UBCO researchers have been trying to determine if meeting by videoconference can make a difference when it comes to first impressions.

Researchers at UBC’s Okanagan campus have good news for anyone who has suffered from Zoom fatigue or has anxiety about meeting someone for the first time via videoconferencing.

Dr. Lauren Human, an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, studies interpersonal impressions, focusing on how they can impact wellbeing.

Her latest research paper, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, examines whether first impressions through a video screen can properly indicate someone’s personality.

Videoconferencing platforms have risen globally to facilitate face-to-face communication since COVID-19, Dr. Human explains. The researchers wanted to determine whether first impressions formed on a platform like Zoom compare fairly to those formed in a first in-person meeting.

“The pandemic abruptly shifted in-person interactions to videoconferencing for first impressions like meeting classmates, job interviews and doctor’s appointments,” Dr. Human says, noting how we “feel” differently about virtual interactions.

“For example, via Zoom, people might feel they can’t quite ‘get a read on’ new acquaintances and don’t feel as connected to them as they might in person,” she adds. “Is this subjective experience grounded in reality? Or are first impressions through videoconferencing different from in-person?”

To better understand how video conferencing affects those important first impressions, the team divided their study into three research aims. First, they examined whether people view new acquaintances’ personalities accurately and in a normative, positive light when videoconferencing.

Second, they examined whether accurate and normative impressions lead to stronger positive connections during videoconferencing compared to in-person interactions.

“Finally, we looked at whether poor audio and video quality—a challenge specific to videoconferencing—affects how accurately people perceive each other, how typical those perceptions are, and how much they end up liking each other,” Dr. Human explains. “To explore this, we ran two Zoom studies where people got to know each other—one exploratory and one a preregistered replication—and then compared the results to an in-person version of the same study.”

Dr. Human admits she was surprised that the results were similar regardless of whether that first meeting was in person or online.

“We thought they would differ,” she says. “However, we didn’t see any overall difference between the two, so we are just as accurate about assessing personalities when we meet people for the first time on Zoom versus in person.”

Dr. Human also says that when people were asked to assess the personality of the individual they were meeting for the first time—whether on Zoom or in person—their impressions were just as positive.

She says there are two things to note about first-time interactions through video. Although the overall levels of accuracy were similar in person and on Zoom, the levels of accuracy for some specific traits, such as extraversion and neuroticism, differed.

This suggests people might be using different information on Zoom. For example, study participants might pay attention to the other person’s background—maybe clutter, a wall of books or art—which might tell them something different about their personality than you would see in person.

Even though you might be just as accurate about someone’s personality on Zoom, you might be correct about different things.

And, if the connection was poor, the virtual meeting negatively affected the participants.

“This is interesting because often it is something outside of our control, so we wouldn’t necessarily expect that we would like someone less just because their computer froze during the interaction,” she adds. “But we think it creates some frustration or negative affect, tainting the impression they form of their interaction partner. This seems unfair, but it’s also important to know.

“So, don’t be afraid of technology, but ensure you have a good internet connection.”

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UBCO researchers examine the difficulty patients might have discussing the use of psychedelics for therapeutic use with their care provider.

Feeling safe and comfortable are key when discussing your health and wellbeing with your primary care provider.

However, that feeling of comfort and safety can’t be taken for granted among many people who have turned to psychedelic substances—including psilocybin—to help control their symptoms of depression, anxiety or PTSD. Now, a team of UBC Okanagan researchers in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has published a study looking into patient perspectives and potential issues when it comes to discussing psychedelics for therapeutic use with their physicians.

Dr. Michelle St. Pierre conducts research with Dr. Zach Walsh in UBC’s Therapeutic, Recreational, and Problematic Substance Use Lab. Their latest paper, published in Psychedelic Medicine, determined that concern about having an open discussion regarding psychedelic substances with a physician can create a roadblock to that conversation.

“A core component in the provision and receipt of appropriate medical care is trust and communication between patients and physicians,” she explains. “However, the stigmatization of psychedelic use for therapeutic purposes may complicate this process.”

In Canada, to legally obtain psychedelic substances for therapeutic use, a doctor must determine there is a genuine need for these psychedelics and then apply to Health Canada’s Special Access Program for their patient.

