McKinnon Britt, Jahan Rabina, Mazza Julia
Health Equity Policy Division, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2025 Jan 17. doi: 10.1007/s00127-025-02813-7.
Rising concern surrounds youth mental health in Canada, with growing disparities between females and males. However, less is known about recent trends by other sociodemographic factors, including sexual orientation, ethnocultural background, and socioeconomic status.
This study analyzed data from 96 683 youths aged 15-24 who participated in the nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) between 2007 and 2022. Trends in absolute and relative inequalities in poor/fair self-rated mental health (SRMH) by sex, sexual orientation, racialized and Indigenous identity, and socioeconomic conditions were assessed.
The percent of youths reporting poor/fair SRMH quadrupled from 4.3% in 2007-08 to 20.1% in 2021-22. During the same period, absolute inequalities in SRMH increased by 9.9% points (95% CI: 6.6, 12.9) for females compared to males, 11.4% points (95% CI: 4.6, 18.2) for Indigenous versus non-racialized youth, and 15.4% points (95% CI: 5.7, 25.1) for youth (aged 18-24) identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) compared to heterosexual.
The sustained deterioration in youth SRMH over the past decade and a half has been accompanied by widening inequalities across several dimensions important for health equity in Canada. Action is needed to identify and implement effective programs and policies to support youth mental health and address disparities.
加拿大青少年心理健康问题日益受到关注，男女之间的差距也在不断扩大。然而，对于包括性取向、种族文化背景和社会经济地位在内的其他社会人口因素的近期趋势，我们了解得较少。
本研究分析了96683名15至24岁青少年的数据，这些青少年在2007年至2022年期间参与了具有全国代表性的加拿大社区健康调查（CCHS）。评估了按性别、性取向、种族化和原住民身份以及社会经济状况划分的自我评定心理健康状况差/一般（SRMH）方面的绝对和相对不平等趋势。
报告SRMH差/一般的青少年比例从2007 - 2008年的4.3%增至2021 - 2022年的20.1%，增长了四倍。在同一时期，女性与男性相比，SRMH的绝对不平等增加了9.9个百分点（95%置信区间：6.6，12.9）；原住民青少年与非种族化青少年相比，增加了11.4个百分点（95%置信区间：4.6，18.2）；与异性恋青少年相比，认同自己为女同性恋、男同性恋或双性恋（LGB）的18至24岁青少年增加了15.4个百分点（95%置信区间：5.7，25.1）。
在过去十五年中，青少年SRMH持续恶化，同时在加拿大对健康公平至关重要的几个方面，不平等现象也在加剧。需要采取行动来确定并实施有效的项目和政策，以支持青少年心理健康并解决差距问题。
