How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted kids and parents? Sask. researchers are finding out

Saskatoon -

New federal funding has been given to the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) for pandemic-related research — including a project looking into youth and parents' mental health.

The project, called “See Us, Hear Us,” focuses on students eight-to-18-years-old and their parents.

Epidemiologist Nazeem Muhajarine and his team are collecting surveys and interviews from child-parent pairs about their COVID-19 experiences.

“We went to document it and learn lessons,” Muhajarine told CTV News.

He said the goal is to help shape public policy and make mental health services more accessible.

The first phase of the research happened from March-July 2021.

Of 1,000 surveys conducted during that period, about 60 per cent of students said their lives due to COVID-19 were more bad than good.

Nearly 40 per cent of Saskatchewan youth surveyed said their overall mental health was worse during the pandemic with 15 per cent reporting “lots of ups and downs.”

The preliminary results found children eight-to-11-years-old reported anxiety and depression more than other age groups.

The data found girls were 10 times more likely than boys to not receive mental health support. Children whose parents had immigrated from another country were less likely to get help, according to the study.

Muhajarine said the second part of the research is planned for 2022 — with new funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

The federal organization announced it’s spending nearly $450,000 on three pandemic projects at the U of S.

The See Us, Hear Us project is set to receive nearly $150,000.

The two other projects — one looking at youth immunization programs and the other focusing on the pandemic's impact on Francophone families — received similar amounts.

“We want to understand the extent of the pandemic, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, mood disorders and also quality of life,” Muhajarine said.

“And also, very importantly, mental health services and supports. Whether they needed mental health services, and if they did, did they receive it?”

Muhajarine said similar studies are underway in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto.

“We’re comparing notes. This is how we build knowledge of what our children and parents went through in Saskatchewan, but across Canada,” he said.