Community Approaches to Mental Health Promotion and Empowerment
"Not unlike the physical health consequences, growth in the prevalence of mental health challenges amid the pandemic illustrates how profoundly population-level mental health is shaped by the social determinants of health." (Jenkins et al., 2021)
Following the IUHPE Global Working Group on Mental Health Promotion’s Calls for Action, we recommend that BC invest in a population approach to mental health, inclusive of promotion, prevention and treatment. Building a workforce dedicated to mental health promotion, as a critical foundation to upstream improvements in mental well-being, is a key priority. Acknowledging the exacerbation of social inequities in MH during the 2020-21 COVID pandemic, we recommend BC initiative community empowerment programs that build and support social capital across the life course, with tailored programs corresponding to the unique socio-cultural contexts of young people, and people living in poverty.
Supporting research
Assessing the Impacts of COVID-19 on Mental Health National Monitoring Survey
University of British Columbia
COVID-192S/LGBTQ+YouthService provider perspectives on tools to improve access to mental health supports for sexual and gender diverse populations: A qualitative research study
Simon Fraser University
Provider perspectives2S/LGBTQ+Virtual careCOVID-19Service user perspectivesThe influence of sex, gender, age, and ethnicity on psychosocial factors and substance use throughout phases of the COVID-19 pandemic
University of British Columbia and Women's Health Research Institute
COVID-19People of colour2S/LGBTQ+The Canadian Social Connection Survey
Canadian Alliance for Social Connection and Health
COVID-19Community