Exploring The Impact of Alcohol Consumption Patterns on the Mental Health of Canadian Youth
ABOUT THE REPORT
The information for this report was collected August 2023—July 2024, from Polls 17-21 of our Canada-wide surveys. The data represents 12,283 respondents aged 16 and older who answered questions about their mental health in an online survey.
This report is part of a series addressing the need for evidence-based insights into youth mental health, specifically exploring the relationship between alcohol consumption patterns and mental health indicators among Canadian youth. To identify problematic drinking patterns, MHRC uses the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).
MHRC’s most recent findings highlight a common theme—youth are experiencing poorer mental health than other age groups. This report indicates that youth report higher ratings of anxiety and depression, overall physical distress, and suicidal ideations.
Consistent with findings from previous research, MHRC data highlights the association between higher instances of alcohol consumption patterns and poor mental health indicators among youth.
Key Findings:
Higher AUDIT scores are associated with poorer mental health indicators: Findings show that Higher AUDIT scores are associated with lower resilience, higher depression, anxiety, and psychological distress scores.
Young people aged 16-24 are at the highest risk: This group are especially affected, with a stronger link between alcohol consumption and poor mental health. 36% indicated that they exhibit signs of harmful drinking patterns, and of those, 43% had thoughts of suicide in the last year.
Men report higher AUDIT scores than women: Among the 16-24 year-olds who were surveyed, men indicated higher AUDIT scores than women. Findings show that 48% of men have high AUDIT scores, in comparison to 26% of women.