Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can. 2024 Feb;44(2):56-65. doi: 10.24095/hpcdp.44.2.03.
Amid the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a notable increase in symptoms of anxiety and depression has become a pressing concern. This study examined the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in Canada from September to December 2020, assessing demographic and socioeconomic influences, as well as the potential role of COVID-19 diagnoses and related negative experiences.
Data were drawn from the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health by Statistics Canada, which used a two-stage sample design to gather responses from 14 689 adults across ten provinces and three territorial capitals, excluding less than 2% of the population. Data were collected through self-administered electronic questionnaires or phone interviews. Analytical techniques, such as frequencies, cross-tabulation and logistic regression, were used to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms, the demographic characteristics of Canadians with increased anxiety and depression symptoms and the association of these symptoms with COVID-19 diagnoses and negative experiences during the pandemic.
The study found that 14.62% (95% CI: 13.72%-15.51%) of respondents exhibited symptoms of depression, while 12.89% (95% CI: 12.04%-13.74%) reported anxiety symptoms. No clear differences in symptom prevalence were observed between those infected by COVID-19, or those close to someone infected, compared to those without these experiences. However, there were strong associations between traditional risk factors for depressive and anxiety symptoms and negative experiences during the pandemic, such as physical health problems, loneliness and personal relationship challenges in the household.
This study provides insight into the relationship between COVID-19 and Canadians' mental health, demonstrating an increased prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms associated with COVID-19-related adversities and common prepandemic determinants of these symptoms. The findings suggest that mental health during the pandemic was primarily shaped by traditional determinants of depression and anxiety symptoms and also by negative experiences during the pandemic.
在 COVID-19 大流行的广泛影响下，焦虑和抑郁症状显著增加成为一个紧迫的问题。本研究调查了 2020 年 9 月至 12 月期间加拿大焦虑和抑郁症状的流行情况，评估了人口统计学和社会经济因素，以及 COVID-19 诊断和相关负面经历的潜在作用。
数据来自加拿大统计局的 COVID-19 和心理健康调查，该调查采用两阶段抽样设计，从 10 个省和三个地区的 14689 名成年人中收集了数据，不包括不到 2%的人口。数据通过自我管理的电子问卷或电话访谈收集。使用频率、交叉表和逻辑回归等分析技术评估了焦虑和抑郁症状的流行率、加拿大焦虑和抑郁症状增加者的人口统计学特征，以及这些症状与 COVID-19 诊断和大流行期间负面经历的关联。
研究发现，14.62%（95%CI：13.72%-15.51%）的受访者出现了抑郁症状，而 12.89%（95%CI：12.04%-13.74%）报告了焦虑症状。与没有这些经历的人相比，感染 COVID-19 的人或与感染者密切接触的人，症状流行率没有明显差异。然而，在 COVID-19 相关逆境和大流行期间常见的抑郁和焦虑症状的前因之间存在强烈关联，例如身体健康问题、孤独和家庭内部的人际关系挑战。
本研究深入了解了 COVID-19 与加拿大人心理健康之间的关系，表明与 COVID-19 相关逆境和这些症状的常见大流行前决定因素相关的焦虑和抑郁症状的流行率增加。研究结果表明，大流行期间的心理健康主要受到抑郁和焦虑症状的传统决定因素以及大流行期间负面经历的影响。
