Half of Quebec university students struggling with mental health amid pandemic: survey

Montreal — More than half of Quebec university students say the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly dimished their mental health, according to the Quebec Student Union, which commissioned a survey of 1,209 students across 17 universities.

According to the survey, 51 per cent of students reported increased psychological distress during the fall semester.

Another 52 per cent said they felt the need for mental health support since the start of the session. Despite that, 77 per cent of them said they did not seek professional help, mainly because they either couldn’t afford it, or they didn’t have enough time.

About 7 per cent of students said they had suicidal thoughts, and 3 per cent said they had attempted suicide.

The main identified stressors were, in order, workload (65 per cent) and online courses (56 per cent). Another 61 per cent said they were lonely, and 72 per cent reported feeling more isolated than before.

"[It's] very important to improve online courses to ensure that the entire student community perseveres and is involved in their learning," read the report. "Teachers must be better supported in order to develop class periods adapted to the needs of the student community."

The president of the Quebec Student Union, Jade Marcil, said the results should encourage the government of Quebec to fully fund mental health services in universities in the next budget.

She also calls on universities to be more transparent about the use of government investments.

Survey data was collected from Nov. 12 to Nov. 19.

-- This report from the Canadian Press was first published on Feb 10, 2021.