From 4 to 22 November 2024, the Observatoire sur la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur (OSMÉES) conducted the Enquête nationale québécoise sur la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur et ses déterminants : Temps pour toi.
The objectives of the survey were to establish a portrait of student mental health and its evolution over time, to generate sub-population portraits that take into account the diversity of student populations, and to assess the need for assistance, access to, and use of psychosocial support services.
Results of the Temps pour toi survey
A total of 77 higher education institutions and 32,212 students took part. The findings are clear:
- Persistent challenges: 42.9% experience moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and 46.6% experience symptoms of depression — rates more than double those observed in the adult population.
- Particularly vulnerable populations: 2SLGBTQIA+, non-cisgender, and disabled students.
- Encouraging signs: 88.7% consider their mental health to be ‘moderate’ or ‘flourishing’, and more than half sought help when they needed it.
These preliminary results corroborate those of surveys conducted several years ago in Quebec colleges and universities. While some students are doing well, many are experiencing significant levels of distress.
Other findings from surveys on student mental health
- 58 % of university students showed high levels of psychological distress. (Union étudiante du Québec, 2019)
- 19 % of university students are reported to have depressive symptoms severe enough to require medical or psychological support.. (Union étudiante du Québec, 2019)
- Three times more students had suicidal thoughts than the general population, and twice as many had attempted suicide. (Union étudiante du Québec, 2019)
- The rate of suicidal ideation and psychological distress recorded among students at the Université de Montréal campus was higher than the average for the Quebec population of the same age. (Fédération des associations étudiantes du campus de l’Université de Montréal, 2016)
- 35 % of CEGEP students surveyed felt anxious all the time, and 18 % had suicidal thoughts. (Gosselin et Ducharme, 2017)
- Approximately one in three students showed symptoms consistent with depression at CEGEP. (Gallais et al, 2022)
- 64 % of the student population (college) has seen their psychological health deteriorate as a result of the pandemic crisis. (FECQ, 2021)
Références
Union étudiante du Québec (2019) Sous ta Façade.
Fédération des associations étudiantes du campus de l’Université de Montréal (2016) Enquête sur la santé psychologique étudiante
Gallais, B., Lanoue, S., Guay-Dufour, F., Paré-Beauchemin, R., Bizimana, E-G., Lane, J., Guertin, R., Pinsonneault, M., et Dubois-Bouchard, C. (2025). Rapport scientifique : Enquête
québécoise sur la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur. Observatoire sur la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur (OSMÉES)
Gosselin, M-A. et Ducharme, R. (2017) Détresse et anxiété chez les étudiants du collégial et recours aux services d’aide socioaffectifs
ECOBES (2022) Adaptation psychologique et adaptation aux études à distance des étudiants collégiaux face à la crise de la COVID-19
Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (2021) Derrière ton écran
Observatoire sur la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur (2025). Résultats préliminaires de l’enquête : Temps pour toi.
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