简体中文
Half of Canadians report that their mental health has gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an online survey released Monday by the Angus Reid Institute.
The survey, conducted between April 15 and April 17, also showed that 10 percent of respondents reported their mental health worsened "a lot."
When asked about their primary feelings in recent weeks, 44 percent of respondents said they were "worried," 41 percent said "anxious," 30 percent said "bored," and 16 percent said "depressed."
Only about 11 percent said they were untroubled and 14 percent said they felt normal.
The survey placed Canadians into four categories: those who are managing well mentally and financially, those who are mentally struggling, those who are financially struggling, and people who are hardest hit feeling severe effects in both the mentally and financially struggling categories.
At least 20 percent of Canadians from all regions fell into the hardest hit category. About one-quarter of people in the hardest hit group said their relationships at home suffered since the outbreak, compared to 6 percent in the managing well group.
While mental health effects from the pandemic are common among every age group and gender, men aged 55 and over said they were least affected while women between age 18 and 54 were most likely to report mental health impacts.
Isolation has also affected relations between housemates, although for the most part cabin fever is not leading roommates to turn on each other.
One-quarter of respondents said their relations with roommates improved, 14 percent said worsened, and a majority reported no change at all.
Despite reporting a decline in mental health, three-quarters of Canadians said it would be too soon to begin lifting restrictions on businesses and public gatherings, according to the survey.
