Access to mental health support, unmet need and preferences among adolescents during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread effects on adolescent mental health. However, little is known about support-seeking, unmet need and preferences for mental health care among adolescents. Methods: The Youth Development Instrument (YDI) is a school-administered survey of adolescents (N = 1928, mean age = 17.1, SD = 0.3) across British Columbia, Canada. In this cohort, we assessed the characteristics of accessed mental health supports, prevalence of unmet need and preferences for in-person versus internet-based services. Results: Overall, 40% of adolescents obtained support for mental health, while 41% experienced unmet need. The most commonly accessed supports were family doctors or pediatricians (23.1%) and adults at school (20.6%). The most preferred mode of mental health care was in-person counselling (72.4%), followed by chat-based services (15.0%), phone call (8.1%) and video call (4.4%). The adjusted prevalence of accessing support was elevated among adolescents with anxiety (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.10–1.51), those who used alcohol (1.14, 1.01–1.29), gender minorities (1.28, 1.03–1.58) and sexual minorities (1.28, 1.03–1.45). The adjusted prevalence of unmet need was elevated among adolescents with depression (1.90, 1.67–2.18), those with anxiety (1.78, 1.56–2.03), females (1.43, 1.31–1.58), gender minorities (1.45, 1.23–1.70) and sexual minorities (1.15, 1.07–1.23). Conclusion: Adolescents of gender or sexual minority status and those with anxiety were more likely than others to have discussed mental health concerns and also to have reported unmet need. The most common sources of support were primary health care providers and adults at school, while the most and least preferred modes of support were in-person and video call services, respectively.