Key Findings
Survey Overview
Why Mental Heath?
Survey Results
Insights into Youth Mental Health and Well-Being in Halton
Key Findings
In spring 2023, 4,425 grade seven students and 2,869 grade ten students from the Halton District School Board (HDSB) and Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) participated in a set of surveys that included questions about their mental health, well-being and related factors. Results from the surveys showed that:
Well-Being
- One-quarter of grade ten students and just under two-fifths of grade seven students rate their mental health as very good or excellent.
- 63% of grade seven and 48% of grade ten students have positive emotional well-being. Emotional well-being is a composite measure that includes life satisfaction, happiness, and interest in life.
- 60% of grade seven and 44% of grade ten students report being satisfied with life every day or almost every day in the past month.
- 71% of grade seven and 54% of grade ten students report that they felt happy every day or almost every day in the past month.
- Just under two-thirds of grade seven and about half of grade ten students report that they were interested in life every day or almost every day in the past month.
- About two-thirds of grade seven students and just over half of grade ten students report having positive self-esteem.
COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS
- The majority of grade seven and grade ten students report having positive peer support (9 out of 10 for both grades) and positive parental involvement at home (9 out of 10 for both grades), which are important protective factors for positive mental health.
- Approximately four out of five students in both grades report positive feelings of inclusion at school.
- About three-quarters of students in both grades report a strong sense of community belonging.
SAFETY AND BULLYING
- About three-quarters of students in both grades feel safe at school, while nearly 9 out of 10 feel safe on the way to and from school and just over 9 out of 10 feel safe in their neighbourhood or community.
- The top bullying behaviours experienced by grade seven students included being made fun of, being called mean names, and having lies told about them. The top bullying behaviours experienced by grade ten students included being made fun of, having lies told about them, and being purposefully left out of something.
SLEEP AND SCREEN-TIME
- The majority of grade seven students (73%) and grade ten students (83%) are spending more time on screens and less time sleeping (65% of grade seven students, 71% of grade ten students) than recommended by the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines.
SUBSTANCE USE
- 19% of grade ten students report having used alcohol in the past month. Nearly 1 in 10 report having used cannabis, with a similar proportion reporting having used vaping products.
CROSS-INDICATOR FINDINGS
- For many of the indicators presented in this report, girls in Halton are faring worse than boys. Individuals with another gender identity often experience outcomes comparable to girls or worse than either boys or girls.
- For some indicators, like protective factors related to relationships with peers and parents, grade seven and ten students had similar findings. However, for indicators of mental health and well-being, grade ten students tended to have poorer outcomes compared to grade seven students.
