Rates of psychological distress doubled for men living in Montreal during COVID-19

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One man in five on the island of Montreal suffered psychological distress during the year of the pandemic, more than double the rate recorded in 2018. Six per cent said they had thought seriously about suicide.

Rates of psychological distress rose in Quebec in 2021, a new survey has found, and more so in Montreal than in the rest of the province. Younger men and those earning less money were the most apt to be suffering. Anglophones reported suffering higher rates of distress than francophones.

These were among the main findings from a SOM survey released Wednesday of 2,746 Quebec males taken in January, 1,581 of them Montrealers. The goal was to gauge the mental health of individuals after nearly one year of living through a pandemic. The survey was taken for the regional committee on the health and wellbeing of Montreal men, in partnership with the provincial action group on men’s wellbeing, affiliated with Quebec’s regional health departments.

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Men living in Montreal reported suffering from psychological distress much more often than their counterparts in the rest of Quebec, where 14 per cent said they had suffered issues. In 2018, Montrealers were practically on par with those living outside of the city. One reason for the rise, researchers surmised, is that the Montreal region was the hardest hit by the pandemic, with the largest numbers of cases and deaths.

The survey found that younger men, ages 18-34, were more likely to report having issues of mental distress (feeling anxious, depressed, tired to the point everything is an effort, agitated, or good for nothing, either some or all of the time). Men who were single, had less education or earned less than $35,000 a year were also more likely to report having negative feelings. Those whose mother tongue was English were more likely to report a higher level of distress than francophones.

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Though those over 65 were much more likely to suffer ill effects from COVID-19, men in this age group reported doing relatively well when it came to mental health, with only 5 per cent exhibiting a higher level of psychological distress.

Only 19 per cent of men who said they were living through distress said they had sought aid from a psychosocial worker since the start of the pandemic. Those with lower socioeconomic status were even less likely to seek help. In a pandemic-enforced age of psychological help coming often via telephone or videoconferencing, 42 per cent of men said they preferred in-person consultations compared over video consultations (18 per cent) or telephone (17 per cent).

Only one man in four said he knew what resources were available if he had a personal, health or family problem.

Montreal’s public health department has compiled a list of resources where men can seek aid at santemontreal.qc.ca/hommes.

rbruemmer@postmedia.com