Who is reaching out for help? Examining access to mental health and substance use health supports among girls and young women in Canada.

Background: Girls and young women experience poorer mental health than boys and young men, although the reverse is true for substance use disorders. Few population-based studies examine girls' and young women's experiences accessing and receiving mental health and substance use (MHSU) health care support, particularly across sociodemographic groups.

Data and methods: Data from the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey were used to estimate the proportions of girls and young women who met the criteria for at least one MHSU disorder and who accessed formal MHSU health supports. The types of supports accessed, reasons for not accessing services, and associations between sociodemographic characteristics and the likelihood of indicating that the supports they accessed were helpful were examined. Girls and women aged 15 to 29 were studied, with an analytical sample of 1,254.

Results: Among girls and young women aged 15 to 29, 38.5% met the criteria for one or more MHSU disorders in 2022; of those, 54.6% had accessed formal MHSU health supports. Lesbian and bisexual girls and young women with an MHSU disorder were more likely to access formal supports and more likely to have found the supports helpful compared with their heterosexual peers. Racialized girls and young women were less likely than their non-racialized peers to report the care they received was helpful.

Interpretation: Some sociodemographic differences in the experiences of girls and young women accessing and receiving formal care for MHSU disorders were observed. Results indicated a need to improve the accessibility of formal MHSU supports for this population.