Overall
Grade
Sex
Socioeconomic Status
Overall
According to the 2015 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS), 20% (18.3%, 21.5%) of Simcoe Muskoka students (Grades 7-12) experienced severe psychological distress in the four-weeks prior to the survey, which was significantly higher than the provincial average of 14% (12.5%, 16.0%).
By Grade
Psychological distress is significantly worse for high school students when compared to Grades 7 and 8 students. In Simcoe Muskoka in 2015, 77% (70.3%, 82.4%) of students in Grades 7 and 8 reported not experiencing any psychological distress in the previous four-weeks, which was significantly better than the 59% (50.4%, 67.7%) of high school students. Additionally, 23% (18.3%, 28.5%) of high school students reported severe psychological distress in the previous four-weeks, which was significantly higher than the 12% (7.6%, 18.0%) of Grade 7 and 8 students.
By Sex
Psychological distress is significantly worse for female students (Grades 7-12) when compared to male students. In Simcoe Muskoka in 2015, 78% (70.9%, 83.7%) of male students reported not experiencing any psychological distress in the previous four-weeks, which was significantly better than the 49% (48.6%, 55.8%) of female students. Additionally, 30% (24.1%, 36.1%) of female students reported severe psychological distress in the previous four-weeks, which was significantly higher than the 11% (7.5%, 16.6%) of male students.
By Socioeconomic Status
Psychological distress is significantly worse for students with lower perceived socioeconomic status (SES) when compared with students with higher perceived SES. In Simcoe Muskoka in 2015, 73% (60.6%, 82.2%) of students (Grades 7-12) with the highest perceived SES reported no psychological distress in the previous four-weeks, which was significantly higher than the 48% (33.4%, 64.7%) of students in the lowest SES that reported no psychological distress in the previous four weeks. Additionally, 49% (33.2%, 64.7%) of students in the lowest SES reported their severe psychological distress, which was significantly higher when compared with students in both the middle and the highest SES.
