Mental Health Help-Seeking in Parents and Trajectories of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: Lessons Learned From the Ontario Parent Survey During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Tracking parents’ mental health symptoms and understanding barriers to seeking professional help are critical for determining policies and services to support families’ well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed enormous challenges to parents’ mental health and the access to professional help, and there are important public health lessons that must be learned from the past 2 years’ experiences to inform future mental health responses to social- and family-level stressful events. This study examines the trajectories of parents’ depressive and anxiety symptoms over a year during the pandemic as related to their mental health help-seeking. Data were collected from a sample of parents residing in Ontario, Canada at baseline (May–June, 2020; Wave 1) and again 1 year later (Wave 2; referred to as W1 and W2 below). Parents (n = 2,439; Mage = 39.47, SD = 6.65; 95.0% females) reported their depressive and anxiety symptoms at both waves. Mental health help-seeking, including self-reported contact with professional help and perceived unmet mental health needs, was measured at W2. Parents were classified into four groups by mental health help-seeking. Inconsistent seekers and non-seeking needers, both reporting perceived unmet needs for professional help, showed greater increases in depressive and anxiety symptoms, whereas parents with no need or needs met showed smaller increases in depressive symptoms and decreases in anxiety symptoms. Belief in self-reliance and time constraints were the leading reasons for not seeking help. These findings suggest that over a year into the pandemic, parents with perceived unmet mental health needs were at greater risk for worsening depressive and anxiety symptoms. Recognizing the demands for mental health services when families experience chronic stressors and targeting the identified barriers may promote family well-being during and beyond this pandemic.

Parental Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Psychological Outcomes and Risk and Protective Factors

“…Mental Health The pandemic lockdown contributed to worsening mental health for many, while also creating obstacles for accessing mental health services [65]. Losing access to mental health providers and school support was detrimental to the mental health of children with pre-existing mental health vulnerabilities, which in turn increased worry and stress for parents [26].…”

“…However, telehealth services are not a feasible or practical option for some families [42••, 65], such as those without reliable internet access, privacy in the home, uninterrupted time, and sufficient electronic devices to meet the needs of family members with simultaneous virtual work or school responsibilities. Zhang and colleagues explored reasons that a sample of Canadian parents who self-reported a need for mental health services during the pandemic did not seek or did not consistently seek services [65]. The most commonly reported reasons were belief in self-reliance and time constraints, followed by scheduling difficulties and cost of services [65].…”

“…Zhang and colleagues explored reasons that a sample of Canadian parents who self-reported a need for mental health services during the pandemic did not seek or did not consistently seek services [65]. The most commonly reported reasons were belief in self-reliance and time constraints, followed by scheduling difficulties and cost of services [65]. Twenty percent of those who did not consistently seek services reported reluctance around telehealth [65].…”

“…The most commonly reported reasons were belief in self-reliance and time constraints, followed by scheduling difficulties and cost of services [65]. Twenty percent of those who did not consistently seek services reported reluctance around telehealth [65].…”

“…In addition, individuals who identify with a survey topic, such as parenting stress or mental health in the pandemic, may be more interested in participating [18••]. Sexual and gender minorities were also underrepresented, particularly in studies comparing experiences of mothers and fathers, which reported findings for individuals with a binary gender identity (e.g., [43]), and/or only included partners of oppositegenders (e.g., [49]), with few exceptions found (e.g., [51,65]). Male caregivers also tended to be underrepresented in studies, which may in part be related to the disproportionate expectations of female caregivers to assume responsibility for activities related to caregiving.…”