Self-Harm Behavior and Accessing of Mental Health Services in Ontario, Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Résumé fourni par la source

Objective This study explored demographic characteristics of people who disclosed self-harm ideation (SHI) or behaviors (SH) and their accessing of mental health services (MHS) during three government-declared waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada.Methods We analyze the results of a cross-sectional survey of adults in Ontario aged 18 years or older, representative of the provincial population based on age, gender, and location. The survey was conducted using Delvinia’s AskingCanadians panel at three timepoints: August 2020 (n = 2500), March 2021 (n = 2500), and March 2022 (n = 5000). Accessing of MHS was identified in a subsample of survey respondents who reported SHI (wave 1, August 2020, N = 421) and SH (wave 2, March 2021, N = 105; wave 3, March 2022, N = 259). Chi-square tests, Fisher’s exact test, and binary logistic regression were employed to identify associations between service access and demographics across waves.Results The survey in wave 1 identified 421 respondents with SHI (16.8%). Surveys in wave 2 and 3 identified 105 (4.1%) and 259 respondents (5.2%), respectively with SH. The majority of respondents who disclosed SHI (wave 1) and SH in wave 2 did not access MHS [wave 1 (36.3%); wave 2 (46.7%)], whereas more accessed MHS in wave 3 (60.6%). Older adults, men, people living with others, and in rural areas were less likely to access MHS overall.Conclusions MHS access is a key component of comprehensive suicide prevention and intervention. Future prevention efforts should aim to increase MHS access, particularly in specific demographic groups, ensuring timely service access.

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