Over the past two years, the mental health of Canadians has deteriorated under the weight of the pandemic. Even though Quebec is the province that is doing the best, the mental health of its residents, particularly young people, remains affected, according to Statistics Canada data collected in February.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Since the arrival of COVID-19 in the country, feelings such as uncertainty, stress and loneliness have been exacerbated among some. Although research shows that Quebecers are more likely to have a strong sense of meaning and purpose in life compared to residents of other provinces, they are not immune to mental health issues.
Sanitary measures, restrictions related to meetings and sources of entertainment as well as economic repercussions are elements that may have had an impact on the situation, notes Statistics Canada.
A more pronounced fall in young people
The federal agency asked Canadians aged 12 and over to self-assess their mental health. The results show that it deteriorated, regardless of age group, between the fall of 2020 and the beginning of 2022. The stress relating to the arrival of new variants and the signs of exhaustion linked to the realities of the pandemic are factors that could explain this deterioration, the study reveals.
However, Canadians aged 18 to 34 have the lowest levels of mental health. For this age group, only 51% of respondents consider their psychological state to be healthy, while this figure rose to almost 61% in 2019. Among people aged 35 to 49, the decline is just as important.
In addition, 73% of Canadians aged 12 to 17 considered themselves to have excellent or very good mental health in 2019. This year, only 61% of minors surveyed are ready to support this statement.
Among people from minorities
There are fewer racialized people who believe they have good mental health than towards the end of 2021. The proportion drops from 68% to 60% among people from ethnic minorities, while the non-racialized population faces a greater decrease. slight, rising from 63% to 58% in 2022.
According to a previous study, people from racialized populations are more likely to work in settings such as restaurants and accommodations, which have been hit hard by the pandemic. These people would then be more exposed to health and economic risks, which can cause additional stress affecting their mental health, according to Statistics Canada.
The Latin American population is also the one with the lowest rate of people judging that they enjoy good mental health (43%). However, this proportion rose to 68% in 2021.
The trend is also decreasing among Indigenous communities, from 53% in 2021 to 44% in 2022. Statistics Canada research has shown that the effects of direct or intergenerational trauma can contribute to this decrease.
The study also notes that among lesbian, gay or bisexual people, mental health problems and distress are more frequent compared to heterosexual people.