Hugs, Heaven and Mental Health: Belonging, Social Support and Life

Satisfaction

Jack Jedwab

Association for Canadian Studies

Presented at Conference on Multiple Diversities at the Hospital

for Sick Kids, Toronto, Ontario

December 2009

Questions

What dose of diversity is healthy? What form should it take?Is knowing who we are culturally important to

our state of mind and degree of life satisfaction?Or is leaving cultural baggage behind better for

our state of mind and life satisfaction?In other words how important is community

belonging How do we distinguish structural from cultural

factors in determining certain mental health outcomes?

Challenges

The census and special survey data tend to focus on identification and not identity from the standpoint of its salience and/or how it translates into behavior

In terms of identification, the categories in national health surveys are very broad and therefore the deeper diversity that is part of the visible minority or white category is not made available

We often make generalizations on the basis of group identification that require nuance

Health questions employed below invite respondents to “self-evaluate” their physical or mental health and life satisfaction or life stress

Some Indicators

Self-Perceived Health Self-Perceived Mental Health Sense of Belonging to Local CommunitySatisfaction with Life

Some Identity Indicators

Age Immigrant Status Visible Minority Length of Time in CanadaBelonging to Ethnic Group Belonging to Family

Some Sources employed here

Statistics Canada, Census of Canada 2006

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2007

Statistics Canada. Ethnic Diversity Survey, 2002

Leger Marketing Survey, 2009

Heaven and Hugs

The CCHS reveals that while frequency of attendance at religious services has no discernable affect on the state of mental health, the level of social support does as evidences by the degree of affection one obtains and the positive self-evaluation of mental health

