gordon flett Archives - News@91��ɫ

Prof Emeritus Gordon Flett discusses the importance of mattering on The Oprah Podcast

egamulin — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 15:29:37 +0000

The post Prof Emeritus Gordon Flett discusses the importance of mattering on The Oprah Podcast appeared first on News@91��ɫ.

Mattering must be central in youth suicide prevention: 91��ɫ expert

egamulin — Wed, 29 May 2024 14:00:43 +0000

With rising suicide rates and evidence pilling up on dangers of excessive social-media use, 91��ɫ researcher in mattering and ‘anti-mattering,’ says letting adolescents know they matter is more important than ever

TORONTO, May 29, 2024 – Youth suicide is a growing concern in Canada, the U.S., and around the world, with some research suggesting this might be linked with excessive social media use in vulnerable teens. With Mental Health Awareness Month closing out this week, 91��ɫ Psychology says he was motivated by a growing sense of alarm and frustration when undertaking a review of studies on mattering and youth suicide .

Professor Gordon Flett

Mattering is feeling significant in the eyes of other people, which is further linked to feeling that people are noticing you and keeping track of you, and that you are contributing to other people’s lives. “Anti-mattering,” a term coined by Flett to describe the feeling of not mattering, is the opposite: feeling unseen, unheard, and unimportant to others.

“It's shocking how many indicators there are of an increased problem with young people, including a study that was done in Canada, based on pandemic data last year,” says Flett, Canada Research Chair in Personality and Health. “No matter how you measure it, if you're feeling a sense of mattering, you're less likely to have suicidal ideation, less likely to have a plan less likely to have an actual attempt. But if you feel like you don't matter, it goes the other way.”

The paper, just published in the new journal Child Protection and Practice, is the first to review the scientific literature on youth suicide and mattering. Flett took a look at the situation for younger people after seeing the benefits in his recent research on mattering and suicidality among university students. For this article, he examined a dozen studies and found mattering to be central to protection against youth suicide, and the feeling of not mattering to be a central risk.

Flett says one reason for growing rates of youth suicide might be linked social media, with new research by Flett and colleagues linking excessive social media with fears and feelings of not mattering in youth. Negative interactions online or not feeling seen or heard might be extra risk factors for youth who are already vulnerable, although Flett says the feeling of mattering acts as a shield.

“We now have data confirming that both anti-mattering and fear of not mattering are linked with elevated social-media addiction scores. Youth characterized jointly by social-media addiction and anti-mattering will be quite vulnerable,” says Flett. “However, people who are high in mattering are more interpersonally resilient. So if they get slagged online, for instance, they're not going to take it to heart as opposed to the person who will internalize.”

Some of the research on youth goes back decades and given the strong evidence, he argues the concept of mattering should become key to suicide-prevention policy.

Flett says that while “You Matter” is a popular slogan in the U.S., the way our mental-health system operates can often send the opposite message to those who are seeking help. “If you're a youth and you've actually taken the brave step of saying, ‘Hey, I've been having these thoughts, I need help’ and then you can't get treatment or even an assessment in a timely manner, it's like, ‘Well, here's some evidence, again, that I don't matter as much as I should.”

While mattering is often confused with other concepts such as self-esteem or belonging — even in some of the literature Flett has reviewed — he says mattering is neither, and is robustly protective over and above many other factors.

“While they are correlated, self esteem is essentially feeling like you're a likable person, sometimes in terms of talent, and getting things done, but mattering is the feeling that others essentially care about you,” explains Flett. “And you can be part of a group, but it doesn't mean you'll be recognized or valued within the group. It can feel worse in a way if you belong but don’t matter.”

While mattering matters for everyone, Flett says some youth, especially racialized, LGBTQ+ and those with difficult family situations and living in poverty, need to hear this message more.

In the U.S, there has been an estimated increase of suicide rates by almost four per cent annually among males between 2009-2020 and almost seven per cent among females between 2007 and 2017. While there are no definitive studies for the most recent years for Canada as a whole, Manitoba reports a 42 per cent increase in youth suicides for 2022-2023 versus the previous reporting period, and the Saskatchewan Advocate for Children and Youth’s office saw three times as many suicide attempts by young people in care versus the previous year.

For parents or others interacting with youth, Flett says spending time with them, listening to them and validating their feelings will help youth feel as if they matter.

Flett’s top advice: Show them they matter. Show them you care.

“Bottom line is, if somebody knows that they matter to someone they care about, then they have a reason to not do something that's risky towards themselves. And then they can internalize that message, to start to matter to themselves.”

