Applying a community-based mental health lens to Canadians access to mental healthcare in the context of COVID19

Danielle Fearon

Impact

  • This project was helpful for CMHA to get a look at the state of mental health, access and service use across the country. The researcher stratified the data by various age groups, ethnicities, genders and other demographic characteristics to provide a snapshot of mental health and addictions across Canada. The analysis was helpful to identify key challenges in accessing mental health services, and risk factors for poor mental health outcomes.

  • Demographic characteristics were helpful for CMHA to identify key priority areas and challenges. Findings were shared online, with CMHA and other partner organizations. This led to policy improvement and the development of new initiatives for different population groups

  • Ontario

  • Studentship/ Internship

  • University of Waterloo

  • Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)

  • Mitacs, Canadian Women's Foundation

  • 2023

  • COVID-19

  • All

About the Project

This project aimed to address Canada's leading cause of disability, mental disorders and the gaps in its mental health care system. With the increasing demand for mental health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project sought to leverage digital technologies to bridge these service gaps. The researcher assessed factors such as mental health service accessibility, mental illness rates, substance use patterns, employment status and help-seeking behaviors.

Methodology

The research process followed three main steps:

  1. Data was collected from Mental Health Research Canada and stored in a CSV file. This data was then cleaned up in a programming software (RStudio) to remove any duplicate or overlapping entries and ensure accuracy

  2. SAS 9.4, a specialized software for analyzing data, was used to perform the actual data analysis. Different statistical techniques (such as regression modelling, stratification, etc.) were utilized to better understand characteristics of the sample population

  3. The results of these analyses were summarized and presented clearly to make it easier to understand the state of mental health and related factors among the people in the study. 

Findings

  • Non-binary participants showed signs of poorer mental health, including higher rates of suicidal thoughts: 34.7% reported suicidal thoughts and 26% had planned suicide in the past year.

  • They were also more likely to have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety and to have accessed mental health services in the past year: they were 1.8 times more likely to have a depression diagnosis and reported the highest rates of service use among all gender groups.

  • Participants from minority backgrounds reported higher use of substances like cannabis compared to the overall group: 13.5% of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth aged 16–24 showed signs of cannabis use disorder versus 8.9% overall.

  • These trends were consistent among both youth (ages 16–24) and young adults (ages 25–35).

Project Outreach

The project findings were shared with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and informed the development of national initiatives.

Resources Created