“The threshold for legal access to psychedelics for therapeutic purposes is high. Our team is aware that some patients with serious illnesses have been discouraged from pursuing legal avenues and have instead turned to unregulated providers, often due to difficulties in finding a physician willing to approve this emerging therapy.”

Fear of stigmatization, perceived lack of knowledge by their care provider and concern of damaging a long-term relationship with their physician can also stop the conversation.

The study analyzed data from approximately 800 adults who use psychedelics, with about 80 per cent endorsing their use for therapeutic purposes. Some 78 per cent of respondents reported facing barriers to access, while one-third said they had discussed using psychedelics with their doctor. For those who managed to have the conversation, 13 per cent said their doctor recommended psychedelics. Despite this, nearly 60 per cent of respondents felt less satisfied with the communication about psychedelics they’d had with their physician compared to previous conversations, and more than half felt discriminated against by their physician for raising the topic in the first place.

As policies evolve to improve access to psychedelic medicines, it’s crucial to also focus on fostering open and transparent communication between patients and physicians,” says Dr. St. Pierre. “In particular, there is a need for educational resources and guidelines to support health-care practitioners in understanding the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, especially for patients seeking new treatments for conditions like PTSD and depression.”

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UBC Okanagan experts provide a variety of tips to help make those first few days in the classroom as stress free as possible. Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash.

Between the rush of buying school supplies, new clothes for rapidly growing children and squeezing in a few last days of fun, most parents have very few minutes to think up a strategy for a smooth transition into the new school year.

UBC Okanagan experts are providing some tips—everything from literacy advice, to getting enough sleep and healthy eating—to ensure those first few days in the classroom are a success. These are not only for the parents, but also for those attending school.

“Kindness matters,” says Dr. John Tyler Binfet, Okanagan School of Education and Director of Building Academic Retention through K9’s program

Having students engage in kind acts within the school or broader community not only encourages perspective-taking and optimizes student wellbeing, it also has a reciprocal effect for teachers who themselves are known to experience heightened stress. Kind acts don’t need to be big Broadway productions; rather, they can be quiet acts that only the initiator knows about. These might include:

• leaving hidden sticky notes of encouragement in library books;
• leaving a quarter in the vending machine to surprise the next user; or
• not laughing at a joke that belittles someone

When teachers situate kindness front and centre in the classroom, they support their students’ wellbeing, nurture supportive learning environments where students can thrive and invest in creating a work environment where their best teaching can be showcased.

“Take steps to encourage literacy at home,” says Dr. Jessica Chan, Okanagan School of Education and Director of the Reading, Language, and Mathematics Lab

There are several ways families can support their children’s literacy development at home, even if your child may not enjoy reading independently. Parents and caregivers can share family stories and encourage their children to write or draw the story. It doesn’t have to be a story—it could be a family recipe or learning about the origins of the family. They can read a book together by taking turns and talking about what they’ve read together. Diversify the types of books chosen to read, like fantasy stories, graphic novels and non-fiction. It can help encourage children to explore new interests, which might inspire new learning opportunities.

“Make sure everyone gets a good night’s sleep,” says Dr. Elizabeth Keys, School of Nursing and a member of the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium

A good routine and getting enough quality sleep are vital for school-aged children and teen’s learning and general wellbeing. Parents can estimate how many hours of sleep their children need, what time they need to get up and how much time is necessary to get ready in the mornings. Then set the alarm clock—and bedtime—accordingly.

Parents can also do a few things to help with the process:

• Limit screens one hour before bed,
• Find a way to relax like reading or listening to music or a podcast an hour before bed
• Get plenty of bright light in the morning
• Getting enough physical activity during the day
• Keeping the routine going seven days a week and maintaining a regular sleep-wake schedule, even on weekends

“Pack a well-nourished lunch,” says Dr. Sally Stewart, School of Health and Exercise Sciences

A lunch kit packed with nourishing food goes a long way to fuel the brain and the body and getting children involved when it comes to packing lunches—including taking them shopping, helping with the cooking and packing their own lunches—so they will be more likely to eat what they pack.

Have drawers or bins in your fridge and cupboards organized into three groups:

• fruits and veggies
• proteins including cheeses, lean meats, hardboiled eggs, nut butters, seeds and yogurts
• grains such as crackers, muffins, pitas and cereals.

Make sure there is at least one item from each bin in the lunch. Let them choose what, and how much.

