Early Intervention for Mental Health and Substance Use Among Children and Youth Indicator

This document summarizes the Early Intervention indicator’s methodology, results, caveats and other identifying information. Higher is better. The higher the result, the higher the number of individuals with early needs who accessed community-based mental health and substance use services.

Higher is better. The higher the result, the higher the number of individuals with early needs who accessed community-based mental health and substance use services.

Data updated:
Data availability: to (calendar years)
Geographic coverage
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia
Reporting level
National, Province/Territory
Calculation

(Total number of individuals age 13 to 24 who’d accessed at least one of the defined community MHSU services [Q4] in the past 6 months ÷ the total number of individuals who had early MHSU needs [Q1–3] in the past 6 months) × 100

This measure assesses access to early intervention for mental health and substance use issues in individuals age 13 to 24.

Note: Early MHSU needs defined as experiencing self-reported mild to moderate functional impairment (Q2) or a perceived need for care (Q3) in relation to their MHSU issues. 

Q1. In the past 6 months, have there been any issues or concerns in your mental health and substance use?

Q2. How difficult have these issues or concerns made it for you to do your work or school work, take care of things at home or get along with other people?

Q3. In the past 6 months, was there ever a time that you or others felt you might need help to deal with issues or concerns in your mental health and substance use?

Q4a to g. In the past 6 months, did you access any of the following services provided by someone trained in mental health and substance use support?

Denominator

Total number of individuals age 13 to 24 who had early mental health and substance use needs in the last 6 months

Q1b. Were the issues or concerns that you experienced over the last 6 months new, or were they previous issues or concerns that got worse, got better or stayed the same?

Q2. How difficult have these issues or concerns made it for you to do your work or school work, take care of things at home or get along with other people?

Q3. In the past 6 months, was there ever a time that you or others felt you might need help to deal with issues or concerns in your mental health and substance use?

Numerator

Total number of individuals age 13 to 24 who accessed at least one of the defined community-based mental health and substance use services in the last 6 months

Q4a to g. In the past 6 months, did you access any of the following services provided by someone trained in mental health and substance use support?
 

Download CSV Expand/collapse all All accordions expanded

Name

Early Intervention for Mental Health and Substance Use Among Children and Youth

Short/Other Names

Not applicable

Description

Proportion of individuals age 13 to 24 with early mental health and substance use needs who accessed community-based mental health and substance use services in the last 6 months.

Early mental health and substance use needs are defined as new or pre-existing self-reported functional impairment (working or doing school work, taking care of things at home or getting along with other people) or a perceived need for care in the last 6 months. Children and youth who reported severe impairment with an onset prior to the last 6 months were excluded.

Rationale

This indicator provides an indirect measure of whether children and youth in Canada are accessing early intervention services when they are experiencing mild to moderate MHSU issues. This indicator focuses on the age of onset for a variety of major mental health disorders and provides a picture of access to MHSU services that apply to multiple symptoms and disorders. Early interventions can help reduce the symptoms and severity of the issues and may help delay progression to a diagnosed disorder.

Early intervention occurs in a variety of community settings, and this indicator focuses on access to formal services (i.e., those with a mandate to provide MHSU services to children and youth). 
 

Interpretation

Higher is better. The higher the result, the higher the number of individuals with early needs who accessed community-based mental health and substance use services.

HSP Framework Dimension

Person-centred

Available Data Years

to

Geographic Coverage

  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Quebec
  • Ontario
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan
  • Alberta
  • British Columbia

Reporting Level/Disaggregation

  • National
  • Province/Territory

Update Frequency

Every year

Latest Results Update Date

Updates

Data collected from January 27 to May 21, 2023 

Description

(Total number of individuals age 13 to 24 who’d accessed at least one of the defined community MHSU services [Q4] in the past 6 months ÷ the total number of individuals who had early MHSU needs [Q1–3] in the past 6 months) × 100

This measure assesses access to early intervention for mental health and substance use issues in individuals age 13 to 24.

Note: Early MHSU needs defined as experiencing self-reported mild to moderate functional impairment (Q2) or a perceived need for care (Q3) in relation to their MHSU issues. 

Q1. In the past 6 months, have there been any issues or concerns in your mental health and substance use?

Q2. How difficult have these issues or concerns made it for you to do your work or school work, take care of things at home or get along with other people?

Q3. In the past 6 months, was there ever a time that you or others felt you might need help to deal with issues or concerns in your mental health and substance use?

Q4a to g. In the past 6 months, did you access any of the following services provided by someone trained in mental health and substance use support?

