Violence among youth decreasing but 1 in 4 still being bullied at school
New study of mental health among Ontario Youth
For immediate release: Monday May 6, 2002 (Toronto, Ontario):
Violence among youth is decreasing but 25% of students are being bullied
at school, according to a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health (CAMH). The study, released today to coincide with the first day
of Mental Health Week, presents data collected in 2001, changes since
1999, and trends over the past decade.
"The trends indicate that violent activities among young people
are decreasing, and that overall students are doing quite well. There
is a small group, however, about 10%, that are at significant risk for
serious difficulties," said Dr. Ed Adlaf, research scientist with
CAMH's Population and Life Course Studies and an associate professor with
the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto.
About one-in-ten students surveyed report assaulting someone, carrying
a weapon, fighting at school, having serious thoughts of committing suicide,
having gambling problems, visiting a mental health professional within
the past 12 months, and being in poor health.
The study also provides the first provincial estimate of school bullying.
One-quarter of the students, representing about 225,300 of Ontario students,
report being bullied at school since the start of the school year and
one-third of students report having bullied someone.
"Although these studies are based on self-reports, rather than clinical
data, they are important because they help to identify which groups of
the population are at higher risk, and are useful in helping to design
prevention, education and treatment programs," said Dr. Joe Beitchman,
Clinical Director, Child Psychiatry at CAMH, Professor and Head, Division
of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Toronto, TD Bank Financial
Group Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychiatrist in Chief
at the Hospital for Sick Children, who co-authored the report with Adlaf
and CAMH research analyst Angela Paglia.
The mental health and well-being survey results were collected as part
of CAMH's ongoing Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS), the longest
ongoing school survey of adolescents in Canada. The study spans over two
decades, based on 13 surveys conducted every two years since 1977. Mental
health data has been collected since 1991. In the spring of 2001, 4,211
students in grades seven through OAC (77% of selected students) from 41
school boards, 106 schools and 272 classes participated in the survey
administered by the Institute for Social Research, York University.
Highlights of the study include:
The number of students who report assaulting someone during the past
12 months has significantly decreased to12% in 2001 from 19% in 1999.
Weapon carrying reported by students in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13 has
been steadily declining since 1993 (15%), and is currently at its lowest
point (9%).
The percentage of youth selling cannabis has steadily increased since
1991, and is currently at a peak (3% in 1991 vs.8% in 2001).
While pathological gambling decreased for students overall between
1999 (6%) and 2001 (3%), it increased among 13th graders, from 2% in
1999 to 6% in 2001.
The most prevalent gambling activity is card playing (26%), followed
by lottery tickets (25%) and sports pools (22%). The least prevalent
is casino gambling (3%).
About 5% of students are at high risk for depression with females being
more likely than males.
About one in four students (28%) report elevated psychological distress,
and this indicator is higher among females than males.
One in ten students report having low self-esteem.
Just under 2% of students report being prescribed medication for depression
in the past 12 months and less than 1% are prescribed medications for
depression and anxiety.
One in seven students were physically inactive during the seven days
prior to the survey, and just over one-third (36%) do not engage in
vigorous exercise at least 3 times weekly.
Among males, those trying to lose weight significantly increased from
1997 (16%) to 2001 (22%) as did the percentage of males who want to
keep from gaining weight (12% to 18%).
Four percent of students report both elevated psychological distress
and hazardous drinking.
CAMH provides clinical, educational, research and programs for adolescents
with addiction and/or mental health issues. A list of initiatives is available
on our web site at www.camh.net.
For the executive summary of the report, please check the CAMH web site
at www.camh.net. An electronic bulletin
of the highlights and a full report is also available at www.camh.net/research/population_life_course.html.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, a World Health Organization
Centre of Excellence and a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the
University of Toronto, was established in 1998 through the merger of the
Addiction Research Foundation, the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, the
Donwood Institute and the Queen Street Mental Health Centre.
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Media contact Anne Ptasznik,
Media Relations Coordinator, CAMH, at (416) 595-6015.
Version française disponible
OSDUS 2001 --- The Mental Health and Well-Being of Ontario Students,
1991-2001: Findings from the OSDUS
PDF
of complete report (1.17MB)
PDF of executive
summary (106MB)
Press release May 6, 2002
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Français
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