Project 466898

Mental illness has a profound impact on individuals and families in Canada, but also brings an immense societal and economic burden. While pharmaceutical and therapeutic approaches to the treatment of depression and anxiety are well-researched, mentorship and peer-support programs are less well understood as possible interventions. This study will focus on the impact of mentorship on mental health, specifically measuring symptoms of depression and anxiety. We will specifically study the impact of mentorship in relation to factors such as gender, sex, age, newcomer status, and income. Through a pretest-posttest design and use of population screening tools, we will measure the efficacy of mentorship in reducing symptoms of mental disorders.Through stratified random sampling, participants will then be invited to participate in a semi-structured interview to explore areas of study interest (e.g., existence and impact of informal mentorship in community networks). Finally, mentorship programs will be evaluated for efficacy and cost-effectiveness as a mental health intervention. This will allow for the comparison of mentorship programs with traditional mental health treatments and enable assessments such as cash benchmarking. This form of assessment is more relevant and accessible than ever after widespread use of government economic interventions such as Canada's Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Ultimately, this research can help to shape the policies and priorities of local, provincial, and national institutions.