Canadians mental health improving, still below pre-pandemic levels: study
Canadians mental health is slowly getting better but it is still far below the average that was set before the pandemic according to the most recent mental health index from LifeWorks.
Since April 2020, LifeWorks has been providing a monthly update on Canadians mental health throughout the pandemic.
For August 2021, the company found the overall mental health index is at -9.7. This score is up from the -10.1 set in July, but LifeWorks said this is still almost 10 points below the pre-pandemic level.
The good news about the number is this is the highest mark since the index started being tracked.
Breaking down the index per province, it shows that Manitobans mental health has declined compared to last month.
In July, the index had Manitoba at a -9.7 but that has dipped in August to -10.6. Alberta currently has the worst mark sitting at -12.5 while Newfoundland and Labrador lead the country at -5.0.
WORKING WHILE PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY UNWELL
For the month of August, LifeWorks also look at productivity loss at work while Canadians were feeling unwell, whether that be physically or mentally.
The results found that 54 per cent of Canadians report feeling unwell at least one day per week and their mental health scores are much lower than those who don't report feeling unwell while at work.
LifeWorks also found that those with a mental health score of -40 or lower have an estimated productivity loss of 27 per cent.
When looking at employees who are parents compared to those who don't have children, it found 64 per cent of parents reported feeling unwell at least one day a week compared to only 36 per cent of people without children.
WHERE CANADIANS WORK IMPACTS MENTAL HEALTH
LifeWorks research also found that 65 per cent of Canadians consider the organization they work for a great place to work.
Those who enjoy where they work have a higher mental health score, -3.1 on the mental health index, compared to those who don't enjoy their workplace.
For those who don't like where they are working, around 15 per cent, LifeWorks said their mental health scores are lower than the national average by more than double the amount.
The research also found that people who are managers are more likely to like their organization compared to non-manager employees.
LifeWorks collects the data through an online survey of 3,000 Canadians who are employed or were employed in the last six months. The same 3,000 people are used each month so there is no sampling bias.
The mental health scores are created by assigning a point value to every question and the higher the number, the better mental health results for each person.
All the numbers are added together and then divided by a total number of possible points to get a score out of 100. LifeWorks said the raw score is the mathematical mean of the individual scores.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.