A major new child health study has just been released — the first Canadian study in 30 years to measure the prevalence of childhood mental disorders and associated service use, as well as changes in disorders over time and the role of social determinants. The Ontario Child Health Study was led by Michael Boyle and Kathy Georgiades at McMaster University and included more than 10,000 Ontario children. Children’s Health Policy Centre researchers also participated. Findings apply across Canada, including in BC. Here are the summaries of some of the papers just released in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. See https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/cpab/current. All articles are open access.

2014 Ontario Child Health Study Findings: Policy Implications for Canada

• 2014 OCHS is a 30-year report card on children’s mental health, showing that in Canada we need to do better.
• The main findings are: 1) prevalence of childhood mental disorders remains high; 2) service reach remains low; 3) needs have increased over the past 30 years; and 4) exposure to avoidable adversities (such as income disparities and violence) influences children’s mental health.
• Governance of children’s mental health services in Canada resides within provinces/territories and often spans healthcare, schools, early childhood education and children’s mental health and related services — making central expert leadership and planning crucial for improving children’s mental health in the next 30 years.
• Next steps include: 1) ensuring coherent policy leadership in each province/territory; 2) making and sustaining comprehensive children’s mental health plans that address both prevention and treatment; 3) ensuring the use of effective interventions; 4) reaching all children with mental disorders with innovative service approaches; 5) addressing avoidable childhood adversities; and 6) ensuring adequate and dedicated children’s mental health budgets. See: 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Findings: Policy Implications for Canada

Corresponding author: Charlotte Waddell, MD, FRCPC, University Professor, Children’s Health Policy Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC

 Six-Month Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Service Contacts among Children and Youth in Ontario: Evidence from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study

• 18–22% of children aged 4–11 years had at least one mental disorder. Behaviour disorders were the most common in younger children and anxiety disorders most common in older children; for those with disorders, only 26–34% had had contact with a mental health provider; however, 60% had had contact with providers in other settings, most often schools.

Corresponding author: Kathy Georgiades, PhD, Associate Professor, Offord Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

Changes in the Prevalence of Child and Youth Mental Disorders and Perceived Need for Professional Help between 1983 and 2014: Evidence from the Ontario Child Health Study

• The perceived need for professional help increased from 7% to 19% for 4–16-year-olds over the past 30 years — with increases in attention-deficit/hyperactivity for younger boys and in depression and anxiety for older boys and girls, but decreases in conduct disorder for older boys and girls.

Corresponding author: Jinette Comeau, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Western University, London, ON

 Poverty, Neighbourhood Antisocial Behaviour and Child Mental Health Problems: Findings from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study

• When children experience high levels of neighbourhood antisocial behaviour, those living below the poverty line are at much higher risk for behavioural problems; these children are also at higher risk for emotional and behavioural problems when they live in areas with greater socioeconomic inequities.
  Corresponding author: Michael Boyle, PhD, Professor Emeritus, McMaster University