Statistics Canada will be surveying London children in part of the largest mental health study ever done in Ontario.
The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study will examine over 13,000 families living in 180 different communities to determine the link between schools and student mental health.
"The numbers that we have on child mental health in Ontario are 30 years old, the last study happened in 1983. Every time we're looking at advocating for student mental health and trying to find out what kids are experiencing, the numbers are 30 years old and a lot has changed since 1983," says Research Coordinator Laura Duncan. "Kids will be asked all sorts of different questions about themselves using different measures, like an interview, they'll be answering some questions by themselves on a laptop. We're using different published ways of measuring these things, so mental health functioning, report card data, how they're getting along at school and with their families."
Letters were sent to selected families in October and those selected will be contacted by Statistics Canada in the coming months.