CCHS 2007

spiritual values provide strength for everyday difficulties

self-perceived mental health

a lot some a little not at all Total

excellent 33,3% 34,0% 32,4% 31,3% 33,4%

very good 36,6% 36,6% 37,4% 37,5% 36,7%

good 23,9% 23,5% 25,0% 27,3% 24,0%

fair 5,5% 5,0% 4,4% 2,8% 5,0%

poor ,8% ,9% ,8% 1,1% ,9%

Total 100,0% 100,0% 100,0% 100,0% 100,0%

Spiritual guidance appears to do little for mental health

self-perceived mental health-excellent CCHS 2007

none of the time little/time

some of the time

most of the time

all of the time Total

has someone who loves and makes feel wanted

27,5% 24,8% 24,7% 31,1% 44,0% 39,1%

has someone who understands problems

25,4% 23,2% 25,6% 32,8% 45,3% 39,1%

has someone to turn to for suggestions for personal problems

27,2% 25,9% 26,9% 32,2% 44,8% 39,1%

Has someone who gives hugs

24,8% 23,8% 27,0% 32,3% 44,1% 39,1%

Has someone to confide in

28,7% 26,0% 24,5% 31,0% 44,2% 39,0%

More hugs fosters better self-perceived mental health

Community Belonging Mental Health and Life Satisfaction

White sense of belonging to local community

Excellent self-perceived mental

healthCCHS 2007 very strong somewhat strong

somewhat weak very weak Total

12-14 49,6% 37,0% 30,8% 32,9% 40,1%

15-17 54,0% 42,5% 34,6% 34,3% 42,0%

18-19 47,7% 41,2% 35,6% 33,3% 39,9%

20-24 50,8% 44,8% 36,1% 37,5% 41,9%

25-29 52,8% 44,5% 35,1% 34,6% 41,6%

30-34 50,7% 41,8% 34,1% 30,6% 39,7%

Those with Stronger Community Belonging

more likely to report excellent mental health

very satisfied with life in General 12-14

Born in… Canada Outside Canada Total

Very Strong sense of belonging to local community

White 65,1% 70,4% 65,3%

Visible Minority 53,2% 75,9% 57,3%

somewhat strong sense of belonging to Community

White 47,1% 47,5% 47,1%

Visible Minority 42,8% 44,9% 43,3%

Somewhat weak sense of belonging to community

White 33,4% 40,0% 33,6%

Visible Minority 22,5% 22,6% 22,6%

12-14 strong sense of belonging to local community

more likely to be very satisfied with life

very satisfied with life in General 15-17

Born in… Canada Outside Canada Total

Very Strong sense of belonging to local community

White 62,3% 41,2% 61,7%

Visible Minority 47,5% 56,4% 49,4%

somewhat strong sense of belonging to Community

White 44,7% 45,0% 44,7%

Visible Minority 33,8% 32,7% 33,5%

Somewhat weak sense of belonging to community

White 33,6% 16,2% 32,9%

Visible Minority 32,5% 30,2% 31,8%

Same for 15-17

Very Strong Sense of Belonging to the Community

Self Perceived Mental Health

Less than 20K $20,000-$39,999

40,000-59,999

60, 000-79, 999

80K and more

excellent 39,7% 44,2% 48,7% 53,6% 56,8%

very good 34,6% 35,8% 36,2% 32,4% 32,2%

good 20,9% 16,9% 13,1% 12,6% 9,5%

fair 3,7% 2,7% 1,7% 1,2% 1,1%

poor 1,0% ,5% ,3% ,2% ,4%

Total 100,0% 100,0% 100,0%

100,0%

Strong sense of belonging and Higher Income

contributes to better mental health

self-perceived mental health excellent CCHS 2007 a lot some a little

not at all Total

spiritual values helping to find meaning to life

32,4% 35,4% 30,7% 28,3% 33,3%

spiritual values provide strength for everyday difficulties

33,3% 34,0% 32,4% 31,3% 33,4%

spiritual values help in understanding difficulties of life

34,9% 32,2% 31,8% 34,3% 33,4%

Spiritual guidance appears to do little for mental health

Mental Health and Life Satisfaction

CCHS 2007

satisfaction with life in general

Selfperceived

mental health

very satisfie

d satisfiedneither

nor dissatisfied

very dissatis. Total

excellent 57,4% 25,4% 11,4% 10,4% 9,7% 36,5%

very good 32,7% 40,6% 25,9% 15,0% 14,4% 36,0%

good 9,0% 29,4% 41,7% 33,5% 22,7% 22,2%

fair ,7% 4,2% 17,5% 28,5% 23,3% 4,3%

poor ,1% ,5% 3,5% 12,7% 30,0% 1,0%

Total 100,0% 100,0% 100,0% 100,0% 100,0% 100,0%

Life Satisfaction Correlation with Mental Health

CCHS 2007

self-perceived mental health

satisfaction with life in general

excellent

very good good fair poor Total

very satisfied

60,6% 35,1% 15,7% 6,5% 4,7% 38,5%

satisfied 36,9% 59,8% 70,0% 51,4% 26,2% 53,0%

neither nor 1,6% 3,8% 9,8% 21,2% 18,2% 5,2%

dissatisfied ,8% 1,1% 4,0% 17,7% 33,6% 2,7%

very dissatis.

,2% ,2% ,6% 3,2% 17,3% ,6%

Total 100,0% 100,0% 100,0% 100,0% 100,0% 100,0%

Mental Health Correlation with Life Satisfaction

self-perceived mental health

Excellent and Very Good

Canada Other Total

12-14 78.2 83.7 78.5

15-17 76.6 75.5 76.5

18-19 75.0 75.5 75.1

20-24 76.7 75.6 76.6

25-29 76.4 77.2 76.5

30-34 76.4 76.2 76.4

Immigrant Status no discernable difference in assess mental health

cultural or racial origin (derived, grouped)

self-perceived mental health white visible minority Total

excellent 36,9% 34,3% 36,5%

very good 36,3% 34,1% 36,0%

good 21,7% 25,4% 22,1%

fair 4,2% 4,9% 4,3%

poor 1,0% 1,3% 1,0%

Total 100,0% 100,0% 100,0%

No real difference in assessment of mental health

perception on basis of VM status

Self-Perceived Mental Health 12-14 white visible minority Total

excellent 39,9% 37,2% 39,3%

very good 39,6% 38,0% 39,3%

good 18,5% 21,7% 19,2%

fair 1,9% 3,0% 2,1%

poor ,1% ,1%

Total 100,0% 100,0% 100,0%

No real difference on the basis of VM Status in assessment of mental health age 12-14

12-14(CCHS 2007)

cultural or racial origin (derived, grouped)

Life Satisfaction in general

white visible minority

Total

very satisfied 50,7% 44,3% 49,2%

Satisfied 45,7% 50,5% 46,8%

neither nor 3,2% 4,5% 3,5%

Dissatisfied ,4% ,7% ,5%

very dissatisfied ,1% ,0%

No real difference in rates of life satisfaction age 12-14

on basis of VM status

very satisfied(CCHS 2007)

cultural or racial origin (derived, grouped)

Life Satisfaction in general

white visible minority

Total

12-14 50,7% 44,3% 49,2%

15-17 43,7% 35,4% 42,0%

18-19 39,6% 31,1% 38,0%

20-24 37,8% 28,4% 35,9%

25-29 40,6% 32,3% 39,0%

30-34 42,9% 31,7% 40,9%

As they get older gap in life satisfaction widens somewhat between

white and VM identifiers