Mental Health
Examining the cross-sectional and prospective associations between naturally occurring changes to school public health unit engagement regarding mental health and adolescent anxiety and depressive symptoms: Findings from Wave 6 (2017-18) and Wave 7 (2018-19) of the COMPASS Study Stephen Hunter* Stephen Hunter Carla Hilario Scott T Leatherdale Karen Patte Brendan T Smith Roman Pabayo
Background: Adolescence is a critical period for targeting mental health and schools provide unequivocal access to adolescents for initiatives to occur. The research objective was to examine the association between schools’ engagement with their local public health unit (PHU) regarding mental health and adolescent anxiety and depressive symptomology.
Methods: Linked longitudinal data from wave 6 (2017-18) and wave 7 (2018-19) of the Cannabis, Obesity, Mental health, Physical activity, Alcohol, Smoking, and Sedentary behaviour (COMPASS) study in Canada was used. Adolescents (n = 27 473) reported their anxiety and depressive symptomology via questions from the 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Revised (CESD-R-10), respectively. Schools’ (n = 112) engagement with their local PHUs regarding mental health each year was reported via administrative surveys. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to determine if PHU engagement was a significant predictor of anxiety or depression at baseline and at follow-up, while controlling for individual-, school, and area-level covariates.
Results: Adolescents attending schools that engaged with their local PHU had greater odds of anxiety at baseline (OR = 1.30, 95%CI: 1.10, 1.53) and the probability was significantly higher over time compared to those who attended schools with no PHU engagement at baseline. Adolescents attending schools that engaged with their local PHU had a greater odds of reporting depression at baseline (OR = 1.18, 95%CI: 1.02, 1.36); however, the probability over time remained the same, compared to those who attended schools with no PHU engagement at baseline.
Conclusion: Schools’ engagement with their local PHU regarding mental health did not mitigate increases in students’ anxiety or depression symptoms over one year. A more nuanced inquiry into the frequency, type, duration, and target populations of mental health initiatives is required.