Early screening is essential for identifying and addressing adolescent mental health (MH) concerns before they escalate. However, many existing screening tools do not account for cultural differences in MH experiences. The Chinese population represents one of the largest ethnic minority groups in Canada, yet they have among the lowest MH care utilization rates compared to other minority groups. Cultural stigma and limited MH literacy often hinder early identification and access to care. The purpose of this thesis was to culturally adapt MyHEARTSMAP, a validated, digital MH self-assessment and resource navigation tool, for Chinese Canadian adolescents and families to improve earlier detection of mental illnesses and access to supports. The adaptation process was guided by the Heuristic Cultural Adaptation Framework. Four key informants assessed the feasibility of implementing MyHEARTSMAP for the target population. A bilingual expert committee (comprising a pediatrician, three patient partners, a translator, the tool’s developer, and a graduate researcher) conducted iterative modifications to create the preliminary adaptation of MyHEARTSMAP in Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Subsequently, three youth and three parent focus groups (n=29) helped refine the adaptation. Framework analysis was applied to deductively and inductively analyze the data, categorizing modifications by operational, conceptual, experiential, idiomatic, and semantic cultural equivalence. The key informants affirmed the suitability of MyHEARTSMAP for the Chinese Canadian population. Adaptations made by the expert committee included emphasizing user privacy to reduce stigma (operational), revising the ‘Home’ assessment to reflect Chinese family dynamics (conceptual), and increasing sensitivity to issues such as familial abuse, academic pressure, and video gaming (experiential). Focus group refinements included developing an English version of the tool (operational), adjusting the ‘Education’ assessment to focus on youth functioning (conceptual), incorporating examples related to drugs, self-harm, and verbal and emotional abuse (experiential), and improving translation accuracy (idiomatic and semantic). This thesis describes the cultural adaptation of MyHEARTSMAP to enhance its cultural and linguistic inclusivity for Chinese adolescents and families, supporting earlier access to care. The findings underscore the value of culturally responsive approaches in promoting equitable MH care and provide a framework for adapting digital MH tools for diverse children and families across Canada.
Zi Ying Lee (Thu,) studied this question.