Finally, having fun and colourful containers and reusable bags is fun for your children but also good for the environment. Balance and variety in food choices and having foods that you and your children enjoy are a part of nourishing life.

“It’s not too soon to talk about vaping devices and nicotine pouches,” says Dr. Laura Struik, School of Nursing

New nicotine products, like the increasing variety of vaping devices or the recent introduction of nicotine pouches this past year, have proliferated school environments, including the elementary grades. It is never too early to talk with children and teens about these products.

It is important to recognize that use of these products among youth is strongly tied to how they become embedded in youth cultures both online and offline, including in schools. Having conversations with your children about what they observe and think about these products and how their friends are navigating these products, is a critical step towards protecting them.

These conversations can confirm that they have a safe, non-judgmental space to chat, will prompt them to critically think about their options, might bring forward questions and opportunities to collaboratively find answers and ultimately, can empower them with making an informed choice before entering the classroom.

“Check your child’s vaccine status for any outstanding vaccines,” says Dr. Marie Tarrant, School of Nursing

Interior Health notes that childhood vaccination rates show that 69 per cent of two-year-old children and 55 per cent of seven-year-old children are immunized against illnesses such as measles, rubella, mumps and polio, far below its goal of 95 per cent.

Regarding immunizations, it is important for parents to speak with someone they trust—whether it’s a family doctor, public health nurse or nurse practitioner—about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Primary health-care providers may be reluctant to have those conversations because they have a trusting relationship with their clients. But it’s important that all primary health-care providers assess children’s vaccine status and then have those conversations with parents, because they’re often the most trusted person in their network.

“Be prepared for emotional changes, which are normal at this time of year,” says Dr. Jessica Lougheed, Psychology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Children and teens might feel excited, nervous, anxious, happy, scared or several of these feelings all at once. Teens may be more irritable than usual or have more intense emotions than typical. Remember that anxiety can breed avoidance. Children and teens, even adults, will often procrastinate on things they find stressful. However, avoidance often comes with the ironic consequence of adding stress in the long term, even if it reduces stress in the short term. Putting things off can lead to consequences such as not having enough time to complete a task well. If you notice anything that looks like procrastination or avoidance, see if you can help your child or teen break up the scary task into smaller, more manageable tasks.

Have patience. Returning to school in the fall means that every single person’s schedule in the home is going to change to some extent. It may take a few weeks before everyone feels comfortable with the change.

Finally, savour the positive things. Being grateful for the good things that can show up at this time of year can help you stay level-headed if and when things don’t go as expected. Your children will be in school only for so long.

“Test out a trial run, before school starts,” says Dr. Shirley Hutchinson, Psychology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

One major reason we feel anxious or nervous is due to uncertainty. It’s human nature to want to know what to expect so we can plan accordingly. Unfortunately, we can’t always predict every outcome and this lack of certainty can generate uncomfortable feelings. But don’t worry—one effective way to manage these feelings is by reducing uncertainty. For example, if your child is nervous about taking the bus on the first day of class, do a practice run to familiarize them with the route. If they are concerned about finding classrooms, visit the school ahead of time. The more information you gather, the less anxious they will feel because you’re reducing the unknown.

Remember, feelings of nervousness and anxiety are similar in arousal to excitement and anticipation; it’s all about how you interpret these feelings. The first day of class can either be scary or exciting; it’s up to you to choose how you label it.

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Graduates toss their caps as their ceremony comes to a conclusion at one of three graduation ceremonies at UBCO Thursday.

When Liam Krebbers crossed the stage to receive his degree at UBC Okanagan’s final graduation ceremony today, it was a brand-new experience for him.

Like many of his classmates, Krebbers graduated high school in June 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a time of isolation, protective masks and cancelled or modified celebrations.

“I graduated high school during the time of online and physically distanced ceremonies,” says Krebbers.  “I walked across the stage in a nearly empty arena, 15 minutes apart from my friends. I’m very excited this year to be part of an actual graduation ceremony and I’m looking forward to graduating with all my friends.”

Krebbers was one of 2,400 graduates celebrated Thursday and Friday at UBCO—the largest number of graduating students since the university campus was established in 2005.

For many students, notes Dr. Lesley Cormack, UBCO’s Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, it was their first opportunity to cross that stage in front of a jam-packed audience.

