent Offspring of Mothers with Thyroid Problems During Pregnancy
Psychometric properties of the Cesd, STAI-T, and PSS among parents of children with mental illness
This study examined psychometric properties of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), and Parental Stress Scale (PSS) in parents whose children have mental illness. The CESD, STAI-T, and PSS are commonly used to assess psychological distress among adults, but little evidence exists to support their use in these vulnerable parents. Data come from 99 parents of children with mental il…
Agreement of child and parent-proxy reported health-related quality of life in children with mental disorder
Child maltreatment and adult multimorbidity
Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Canadian Emerging Adults
Objectives. We identified courses of depressive symptoms in an epidemiological sample of emerging adults. Methods. We used latent class growth modeling to identify trajectories of depressive symptoms measured by the 12-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) during a 14-year follow-up of 2825 Canadian youths aged 10 to 25 years enrolled in the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth between 1994 and 2009. Resul…
Parenthood and well‐being
The present study examined correlates of well‐being amongst a cross‐sectional, national sample of Canadians, focusing on respondents’ parenthood and immigration status. Indirect associations via time pressure and religious practices were examined, in addition to the moderating role of religious practices on the relationship between time pressure and well‐being. Participants were from the 2015 Canadian General Social Survey between 25 and 65 years…
Psychometric properties of the Cesd, STAI-T, and PSS among parents of children with mental illness
This study examined psychometric properties of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), and Parental Stress Scale (PSS) in parents whose children have mental illness. The CESD, STAI-T, and PSS are commonly used to assess psychological distress among adults, but little evidence exists to support their use in these vulnerable parents. Data come from 99 parents of children with mental il…
Do depressive symptoms affect mothers’ reports of child outcomes in children with new-onset epilepsy
Factor structure of the Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form-50 and predictors of health-related quality of life in children with epilepsy
Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Canadian Emerging Adults
Objectives. We identified courses of depressive symptoms in an epidemiological sample of emerging adults. Methods. We used latent class growth modeling to identify trajectories of depressive symptoms measured by the 12-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) during a 14-year follow-up of 2825 Canadian youths aged 10 to 25 years enrolled in the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth between 1994 and 2009. Resul…
Child–parent agreement on health-related quality of life in children with newly diagnosed chronic health conditions
This study compared health-related quality of life scores between children newly diagnosed with chronic health conditions and their parents to identify potential domain discrepancies and quantified the magnitude of discrepancies during a six-month follow-up. Children aged ≥11 years and their parents completed the KIDSCREEN-27. Informant agreement was quantified using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland and Altman’s limits of ag…
Agreement of child and parent-proxy reported health-related quality of life in children with mental disorder
Health-related quality of life in mothers of children with epilepsy
Mental–Physical Multimorbidity in Youth
Child maltreatment and adult multimorbidity
Perceived Needs for Mental Health Care Among Emerging Adults With Cancer
The challenges of living with cancer can compound the normative stresses of navigating emerging adulthood and have long-term psychiatric consequences. However, there is a lack of information on the mental health services required by this potentially vulnerable group of young people. This study estimated the prevalence of mental disorder among emerging adults (EAs) with cancer and examined their perceived needs for mental health care. Data from 5,…
Measurement Invariance of the Flourishing Scale among a Large Sample of Canadian Adolescents
Our aim was to examine measurement invariance of the Flourishing Scale (FS)-a concise measure of psychological wellbeing-across two study samples and by population characteristics among Canadian adolescents. Data were retrieved from 74,501 Canadian secondary school students in Year 7 (2018-2019) of the COMPASS Study and from the original validation of the FS ( n = 689). We assessed measurement invariance using a confirmatory factor analysis in wh…
Reluctancy towards Help-Seeking for Mental Health Concerns at Secondary School among Students in the Compass Study
