Mental Health of Young Canadians on the Decline, Girls Most Affected: StatCan

About one in five Canadian youth who reported good mental health four years ago say their mental health has worsened, a recent survey has found, with girls and older teens being more likely to report declining mental health.
The study evaluated the same teens across the four-year period and found that the decline in mental health was more common among older youth who were making the transition to young adulthood throughout the pandemic. As well, girls appeared more likely than boys to report declines or maintain a “fair” or “poor” mental health rating four years later.
“The life changes that occur during the transition to adolescence and young adulthood can contribute to lowering levels of self-rated mental health for some youth,” the authors wrote. “At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic had a big impact on the lives of many Canadians, and some effects are still being felt today.”
Of the 12 percent of youth who described their mental health as “fair” or “poor” in 2019, more than 60 percent still described it as such in 2023. The rest (38 percent) said their mental health improved to either “good,” “very good,” or “excellent.”
Girls were also more likely, nearly 70 percent, to say their mental health was still “fair” or “poor” four years later. Just over half of boys (52 percent) maintained low self-rated mental health from 2019.
Based on data from Statistics Canada, the report found Canada has seen a marked deterioration in the mental health of young women over the last decade.