Type of Measurement

Percentage or proportion

Weighted percentage or proportion

Denominator

Description:

Total number of individuals age 13 to 24 who had early mental health and substance use needs in the last 6 months

Q1b. Were the issues or concerns that you experienced over the last 6 months new, or were they previous issues or concerns that got worse, got better or stayed the same?

Q2. How difficult have these issues or concerns made it for you to do your work or school work, take care of things at home or get along with other people?

Q3. In the past 6 months, was there ever a time that you or others felt you might need help to deal with issues or concerns in your mental health and substance use?

Inclusions:

Individuals age 13 to 24 who reported at least one of the following: 

  1. “Somewhat difficult” or “Very difficult” to do work or school work, take care of things at home or get along with other people (Q2)
  2.  “Not at all difficult” to do work or school work, take care of things at home or get along with other people AND reported a perceived need for care (Q2, Q3)
  3. “Extremely difficult” to do work or school work, take care of things at home or get along with other people AND reported new issues in the last 6 months (Q2, Q1b)

Exclusions:

Individuals age 13 to 24 who did not report impairment or a perceived need for care AND individuals who reported severe impairment for issues that have existed longer than 6 months (Q2, Q3)

Numerator

Description:

Total number of individuals age 13 to 24 who accessed at least one of the defined community-based mental health and substance use services in the last 6 months

Q4a to g. In the past 6 months, did you access any of the following services provided by someone trained in mental health and substance use support?
 

Inclusions:

Individuals age 13 to 24 who reported accessing at least one of the following services in the last 6 months (Q4a to g):

  • Counselling or therapy
  • Trained peer support services
  • Indigenous-focused services 
  • Cultural-based services
  • Case management
  • Youth worker or essential needs services
  • School-based services or crisis support services 

These services must have been provided by someone trained in supporting people with their mental health and substance use. 
 

Exclusions:

Individuals age 13 to 24 who did not report accessing any of the included services (Q4a to g). Excluded services are those provided in an acute care setting, like emergency department visits and inpatient stays. 

Method of Adjustment

Sample weight 

Adjustment Applied

Covariates used in risk adjustment:

The initial weights were created using a methodology that incorporates weighted totals calculated from the probabilistic weights of a survey (i.e., the Canadian Community Health Survey [CCHS]) from which the target population could be extracted. The raking method was used to calibrate the initial weights in the survey based on provincial target populations in the CCHS. Weight raking was performed for reportable provinces only.

More information is available in Weighting for Navigation of Mental Health and Substance Use Services, and Early Intervention for Mental Health and Substance Use Among Children and Youth Indicators — Methodology Notes (PDF).

Geographic Assignment

Place of residence

Data Sources

Early Intervention for Mental Health and Substance Use Among Children and Youth Survey. 2023 (PDF)

Caveats and Limitations

Survey results should be considered only representative of the surveyed population. The survey was conducted in a way that not everyone in the population had an equal chance of participating (non-probabilistic sampling). The use of social media recruitment and non-probabilistic sampling resulted in selection and participation bias. Weighting methods were used to reduce bias, but the following limitations should be noted:

  • The survey was available in English and French. People who did not speak either of these languages were not able to complete the survey. Language barriers may also impact survey results, as the experience of accessing mental health and substance use services may differ for people who do not speak English or French.
     
  • Those without internet access did not have the same opportunity to participate in the survey (non-coverage bias).
     
  • Participants may have been influenced by the recruitment strategy and the incentive, resulting in selection and participation bias. For example, there might be an underrepresentation of certain age groups or genders that are less likely to be reached through social media recruitment.
     
  • Assessing mental health and substance use services in the previous 6 months is subject to the individual’s ability to remember their experience (recall bias).
     
  • Low response rates from participants who were 13 to 18 years old may be a result of social media recruitment and the required age for social media accounts..

Early intervention occurs in a variety of community settings, and this indicator focuses on access to formal services (i.e., those with a mandate to provide mental health and substance use services to children and youth). Informal supports are outside the scope of the indicator and are not included. Emergency department visits and inpatient hospital stays are also out of scope.

Some provinces and territories have insufficient data for reporting results. Data from Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut is not reported.

Incentives to complete the survey could not be offered in Quebec, which potentially impacted participation.

Trending Issues

At least 3 years of data are required for a trend assessment. At this time, only 2 years of data have been captured.

Comments

This indicator belongs to the Shared Health Priorities portfolio measuring access to mental health and substance use services and to home and community care. More information on this indicator is available in the 2022 companion report (PDF).

References

Wu C. Statistical inference with non-probability survey samples (with discussion). Survey Methodology. 2022.

If you have a disability and would like CIHI information in a different format, visit our Accessibility page.