Assessing the Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Canadians: A Longitudinal Study

Karolina Kaminska

Impact

  • The spread of COVID-19 across Canada did not just affect physical health—it triggered a mental health crisis. This research project was part of a national effort to better understand how Canadians were coping, barriers to accessing support systems, and how stronger services could be built in the future.

  • The data collected played a key role in helping Public Health Canada and the Federal COVID-19 Taskforce respond to the pandemic's mental health impact. By analyzing how people accessed mental health services, and who was being left behind, the research provided critical insights used by policymakers and service providers across the country.

  • A third part of the research examined how individuals with severe illness accessed mental health care. The findings helped lay the groundwork for future studies, including the researcher’s doctoral dissertation.

“This award has provided me with the opportunity to learn about MHRC’s national polling project, application of statistical analysis to national polling data, and insights into mental health in Canada. The direct experience with real-world mental health data has helped me further learn about patterns in health care utilization, strengthening my expertise as an emerging researcher and evaluator in this field.”

- Karolina Kaminska

  • Ontario

  • Studentship

  • University of Waterloo

  • Mental Health Research Canada

  • Mitacs, Health Canada

  • 2023-2024

  • Population health

  • All

About the Project

This project aimed to track mental health trends across Canadians—especially among communities more likely to face social or economic hardship. It looked at factors like housing, food security, and substance use, and how these pressures affected people’s mental health during the pandemic. The researcher also examined the gap between people who said they needed help and those who were able to access it. She looked at how different services were paid for, how long people stayed in care, and what kinds of providers they saw. A special focus was placed on understanding how illness severity shaped access to support, especially for vulnerable populations.

Methodology

This research was based on a national survey designed to assess mental health and related issues across the Canadian population. The survey included established measures of mental health status, substance use, post-traumatic stress, and key social conditions like housing and food security. 

  • Data Collection: Over the course of the study, 20 waves of surveys were conducted between April 2020 and 2023, roughly every 6 to 12 weeks. The surveys were developed in collaboration with academic experts and representatives from federal, provincial, and private sectors. Ethics approval was granted by the University of Waterloo. A national polling firm, Pollara, administered the surveys using a representative sample from every Canadian province.

  • Survey Design: Participants shared demographic and socioeconomic information, helping researchers identify which communities were most affected by the pandemic. They were asked about depression and anxiety, sources of distress (like financial strain and isolation), and whether they had access to the mental health services they needed. In some provinces, additional surveys allowed for more detailed local insights. Data were weighted to ensure national representativeness.

  • Data Analysis: The research focused on how often and how long people used mental health services, how those services were paid for, and what types of support were used. Results were compared by age, gender, income, region, ethnicity, and clinical indicators like severity of mental health or substance use challenges. The study also looked at how satisfied people were with the care they received.

You can explore the survey summaries at: mhrc.ca/national-polling.

Findings

Who Received Help and Who Did Not:

  • Young adults (ages 16–34) were the most likely to access services (19%), while only 7% of older adults did.

  • Non-binary individuals reported the highest need: 46% needed support, but only 36% got it.

  • Women accessed care at higher rates than men.

  • Across ethnic groups, access was fairly consistent, but Caribbean and African communities had the highest levels of unmet need (12%).

  • People earning under $30,000 per year were also more likely to go without needed care.

How Canadians Used Funded Mental Health Services:

  • 53% of users turned to private, out-of-pocket services.

  • 32% relied on publicly funded care.

  • Others used free online tools (21%) or community supports (12%).

  • Private service users tended to stay in care longer. Among public service users, 56% were still in treatment at the time of the survey.

  • In contrast, only 21% were still using free tools, and 34% remained engaged with community supports.

Accessing Care with a Severe Illness:

  • People with serious symptoms of anxiety, depression, or substance use were more likely to seek help.

  • But those with severe substance use issues faced the biggest barriers:

    • 24% of those with severe cannabis use needed help but did not get it.

    • 20% of those with severe alcohol use had unmet needs.

    • By comparison, 12% with severe depression and 9% with severe anxiety went without needed care.

Project Outreach

While the project has no plans for further expansion, it was national in scope and its findings are already shaping future studies and are helping to build a stronger, more responsive system for all Canadians.

Resources Created