“We are incredibly excited to celebrate graduation every year, but this year is particularly meaningful as many of the students graduating did not have a traditional high school graduation due to the pandemic,” says Dr. Cormack. “Ceremonies like graduation provide opportunities for connection, signify our collective values and allow us to come together to celebrate the hard work that has gone into obtaining a UBC degree.”

Along with conferring more than 2,400 doctoral, master’s and undergraduate degrees, UBCO celebrated a number of top academic awards, teaching excellence awards and the conferring of seven Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency (BNFL) degrees. This is the second cohort of students to graduate from the BNLF program, the first being last year after the degree program was introduced in accordance with UBC’s commitment to truth and reconciliation.

During graduation, UBCO also celebrated three people who have been instrumental in the growth of the campus and the community with honorary degrees.

Dr. Deborah Buszard, who served as Interim UBC President from 2022 to 2023, and UBCO’s Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for eight years before that, was presented with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa Thursday morning. Ian Cull, former UBCO Associate Vice-President, Students was also presented with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa Thursday afternoon. Kelowna entrepreneur Ragwa Gopal, a leader in British Columbia’s tech and innovation community and founder of Accelerate Okanagan in 2012, was presented with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa Friday morning.

Honorary degrees are awarded by universities to recognize people who have made substantial contributions to society at the provincial, national or international levels. Dr. Cormack noted all three honorary degree recipients have made a significant difference to the Okanagan region, the community and UBCO since it first opened 19 years ago.

In all, six ceremonies took place yesterday and today, and the students of 2024 were celebrated loudly and proudly by their families, fellow students as well as UBCO faculty and staff.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the UBC Okanagan Class of 2024 for their hard work, perseverance and determination,” adds Dr. Cormack. “They are going out into a world as change makers and it desperately needs them. We are proud of them and can’t wait to see what they achieve.”

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A UBCO researcher is calling for better ways to assess, diagnose and provide proper treatment for people who have mental health or substance use disorders.

While the federal government has pledged to help fund the expansion of free mental health services across Canada, UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Lesley Lutes says this is just the tip of the iceberg.

And she is not talking about money.

With the first ministers’ meeting on health care taking place in Ottawa this week, the Canadian Psychological Association has provided recommendations to help with federal and provincial collaboration regarding mental health and substance use health. Dr. Lutes says while this is positive news, more needs to be done.

She is the Director of the Centre for Obesity and Wellbeing Research Excellence in UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. While the pledge for funding is positive news, she says that still won’t bring parity between mental and physical health care.

You’ve been working for years to bring mental health care to the same level of funding as physical health care. Can you explain why you are so passionate about this?

Let me say that we are in a landmark moment in history. After decades of advocacy and talking about mental health, the stigma surrounding it and the need for treatment—it is now front and centre in almost every conversation. Which is phenomenal. And is something to appreciate, savour and celebrate. However, when it comes to funding, mental or physical health care is treated like apples and oranges. In reality, there should be no difference between access to this care.

For example, patients undergoing cancer treatment have access to a multidisciplinary team with trained health-care professionals at all levels of expertise and focus. However, the existing structure and funding of care does not afford patients the same access to care that could provide lifesaving mental health treatment.

Can you imagine a patient needing a heart transplant having that surgery done by just one nurse in the operating room? Of course not. But that’s the reality when it comes to mental health care.

Other than funding, how can this be fixed?

Currently, when people need mental health help it is said that they just need “support” or “counselling” or “someone to talk to.” They are all lumped together and people believe that they all mean the same thing.

People need timely screening, focused assessment, diagnosis and treatment—targeted to their presenting issue, illness or disease—that can be tracked and evaluated across time.

On a very personal level, I know how lack of access to treatment impacts and shatters lives. I have lost an aunt to suicide. And some of the people I love and care about most in this world suffer from anxiety, depression and substance misuse.

The Canadian government is working toward establishing transfers to the provinces to expanding the delivery of comprehensive and accessible mental health services. Is this what you want to see?

While this investment would be the largest for mental health care in recent history, it is only the first step. Currently, there is a lack of a consistent definition of mental health or who is qualified to provide this care and the metrics for success. This lack of clarity threatens the foundation upon which we are creating and the very funding we need for this national mental health transformation.

So, it isn’t just about the money?

It is partly, but patients who need mental health care shouldn’t have to be burdened with understanding the training, regulatory oversight or scope of practice of each provider. That is the government’s job.

