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 Community Satisfaction with Life

Some Identity Indicators Age Immigrant Status Visible Minority Length of Time in Canada Belonging 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 lotsomea littlenot at allTotal excellent33,3%34,0%32,4%31,3%33,4% very good36,6% 37,4%37,5%36,7% good23,9%23,5%25,0%27,3%24,0% fair5,5%5,0%4,4%2,8%5,0% poor,8%,9%,8%1,1%,9% Total100,0% Spiritual guidance appears to do little for mental health

self-perceived mental health- excellent CCHS 2007 none of the timelittle/time some of the time most of the time all of the timeTotal 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 health CCHS 2007very strongsomewhat strong somewhat weakvery weakTotal ,6%37,0%30,8%32,9%40,1% ,0%42,5%34,6%34,3%42,0% ,7%41,2%35,6%33,3%39,9% ,8%44,8%36,1%37,5%41,9% ,8%44,5%35,1%34,6%41,6% ,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 Born in…CanadaOutside CanadaTotal Very Strong sense of belonging to local community White65,1%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 White33,4%40,0%33,6% Visible Minority 22,5%22,6% strong sense of belonging to local community more likely to be very satisfied with life

very satisfied with life in General Born in…CanadaOutside CanadaTotal Very Strong sense of belonging to local community White62,3%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 White33,6%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, ,999 60, , K and more excellent39,7%44,2%48,7%53,6%56,8% very good34,6%35,8%36,2%32,4%32,2% good20,9%16,9%13,1%12,6%9,5% fair3,7%2,7%1,7%1,2%1,1% poor1,0%,5%,3%,2%,4% Total100,0% Strong sense of belonging and Higher Income contributes to better mental health

self-perceived mental health excellent CCHS 2007 a lotsomea little not at allTotal 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 Self perceived mental health very satisfie dsatisfied neither nordissatisfied very diss atis.Total excellent57,4%25,4%11,4%10,4%9,7%36,5% very good32,7%40,6%25,9%15,0%14,4%36,0% good9,0%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% Total100,0% Life Satisfaction Correlation with Mental Health

CCHS 2007 self-perceived mental health satisfaction with life in general excellen t very goodgoodfairpoorTotal very satisfied 60,6%35,1%15,7%6,5%4,7%38,5% satisfied36,9%59,8%70,0%51,4%26,2%53,0% neither nor1,6%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%,6%3,2%17,3%,6% Total100,0% Mental Health Correlation with Life Satisfaction

self-perceived mental health Excellent and Very Good CanadaOtherTotal Immigrant Status no discernable difference in assess mental health

cultural or racial origin (derived, grouped) self- perceived mental health whitevisible minorityTotal excellent36,9%34,3%36,5% very good36,3%34,1%36,0% good21,7%25,4%22,1% fair4,2%4,9%4,3% poor1,0%1,3%1,0% Total100,0% No real difference in assessment of mental health perception on basis of VM status

Self-Perceived Mental Health whitevisible minorityTotal excellent39,9%37,2%39,3% very good39,6%38,0%39,3% good18,5%21,7%19,2% fair1,9%3,0%2,1% poor,1% Total100,0% 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 whitevisible minority Total very satisfied50,7%44,3%49,2% Satisfied45,7%50,5%46,8% neither nor3,2%4,5%3,5% Dissatisfied,4%,7%,5% very dissatisfied,1%,0% No real difference in rates of life satisfaction age on basis of VM status

very satisfied (CCHS 2007) cultural or racial origin (derived, grouped) Life Satisfaction in general whitevisible minority Total ,7%44,3%49,2% ,7%35,4%42,0% ,6%31,1%38,0% ,8%28,4%35,9% ,6%32,3%39,0% ,9%31,7%40,9% As they get older gap in life satisfaction widens somewhat between white and VM identifiers