Canada

A major study on the mental health of Canadian teens has found that interpersonal relationships at home, school, with peers and within their local neighbourhoods appear to be critical for adolescent mental health.

Researchers also found that girls report higher levels of emotional problems, while boys tend to experience more behavioural problems.

The study of more than 26,000 Canadians aged 11 to 15 was commissioned by the Public Health Agency of Canada and led by researchers at Queen's University.

Researchers found that about one-fifth of boys and one-third of girls reported feeling depressed or low on a weekly basis or more often.

And one-quarter of boys and almost one-third of girls reported wishing they were someone else.

Still, most teens rated their life satisfaction as eight or higher on a scale of one to 10, and the overall proportion of young people feeling understood by their parents today is higher than in previous years.

"In examining the connections between contextual factors and mental health, one key theme emerges: interpersonal relationships matter," says John Freeman, director of Queen's social program evaluation group.

"No matter how mental health is measured and no matter what interpersonal relationship is concerned, adolescents with positive interpersonal relationships tend to fare better in terms of mental health."