Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Oct 8, 2020
Date Accepted: Dec 11, 2020
Date Submitted to PubMed: Dec 14, 2020
Use of Asynchronous Virtual Mental Health Resources for COVID-19 Pandemic Related Stress Among the General Population in Canada: Findings from a Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Survey
ABSTRACT
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in profound mental health impacts among the general population worldwide. As many in-person mental health resources have been suspended or transitioned to online to support physical distancing, there have been numerous calls for the rapid expansion of asynchronous virtual mental health (VMH) resources. These VMH resources have great potential to provide support for people coping with negative mental health impacts associated with the pandemic; however, literature examining use prior to COVID-19 illustrates that the uptake of these resources is consistently low.
Objective:
The aim of this paper is to examine the use of VMH resources in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic among the general public and among a participant sub-group classified as experiencing an adverse mental health impact related to the pandemic.
Methods:
Data from this study are drawn from the first wave of a large multi-wave cross-sectional monitoring survey, distributed from May 14-29, 2020. Participants (N=3000) were adults living in Canada. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and bivariate cross-tabulations were used to examine the relationships between self-reported indicators of mental health and the use of VMH resources. Univariate and fully adjusted multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine associations between sociodemographic and health related characteristics and use of VMH resources in the adverse mental health impact sub-group.
Results:
Among the total sample, 2.0% of participants reported accessing VMH resources in the prior two weeks to cope with stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the highest rates of use among individuals who reported self-harm (10.4%) and those who reported coping “not well at all” with COVID-19 related stress (10.3%). Within the sub-group of 1954 participants (65.1% of the total sample) who reported an adverse mental health impact related to COVID-19, 54 (2.8%) reported use of VMH resources. Individuals were more likely to have used VMH resources if they had reported receiving in-person mental health supports or connecting virtually with a mental health worker or counsellor or belonged to a visible minority group.
Conclusions:
Despite promotion of VMH resources, the use of these resources is low among both the general population and individuals who may benefit from use of these resources as a means of coping with the adverse mental health impacts of COVID-19. Further research is needed to improve our understanding of the barriers to the use of these resources among members of the general population.
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