About 91��ɫ

91��ɫ is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for success. 91��ɫ’s fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario’s Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91��ɫ’s campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contacts: Emina Gamulin, 91��ɫ Media Relations and External Communications, 437-217-6362, egamulin@yorku.ca

The post Mattering must be central in youth suicide prevention: 91��ɫ expert appeared first on News@91��ɫ.

New tool developed by 91��ɫ could offer more ways to assess distress in youth and adults

roshanp — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 15:18:45 +0000

New Anti-Mattering Scale provides clinicians with another tool to assess the tendency of certain people to experience a profound sense of not mattering to others

TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2021 – As many prepare to spend the holidays in isolation again this year and plans for in-person classes remain up in the air for January due to Omicron, researchers at 91��ɫ have created a new Anti-Mattering Scale (AMS) to measure and assess feelings of insignificance in youth and adults. The AMS provides clinicians with a unique tool to assess the tendency of certain people to experience a profound sense of not mattering to others in ways that represent a unique source of risk, social disconnection and personal vulnerability.

The AMS is a five-item scale created by 91��ɫ researchers and published in a in the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment. The study – led by professor of psychology at 91��ɫ and Canada Research Chair in Personality & Health and Director of 91��ɫ’s LaMarsh Centre for Child & Youth Research – is part of a special journal issue on the psychology of mattering: how mattering is an essential part of life and is vital to happiness, well-being and physical health.

“Not mattering is one of the most destructive feelings that someone could have based on our initial findings,” said Flett. People who feel like they don’t matter may report they feel irrelevant and unimportant as if they are not seen and not heard, while people who feel like they matter feel valued by people who care about them. He adds this is particularly important given the current pandemic. “Anti-mattering feelings are very salient and easier to experience due to pandemic-related isolation, loneliness and external circumstances beyond our control that can make us feel small and perhaps insignificant.”

The goal of this research was to develop a reliable measure using a set of items that assesses the feeling of not mattering. The scale was also designed to distinguish feelings of not mattering from feelings of not belonging and not feeling supported by others. Sample questions in the scale include “how much do you feel like you don't matter?” and “how often have you been treated in a way that makes you feel like you are insignificant?” These items are rated on a scale ranging from one (not at all) to four (a lot). Higher scores reflect greater levels of anti-mattering.

The scale was created using data from three studies with university students and one study with adolescents. Results were measured using self-reporting questionnaires. Researchers say their findings from the studies suggest that individuals who feel like they don’t matter to others have a highly negative self-view, insecure attachment, and perceived deficits in meeting key psychological needs. In addition, researchers found links between elevated AMS scores and higher levels of loneliness, depression, and social anxiety. Overall, these results attest to the research utility and clinical potential of the AMS.

The scale reflects four main components of mattering: the sense that other people depend on us, the perception that other people regard us as important, the realization that other people are actively paying attention to us, and the feeling that other people would miss us if we were no longer around.

The researchers write, “Not mattering in the form of anti-mattering should be regarded as a unique and specific vulnerability unlike any other risk factor. People who might otherwise seem protected due to the presence of other personal resources (e.g., mindfulness) will still be at considerable risk if they have a personal identity dominated by the sense of not mattering to others. This sense of being insignificant and unimportant can become a cognitive preoccupation that is internalized and results in self-harm tendencies and an inability or unwillingness to engage in self-care.”

In one component led by co-author Joel Goldberg, a psychology professor at 91��ɫ, contrasted students living in residence with or without a history of mental health problems. Students with a history of some form of mental illness had an AMS mean of 14.16 and students without a history of mental illness had a much lower AMS mean of 11.21. Results were then shared with residence dons so they could put results into action by encouraging connections between students and promoting feelings of mattering among students living in residence.

The overall pattern of results confirmed AMS scores are associated with depression, loneliness, social anxiety, and negative affect. The strong association anti-mattering had with loneliness is noteworthy because the magnitude of the correlation suggests that loneliness and a sense of not mattering are linked inextricably for many people.

“The ultimate goal of this research is to document the power of mattering and make it our shared mission to increase feelings of mattering and reduce anti-mattering feelings in people of all ages,” said Flett. We all need to matter at home, at school, at work, and in the community.”

91��ɫ is a modern,��multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. 91��ɫ’s fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario’s Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91��ɫ’s campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media contact: Anjum Nayyar, 91��ɫ Media Relations, cell 437-242-1547,��anayyar@yorku.ca

The post New tool developed by 91��ɫ could offer more ways to assess distress in youth and adults appeared first on News@91��ɫ.

