A Mosaic Of Experiences: The Mental Health of Racialized Communities Throughout the Pandemic

ABOUT THE RESEARCH BRIEF

The data in this report was collected by Pollara Strategic Insights during our national mental health polling initiative between April 2020 and April 2022.

This report includes additional analyses from the Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace dataset, collected in partnership with Canada Life and Workplace Strategies for Mental Health betweeen November and December 2021.

The analysis in this report represents Canadians who identified as part of a particular ethnicity group or as a visible minority. In cases of small sample sizes, ethnicities are broadly grouped. Indigenous data is not reported on.

Due to the nature of self-reporting it should be noted that the cultural background of the respondents may influence how they think about, understand and answer questions about their mental health.

 

Canada is comprised of a complex mosaic of experiences that cannot be effectively understood through summarization into a single group.

Understanding the complexity of this mosaic begins with input from people with lived experience and other stakeholders to emphasize where the greatest needs exist.

Our research highlights marked differences in how racialized communities in Canada are impacted by depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation throughout the pandemic. Findings reveal that everyone is impacted by mental illness differently.

Questions answered in the report include:

  • Have levels of self-rated anxiety and depression changed throughout the pandemic?

  • Have levels of anxiety and depression diagnoses changed throughout the pandemic ?

  • Have reports of suicidal thoughts and planned attempts changed throughout the pandemic ?

  • Are some ethnic groups more likely than others to think about, or plan a suicide?

  • Do different ethnicity groups report different experiences of mental health stigma in the workplace?

Learning more about how mental illness impacts everyone differently builds the foundation for further exploring the barriers and facilitators to positive mental health for all Canadians. This work may be one of the many starting points for improving the mental health of equity groups across Canada.

A collection of our previously released research briefs providing an in-depth investigation of our polling results can be found here.