Canadians have watched and streamed more online content during the pandemic than ever before, which has led to a corresponding decline in activity levels, a survey shows.
Fifty-one per cent of respondents said they were doing more online streaming, 50 per cent said they were watching or reading the news more often and 44 per cent said they were using social media more than usual. Conversely, 23 per cent said they were walking or jogging less, doing less exercise (19 per cent) and having less social interaction with family and friends (18 per cent).
The results were part of a report that the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction put together from data supplied by research firm Leger, which conducted two surveys for the organizations. A total of 2,502 people responded to the first poll, while 1,507 people responded to a second survey several weeks later.
The Moose Jaw Express has used the data from the second survey since it is the most recent.
Perceived mental health
According to Statistics Canada, 67 per cent of Canadians reported having excellent or very good perceived mental health in 2019 before the onset of the pandemic. Based on the second survey Leger conducted, 41 per cent of respondents reported having strong mental health, while 59 per cent reported having good, fair, or poor mental health.
Depression symptoms
Two per cent of Canadians reported having moderately severe to severe symptoms of depression in 2015-16, according to the Canadian Community Health Survey.
Leger’s second poll found that 14 per cent of respondents reported having severe symptoms of depression.
In particular, 30 per cent of respondents with current substance use problems reported having moderately severe to severe depression, while 39 per cent of those with a lifetime diagnosis of substance use indicated similar symptoms. Thirty-two per cent of respondents with a lifetime diagnosis of mental health issues also reported having moderately severe to severe symptoms.
Anxiety symptoms
Statistics Canada reported that 20 per cent of Canadians had moderate to severe anxiety symptoms in May 2020. Leger found that 24 per cent of respondents had moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety. Respondents with a lifetime diagnosis of substance use issues (51 per cent) or a lifetime diagnosis of mental health issues (43 per cent) reported a higher percentage of anxiety symptoms.
Suicidal ideation
About five per cent of respondents have seriously contemplated suicide since last March, with a percentage higher for those with a lifetime diagnosis of substance use concerns (30 per cent) and those with a lifetime diagnosis of mental health issues (13 per cent).
Main stresses during pandemic
The biggest sources of stress during the pandemic for survey respondents were financial (14 per cent), social isolation (12 per cent), health of family (11 per cent), own health problems or conditions (nine per cent), nothing (nine per cent), and own emotional/mental health problem or condition (five per cent).
Statistics Canada reported in 2019 that 83 per cent of Canadians could handle unexpected and difficult problems. The Leger survey found 62 per cent of respondents could handle the stress of the pandemic.