New tool developed by 91��ɫ could offer more ways to assess distress in youth and adults

roshanp — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 15:18:45 +0000

New Anti-Mattering Scale provides clinicians with another tool to assess the tendency of certain people to experience a profound sense of not mattering to others

“Not mattering is one of the most destructive feelings that someone could have based on our initial findings,” said Flett. People who feel like they don’t matter may report they feel irrelevant and unimportant as if they are not seen and not heard, while people who feel like they matter feel valued by people who care about them. He adds this is particularly important given the current pandemic. “Anti-mattering feelings are very salient and easier to experience due to pandemic-related isolation, loneliness and external circumstances beyond our control that can make us feel small and perhaps insignificant.”

Media contact: Anjum Nayyar, 91��ɫ Media Relations, cell 437-242-1547,��anayyar@yorku.ca

The post New tool developed by 91��ɫ could offer more ways to assess distress in youth and adults appeared first on News@91��ɫ.

Feeling expendable during the pandemic: why older adults need to feel like they matter

roshanp — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:28:44 +0000

Review examines aging and feeling valued versus expendable during COVID-19

TORONTO, June 16, 2020 – Isolation prescribed to stop the spread of COVID-19 is not only adding to the stress and distress of older people, but events related to the pandemic are reinforcing ageism, say researchers at 91��ɫ.

A new commentary and review led by 91��ɫ Psychology , sparked in part by accounts of terrible conditions in long-term care homes, examines the importance of treating older people in ways that enhance their sense of mattering rather than making them feel expendable. Protective factors such as mattering are vitally important given evidence that levels of suicidality among the elderly have exponentially increased during the pandemic.

The review is the first comprehensive and contemporary review of mattering among older adults and looks at how it protects their mental and physical health and shields them from loneliness. Researchers conducted a systematic search using multiple search engines, including Google Scholar, to identify any relevant research conducted on mattering among older people.

“Those older people who are able to retain a sense of mattering in the pandemic should be doing better than those who have not been able to do so,” says Flett, lead author of the review and Canada Research Chair in Personality and Health. “These individuals will benefit enormously from interactions and interventions that make them feel valued but conditions that promote feelings of not mattering can add to feelings of loneliness and undermine their health and well-being, especially during the pandemic."

Researchers say mattering is highly predictive in terms of protecting the mental and physical health of older adults. By highlighting specific investigations in the review, researchers explain why mattering protects older people from loneliness and social disconnection. One of the key themes emerging from the research review and from that of other investigators, says Flett, is that given the risks that face vulnerable older people, it is vitally important to promote positive protective factors and competencies that heighten their resilience and engagement. Current events that convey a sense of being expendable and unimportant have added to the urgency of the issue of mattering among seniors, according to the research.

“The crisis in long-term care homes has highlighted a lack of resources and planning which have left too many older people and staff members in vulnerable and potentially life-threatening situations,” says Flett. “What is also being missed is the opportunity to learn and benefit from the survival resources and resiliency factors cultivated by older adults who have lived through times of war, oppression, discrimination, and financial collapse.”

Flett and co-author Marnin J. Heisel, a former PhD student in Flett’s lab, outline ways to modify existing interventions and suggest key directions for future research. They also describe "the Clarence Challenge," which is based on the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life." The Clarence Challenge was developed in their own work to have retiring men generate ways in which their lives matter to the people around them, their community, and to themselves.

Gordon Flett is Director of the LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research at 91��ɫ where he specializes in the role of personality factors in depression, health problems, and interpersonal adjustment. His research adopts a lifespan perspective, studying the role of personality in health and mental health in children, adolescents, middle-aged individuals, and the elderly. Heisel and Flett have created the first measure to assess suicide ideation among the elderly.

Flett is available for interviews and can speak to the following as it relates to older adults:

How the fear of not mattering can impact health and well-being in older adults
How the loss of mattering can contribute to depression due not only to loss of mattering but also a perceived loss of self
The role of mattering in protecting against loneliness and social disconnection
Understanding the association between mattering and psychological well-being, or in contrast, between not mattering and depression
How mattering plays a role in positive physical health outcomes

Aging and Feeling Valued Versus Expendable During The Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond: A Review and Commentary of Why Mattering is Fundamental to the Health and Well-Being of Older Adults,��was published in .

91��ɫ champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91��ɫ students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91��ɫ U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91��ɫ is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

Media contact:
Anjum Nayyar, 91��ɫ Media Relations, cell 437-242-1547,��anayyar@yorku.ca

The post Feeling expendable during the pandemic: why older adults need to feel like they matter appeared first on News@91��ɫ.