Youth populations represent a key population for addressing mental health, yet many youths express reluctance towards help seeking. Considering the volume of time that almost all youth spend at school during the school year, it is important to assess the role of the school environment in relation to students' attitudes toward help-seeking. Data from 47,290 grade 9 to 12 students and 116 Canadian secondary schools that participated in the 2018-19 …
Psychiatric Disorders in the Adolescent Offspring of Mothers with Thyroid Problems During Pregnancy
Psychometric properties of the Cesd, STAI-T, and PSS among parents of children with mental illness
This study examined psychometric properties of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), and Parental Stress Scale (PSS) in parents whose children have mental illness. The CESD, STAI-T, and PSS are commonly used to assess psychological distress among adults, but little evidence exists to support their use in these vulnerable parents. Data come from 99 parents of children with mental il…
Cannabis Use, Screen Time, and Internalizing Symptoms among Canadian Youth
Covid-19-Related Psychological and Psychosocial Distress Among Parents and Youth With Physical Illness
Despite the initial thrust of research aimed at understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth with physical illness and their parents, knowledge gaps in the literature remain, providing the impetus for additional investigation. This study described changes in psychological distress from prior to during the COVID-19 pandemic for parents and youth with physical illness, compared parent-proxy and youth self-reported perceptions of COVID…
Associations between Longitudinal Patterns of Substance Use and Anxiety and Depression Symptoms among a Sample of Canadian Secondary School Students
The objective of this study is to examine the longitudinal associations between latent classes of substance use and anxiety and depression scores among youth who use substances. This study uses data from three waves (Wave 1: 2017/18, Wave 2: 2018/19, and Wave 3: 2019/20) of the COMPASS study. Students in grades 9 and 10 who reported substance use at baseline ( n = 738) report their substance use (alcohol, cannabis, cigarettes, and e-cigarettes) a…
Measuring health-related quality of life in young children with physical illness
Health-related quality of life in children with and without physical–mental multimorbidity
Correlates of Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Children With Physical Illness and Physical–Mental Multimorbidity
This study measured physical activity (PA) and explored its correlates among children with multimorbidity (co-occurring chronic physical and mental illness; MM) versus those with chronic physical illness only (PI). This study used baseline data from the Multimorbidity in Children and Youth Across the Life Course (MY LIFE) study, an on-going cohort study following 263 children with a PI 2 to 16 years of age (mean age: 9.8 years, SD = 4.0; 47.7% fe…
Internalizing–Externalizing Comorbidity and Impaired Functioning in Children
Health professionals should be mindful that children with internalizing-externalizing comorbidity may experience worsening functioning that is disruptive to daily activities and should use this information when making decisions about care. Given the exploratory nature of this study, additional research with larger and more diverse samples of children is warranted
Population-Based Teacher-Rated Assessment of Anxiety Among Canadian Kindergarten Children
Despite anxiety being a prevalent mental health problem in children, little data exist on the pervasiveness and levels of anxiety symptoms in kindergarteners. Data from the Early Development Instrument, a teacher-completed, population-level measure of child development, were collected across Canada from 2004 to 2015. The final analytic sample consisted of 974,319 children of whom 2.6% were classified as "highly anxious". Compared to children who …
Parenthood and well‐being
The present study examined correlates of well‐being amongst a cross‐sectional, national sample of Canadians, focusing on respondents’ parenthood and immigration status. Indirect associations via time pressure and religious practices were examined, in addition to the moderating role of religious practices on the relationship between time pressure and well‐being. Participants were from the 2015 Canadian General Social Survey between 25 and 65 years…
Stronger together
This study demonstrates the importance of social support and connections with both friends and family, as well as keeping and maintaining a routine, over the pandemic. Interventions supporting positive relationships and engagement in these coping behaviours may be protective for adolescent mental health during disruptive events
Response shift in parent-reported psychopathology in children with chronic physical illness
Longitudinal Association Between Youth Multimorbidity and Psychological Distress
Psychiatry (24 works) · Medicine (23 works) · Psychology (23 works) · Clinical Psychology (21 works) · Clinical Psychology (20 works) · Mental health (17 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (13 works) · Quality of life (healthcare (10 works) · Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life (9 works) · Public health (8 works)