Abstract
Mental health of students is a growing public health concern; however, little is known of the prevalence of different mental health issues or of its correlates. The purpose of this exploratory analysis was to identify important correlates of a diverse range of mental health outcomes by gender. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey Mental Health Cycle (2013) were used for analyses. Only adults aged 15-24 years of age who self-reported being a current student were included (n=1086 for males; n=1304 for females). Five outcome variables were created to represent a range of mental health issues. These were consulted a professional, consulted a non-professional, has a diagnosed disorder (bipolar, depression or general anxiety disorder), has poor psychosocial health (perceived health, perceived mental health and satisfaction with life) and does not have positive mental health. Â Correlates assessed were age, income, immigration status, ethnicity, physical activity, sleep and household size. Chi-squares and adjusted logistic regression models were conducted. Results indicated that there were significant gender differences for income, ethnicity, physical activity and sleep. Females also had a significantly higher prevalence of consultations with professionals (14.8% vs. 7.6% in males), consultations with non-professionals (33.4% vs. 20.6% in males), diagnosed disorders (15.4% vs. 8.7% in males) and poor psychosocial health (47.3% vs. 41.4% in males). Gender differences were also noted in the adjusted regressions such that males were less likely than females to consult a professional (OR: 0.55, CI: 0.42-0.74), consult a non-professional (OR: 0.55, CI: 0.46-0.67) or have a diagnosed disorder (OR: 0.63, CI: 0.48-0.84). Sleep was consistently associated with all five mental health outcomes, while physical activity was not associated with either of consultations with a non-professional or diagnosed disorder. It is clear from these data that gender and health behaviours are important for mental health in students aged 15-24 years.Acknowledgments: NA