Violent, anti-social behaviour down among Ontario students, survey finds

Troubling trends include rising amount of students with depression, anxiety

Violence and other anti-social behaviour among Grade 7 to Grade 12 students in Ontario has dropped significantly over the past two decades, according to one of the longest-running mental-health studies of its type.

In addition, results from the latest Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey being released Wednesday show a sharp overall drop in bullying, although cyberbullying remains a consistent problem.

“This decline in risk behaviours over time parallels the declines seen in drug-using behaviours … suggesting a wider cultural shift to less externalizing or rebellious behaviours among young people today compared with previous generations,” the researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health say. “Ongoing monitoring will determine whether these trends reflect more enduring changes or temporary fluctuations.”

Other findings include 81 per cent of students saying they like school to some degree, with nearly half liking school quite a lot or very much.

The survey of students has been done every two years since1977, making it the longest ongoing school survey of adolescents in Canada and one of the longest in the world, the researchers say. More than 11,000 students in Grade 7 through 12 from 214 schools took part in last year’s edition.

One of the most dramatic changes uncovered by the survey relates to the prescription of opioid pain relievers to students. Over the past decade, medical use of prescribed opioids among students has plunged to 18 per cent from 41 per cent, the survey finds.

Among concerning trends, the survey indicates a growing number of the students — particularly girls — have symptoms of depression and anxiety.

A key question for further research is the impact of technology on students’ well-being, in particular, in light of the surge in time spent on social media in recent years.

In total, 20 per cent of students said they’ve spent five or more hours on social media a day — almost double the finding in 2013. One in 20 high school students reported symptoms suggesting they had a serious problem with technology — such as a loss of control and issues with family and friends.

“While the survey can’t tell us whether technology use causes mental-health issues, or vice versa, there is some evidence from other studies that there may be a link,” said Dr. Robert Mann, also survey co-lead.

When it comes to bullying at school, about one in five students reported being victims — down from one in three since 2003. The same number reported being cyberbullied, unchanged from past surveys.