Hamilton, ON (April 17, 2019) - One in five Ontario children and youth suffer from a mental disorder, but less than one-third have had contact with a mental health care provider, says the Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS).
Although those overall results echo a similar study from 1983, the new study found a much larger proportion of children and youth with a disorder had contact with other health providers and in other settings, most often through schools.
The new study, called the 2014 OCHS for when data collection started, found that the patterns of prevalence among different sexes and age groups have changed.
Hyperactivity disorder in boys four to 11 years old jumped dramatically from nine to 16 percent, but there has been a substantial drop in disruptive behaviour among males 12 to 16 years old from 10 to 3 per cent. There has been a steep increase in anxiety and depression among both male and female youth from 9 to 13 per cent.
At the same time, there was a significant rise in perceptions of need for professional help with mental health disorders, rising from seven per cent in the original OCHS in 1983 to 19 per cent in the 2014 OCHS. However, the study authors say it is difficult to estimate whether it is tied to the growing prominence of anti-stigma and mental health awareness campaigns over the past three decades.
In 30 years, the prevalence of any disorder increased in communities with a population of 1,000 to 100,000, rather than large urban areas, and there is strong evidence that poor children are more likely to have a disorder if their neighbourhood is one where violence is more common.
The study also found that in the past year more than eight per cent of youth thought about suicide, and 4 per cent reported a suicide attempt.
The 2014 OCHS study included 10,802 children and youth aged four to 17 in 6,537 families. It replicated and expanded on the landmark 1983 Ontario Child Health Study of 3,290 children in 1,869 families.
The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry has simultaneously published eight papers on different aspects of the 2014 OCHS results.
"This is a very robust study we feel represents the situation in Canada," said Michael Boyle, co-principal investigator of the study. "That means there are more than a million Canadian children and youth with a mental health problem. This needs to be addressed."
Co-principal investigator Kathy Georgiades added: "This study underscores the continued need for effective prevention and intervention programs."
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Boyle and Georgiades led the 2014 OCHS research team of the Offord Centre for Child Studies of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS). Boyle is a professor emeritus and Georgiades is an associate professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences of McMaster and holds the David R. (Dan) Offord Chair in Child Studies.
The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ontario Ministry of Education.
Editors:
A more detailed backgrounder on the eight papers is below.
The papers and a related editorial may be found at https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/cpab/current
Backgrounder
Top-note findings of 2014 Ontario Child Health Study
Hamilton, ON (April 17, 2019) - Listed below are a few of the key findings of the eight papers from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS) published today in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry , along with information regarding the corresponding authors.
The principal investigators are members of the Offord Centre for Child Studies of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.
The papers may be found at: https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/cpab/current
Six-Month Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Service Contacts among Children and Youth in Ontario: Evidence from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study
Corresponding author:
Katholiki (Kathy) Georgiades, PhD, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
Prevalence and Correlates of Youth Suicidal Ideation and Attempts: Evidence from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study
Children's Mental Health Need and Expenditures in Ontario: Findings from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study
Corresponding author:
Laura Duncan, MA, research co-ordinator, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
Poverty, Neighbourhood Antisocial Behaviour and Child Mental Health Problems: Findings from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study
Corresponding author:
Michael Boyle, PhD, professor emeritus, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
Changes in the Prevalence of Child and Youth Mental Disorders and Perceived Need for Professional Help between 1983 and 2014: Evidence from the Ontario Child Health Study
Corresponding author:
Jinette Comeau, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Sociology, King's University College at Western University, London, ON
Tracking Children's Mental Health in the 21st Century: Lessons from the 2014 OCHS
2014 Ontario Child Health Study Findings: Policy Implications for Canada
Corresponding author:
Charlotte Waddell, MD, professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC
The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study - Methodology
The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry