More than half of Canadian parents say their children are still experiencing the “negative impacts” of the pandemic, more than two years after COVID-19 affected lives around the world.
According to the LifeWorks Monthly Mental Health Index, released Wednesday, 56 percent of parents see their children’s mental health and development worsening.
“When it comes to the disruption and isolation of the pandemic, children’s mental health has taken a huge hit. Understandably, this is having a huge impact on parents and families as a result,” Stephen Liptrap, president and CEO of LifeWorks, said in a statement.
The report found that 27 percent of parents noted their children had anxiety about the future, 24 percent noted a decline in social development, and 23 reported a decline in academic development.
Only 39 per cent of Canadian parents reported no significant impact on their children after the pandemic. This group also had the “most favorable mental health,” ranking a mental health score seven points higher than the national average of 65.
According to the report, the level of anxiety among children over the age of 15 is higher than the national average in Canada, and children between the ages of 10 and 14 are experiencing the worst effects on their mental health.
The impact on social development has been more universal, the report found, with parents of children between the ages of two and 18 all reporting detrimental effects.
A similar percentage of children between the ages of six and 18 are experiencing negative impacts on their academic development, according to the report.
“As organizations consider wellness support provided to employees, an emphasis on the needs of parents and assistance programs for employees and families is crucial,” said Liptrap.
“These resources are critical to ensuring that employees and their families can thrive, which benefits those families, their employers and society as a whole.”
OTHER FINDINGS
The report also looked at the impacts of the pandemic on Canadians’ purchasing and investment decisions, finding that how a company or brand treats its employees is seen as more important than how the company treats the environment. .
Thirty-three per cent of Canadians are influenced by how a company treats its employees, compared to 13 per cent who are influenced by how a company behaves towards the environment.
“We rightfully care about organizations’ impact on the environment, but many organizations underestimate the importance of their impact on employees to customers and investors,” said Paula Allen, global leader and senior vice president of research and total wellness at LifeWorks. . in a throw.
“The link between an organization’s support for employee well-being and organizational productivity, innovation and customer service is very clear, and now so is the link with consumer purchasing and investment preferences.”
The LifeWorks General Mental Health Index for July 2022 improved nearly one point from the previous month, from 64.1 to 65 out of 100 points. LifeWorks also reports that there have been improvements in all mental health subscores since June.
Secondary scores compared to pre-pandemic benchmarks include financial risk, psychological health, isolation, job productivity, anxiety, depression, and optimism.
According to the report, mental health scores decreased in British Columbia, Alberta and the Maritime Islands, although improvements were seen in all other provinces. Quebec showed the greatest improvement.
The most recent LifeWorks monthly index is based on an online survey in English and French with 3,000 responses collected between July 7 and 13, 2022. All respondents reside in Canada and are currently employed or were employed in the last six months. months, according to the index.
The human resources company, formerly known as Morneau Shepell, says individual responses are converted into point values using a response scoring system to produce the Mental Health Index. Better mental health and lower mental health risk are related to higher point values.