Increases in Serious Psychological Distress among Ontario Students between 2013 and 2017: Assessing the Impact of Time Spent on Social Media.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the current research was to examine the association between time spent on social media and serious psychological distress between 2013 and 2017, a period when the rates of both were trending upward. METHODS: The current study analyzed population-based data from 3 waves of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (N = 15,398). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the association between time spent on social media and serious psychological distress controlling for theoretically relevant covariates. Interactions were tested to assess whether the association changed over time. RESULTS: The prevalence of serious psychological distress increased from 10.9% in 2013 to 16.8% in 2017 concomitantly with substantial increases in social media usage, especially at the highest levels. In the multivariate context, we found a significant interaction between social media use and the survey year which indicates that the association between time spent on social media and psychological distress has decreased from 2013 to 2017. CONCLUSION: Although both social media use and psychological distress increased between 2013 and 2017, the interaction between these variables indicates that the strength of this association has decreased over time. This finding suggests that the higher rate of heavy social media use in 2017 compared to 2013 is not actually associated with the higher rate of serious psychological distress during the same time period. From a diffusion of innovation perspective, it is possible that more recent adopters of social media may be less prone to psychological distress. More research is needed to understand the complex and evolving association between social media use and psychological distress. Researchers attempting to isolate the factors associated with the recent increases in psychological distress could benefit from broadening their investigation to factors beyond time spent on social media.

Level of economic development of the country of origin and work-to-family conflict after migration to Canada.

Using a sample of employed adults living in Canada, this article examines patterns and antecedents of work-to-family conflict (WFC) among immigrants, relative to the native-born. We test whether the origin-country- or intermediary country of residence- country-level economic development, and length of residence in Canada interact to affect WFC differentially for immigrants. We hypothesize that origin-country economic development impacts the value and transferability of immigrants' capital in the host country. Discrepancies between the two results in underemployment, stressful work experiences, and thus greater WFC for immigrants, relative to the native-born. Results indicate greater WFC among recent and established immigrants from less developed countries and among established immigrants from developed countries. This finding, however, is conditioned by gender and particularly strong among established immigrant men from less developed countries, compared to their female counterparts.

The impact of generation and country of origin on the mental health of children of immigrants.

The authors reexamine the study of generational differences in adjustment among the children of immigrants by arguing that the country of origin defines and shapes the adaptation process across generations. Using a sample of children in Toronto, the authors demonstrate that generational differences in the mental health of children occur only in families from countries of origin at the lowest levels of economic development. Among those at the lowest levels of economic development, a mental health advantage in the first generation evolves to a disadvantage in the 2.5 generation relative to third or later generational children. Children from backgrounds characterized by higher economic development show no initial or eventual differences from the native born. Using data from the Toronto Study of Intact Families, the authors are able to explain differences among children from low economic development backgrounds specifically in terms of increasing family conflict and decreasing school involvement across generations.

The Consequences of Living in Childcare Deserts: Evidence from Canada.

Our study addresses whether working parents with young children living in childcare deserts experience greater work-family conflict and psychological distress compared to those in more resourced areas. We use 2011 individual-level data from Toronto matched to census and administrative childcare data. Results suggest that mothers experience greater conflict than fathers when in high-resourced areas. Fathers who work long hours and reside in a desert report greater psychological distress than fathers in nondeserts. These patterns are contrary to the observed results for mothers' distress by childcare availability. Our study underscores the impact of childcare options and the importance of access for all.

Notre étude examine si les parents qui travaillent avec de jeunes enfants vivant dans des « déserts de garde d'enfants¼ éprouvent plus de conflits travail-famille et de détresse psychologique, par rapport à ceux vivant dans des régions avec plus de ressources. Nous utilisons les données individuelles de 2011 de Toronto appariées aux données du recensement et des services administratifs de garde d'enfants. Les résultats suggèrent que les mères vivent plus de conflits que les pères lorsqu'elles sont dans une région disposant de ressources plus importantes. Les pères qui travaillent de longues heures et résident dans un «désert de garde d'enfants¼ rapportent plus de détresse psychologique que les autres pères. Ces tendances sont contraires aux résultats observés pour les mères. Notre étude met en évidence l'impact des options de garde d'enfants et l'importance de l'accès pour tous.

Disentangling the effects of primary and secondary international migration on psychological distress: the role of mastery.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effect of mode of migration-primary immigration (direct migration from origin country) and secondary immigration (migration from a country of residence other than the origin country)-by level of economic development of country of origin on psychological distress of immigrants to Canada. The study focused on the explanatory role of mastery in the relationship between mode of migration/level of economic development of origin country and distress. Mastery is the belief that one can and does master, control, and shape one's own life. METHODS: Data from the Neighbourhood Effects on Health and Well-being study, which contains important measures such as the mode of migration, was used to assess the study objectives. The analytic sample included 1496 Canadian-born and 387 foreign-born (non-refugee) participants. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to address the study objectives. RESULTS: Results point to a "healthy immigrant effect"-lower distress among the foreign-born than the native-born-but only among primary immigrants from less-developed countries. Secondary immigrants from less-developed countries report higher distress than the native-born and their primary-immigrant counterparts. The higher distress among secondary immigrants was due in part to lower mastery among this group. Immigrants from developed origin countries did not report different levels of distress than the native-born, irrespective of mode of migration. CONCLUSION: This study fills an important gap in the literature on immigration and mental health and reveals that the healthy immigrant effect is not generalizable to all immigrants; it is contingent on the mode of migration/level of economic development of the country of origin.