The First Decade of the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health: A Critical Review
The purpose of our study is to describe the major features of the articles published in the first decade of the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health (CJCMH). We examined all 194 articles published in 1982 through 1991 with respect to seven dimensions: authors' gender, authors' affiliation, collaboration, article categories, levels of analysis, populations of interest, and the research relationship. Our findings suggest that: (a) CJCMH has provided increasingly more opportunities for female authors over the years; (b) authors have typically been affiliated with academic settings; (c) the majority of articles were written collaboratively; (d) a minority of articles pertain to empirical research; (e) most empirically based articles employed an individual level of analysis methodologically, while overall authors' interpretations primarily reflect multiple levels of analysis; (f) consumers/survivors represent the population most often investigated; and (g) CJCMH authors are not providing much useful information regarding the research relationship. We conclude that CJCMH authors, reviewers, and editors must continue to consider and incorporate the key values and concepts of community mental health when preparing and soliciting articles for publication.