A new poll has found that a third of young Canadians have sought treatment for mental health issues duringxjmtzyw the pandemic.
The latest poll from Nanos Research, commissioned by CTV News, found that 33.3 per cent of respondents aged 18 to 34 sought help for their mental health during the pandemic, through either counselling or treatment. This is compared to 19.5 per cent of respondents aged 35 to 54 and 5.9 per cent of respondents aged 55 and older.
In total, 18 per cent of Canadians sought professional help during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox
The poll also showed that the mental-health conditions of Canadians have slowly weakened over the course of the pandemic, with 47 per cent of Canadians indicating that their mental health has worsened compared to before COVID-19, compared to 38 per cent in April 2020.
“The proportion of Canadians who report that their mental health has deteriorated compared to before the pandemic continues to increase with now almost one in two saying it is worse (18%) or somewhat worse (29%),” Nanos Research indicated in a news release. “Younger Canadians are significantly more likely to report that their mental health is worse or somewhat worse (64%) than older Canadians (31%).”
The hardest-hit region of the country appears to be Atlantic Canada, where 58.7 per cent of respondents indicated worsening mental health.
As far as what drives the negative impacts on Canadians’ mental well-being, 63 per cent of respondents cited a loss of social contacts, while 59 per cent referenced the impact of lockdowns and public health restrictions, while 50 per cent said the uncertainty about the virus is hurting their mental health.
Canadians were also asked when they thought the pandemic might end and 22.2 per cent responded 12 months, while 16.4 per cent don’t think it will end for another two years.
- Mental health care in Canada: Where to find help
METHODOLOGY
Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,049 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between Jan. 21 to 23, 2022 as part of an omnibus survey. Participants were randomly recruited by telephone using live agents and administered a survey online. The sample included both land- and cell-lines across Canada. The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gender using the latest Census information and the sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Canada.
Individuals randomly called using random digit dialling with a maximum of five call backs.
RELATED IMAGESview larger image
A person is pictured with a therapist in this file photo. (Alex Green/Pexels)
