Planning for the Mental Health Surge: The Self-Reported Mental Health Impact of Covid-19 on Young People and Their Needs and Preferences for Future Services

Abstract

We investigated young people’s mental health (MH) and preferences for future MH services early in the Covid-19 pandemic to support user-centered service planning and delivery. We administered a webbased survey to young people living in Ontario. Logistic regressions identified predictors of worsening MH and service preferences among a sample of 1341 participants. 61.1% reported worse MH since the pandemic. Worsening MH was significantly associated with one MH and five sociodemographic factors. Participants’ MH and service preferences aligned well with clinical practice guidelines in that those with a greater self-reported MH need preferred more intensive MH services.