Our government ensures that our nurses and physicians and medical specialists are all providers that are regulated and performing duties consistent with their training and skills. That is currently not the case with the provision of mental health care.

Patients need proper assessment and diagnosis which in turn are critical to ensuring the right evidence-based treatment is offered and implemented with its outcomes evaluated. While programs can and do offer a range of services and supports, the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental and substance use disorders can only be performed by or under the supervision of regulated providers that have specialty training.

Without a clear determination of the services offered, who provide those services, and the evaluation and public reporting of meaningful service outcomes, mental health care will continue to be a blunt intervention that lacks the patient-centred precision we have come to expect for physical illness.

And it is the patients who continue to suffer.

Anyone with any health concerns, whether it be general wellness, mental health or mental illness needs to be treated in a timely, professional and equitable manner. It is possible. There are working models around the globe who have been doing this for decades. We just need to do it here in Canada. Until this is the case, I will continue to lobby for change.

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New UBCO research determines psychopaths may have a decreased ability to sense someone else’s pain.

While the manipulative and sometimes violent behaviour of psychopaths might be attributed to a lack of empathy, new UBC Okanagan research suggests that psychopaths may have a decreased ability to even sense someone else’s pain.

Dr. Kimberley Kaseweter, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at UBCO, has recently published research examining the relationship between psychopathic traits and perceiving other people’s facial expressions of pain. Her paper was published in the Journal of Personality Disorders.

“A lot of the literature has focused on those basic emotions and psychopathy, like anger, fear and sadness,” says Dr. Kaseweter. “Almost no research has really focused on pain, which I found surprising because of the association between pain and violent behaviour.”

For this study, participants completed the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale to assess psychopathic traits within four different facets: callous affect, interpersonal manipulation, antisocial behaviour and erratic lifestyle. They also watched video recordings of patients manipulating injured shoulders in range-of-motion tests and then rated both the intensity and unpleasantness of the pain from patients’ facial expressions.

These recordings from actual patients showed spontaneous, natural expressions of pain that had been intensely coded frame by frame. The patients also self-reported their pain from these manipulations.

Dr. Kaseweter and her team were interested in whether psychopathic traits were connected to differences in how these participants might perceive others’ pain. They also wanted to know if that difference was due to conservative response bias—consistently rating all perceived pain lower on the pain scale—reduced perceptual sensitivity—inaccurate ratings, whether higher or lower—or both of these factors.

“We were able to break those two factors apart and tease that apart, which I think really gets at answering our questions. Do individuals who were high in psychopathic traits have an inability to see the facial expression of pain? Or if they can actually see it and just don’t care,” she says.

The study found that while people with psychopathic traits did not have a response bias—or were no more or less likely in general to ascribe pain to people—they were significantly less accurate in their ratings of pain in other people’s facial expressions.

This reduced sensitivity to other people’s pain was most associated with callous affect and antisocial behaviour. Dr. Kaseweter says this finding is not surprising, giving callous affect is related to low empathy and reduced concern for others while antisocial behaviour involves engaging in criminal acts.

The literature on psychopathy is still unclear on the underlying causes behind these facets of psychopathy, but Dr. Kaseweter says this study showed that one possible mechanism might be a reduced ability to see other people’s pain. The violence inhibition mechanism model suggests that in order to experience empathy, people have to first be able to accurately perceive someone’s distress to then withdraw from violent behaviour.

This study, she says, supports that theory.

“If they’re not accurately perceiving those facial expressions, they’d be missing the ability to identify that expression and then feel empathy and pull away from that violent behaviour.”

While psychopaths have high rates of criminal behaviour, rehabilitation efforts with current treatments for these individuals have been largely ineffective, if not at times counterproductive.

Dr. Kaseweter is hopeful that this study could help isolate an area to direct more successful treatment in the future, especially with the clarification between response bias and actual inaccuracies in pain sensitivity.

“I think it’s a very important distinction. So how do we help? Is it just that people high in psychopathic traits don’t care? Then we have to teach them empathy in a different way. Or is it that they’re not seeing facial expressions accurately? Our findings suggest the latter—and that this decreased ability to detect pain accurately may underlie the lack of empathy we see with psychopathy.

“If this is the case, then training interventions designed to improve pain detection may, in turn, reduce the callous affect and antisocial behaviour characterizing psychopathy.”

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