April 12, 2022
The report brings attention to mental health challenges faced by over 10,000 youth in the province and offers actions at the grassroots level. The Saskatchewan Alliance for Youth and Community Well-Being surveyed students and teachers, touching on factors that influence young peoples’ health and well-being. Takeaways include:
- Poor mental health outcomes are strongly associated with traumatic events commonly experienced by many youth, including bullying and dating violence. Youth who reported traumatic events reported higher levels of poor mental health outcomes;
- There were concerning levels of depressive symptoms, high-risk behaviours and traumatic experiences before the pandemic. Early results from other research suggest the pandemic exacerbates existing mental health problems;
- Mental health programs and interventions for youth should focus on factors shown to provide the most protection against adverse mental health outcomes such as depressive symptoms, self-harm and suicide; and
- Feeling supported by and connected to friends, families, school and community gives young people the strongest protection when they experience trauma or struggle with mental health.