CALGARY -- A University of Calgary study has learned more about the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of Canadian mothers, finding that symptoms of depression have nearly doubled since last year.

The All Our Families project, which has followed nearly 3,000 Alberta moms and their children over the past 12 years, provided data for the report showing depression at 35 per cent between May and July 2020, up 19 per cent from pre-COVID levels recorded between 2017 and 2019.

The study first recruited mothers when they were pregnant and their children are now between nine and 11 years old. Therefore, the group provides "a unique opportunity" for researchers looking at the pandemic, the U of C said in a release.

"The data collected between May and July of 2020 is a snapshot of a considerably difficult time for families," said Dr. Sheri Madigan, one of the co-authors of the paper. "Everything was shut down and many jobs had been lost. People were reeling from economic changes, childcare services were lost, and parents were home schooling, often balancing that with working from home."

Another researcher with the study says while some responsibilities were more evenly balanced between mothers and fathers, moms were still carrying the heaviest load.

"This likely contributes to rising mental health difficulties," said postdoctoral associate and clinical psychologist Dr. Nicole Racine.

One of the major stressors the study discovered was the lack of social support that comes from visiting with family and friends.

"'I've got to take care of my kids, and I have to worry if my parents are healthy. But I can’t physically go and help my parents because that puts them at risk,'" Madigan says. "They’re stuck in a really tough spot with few resources to get through it unscathed."

To learn more about the issue of mental health and the pandemic, Madigan says the families have since been resurveyed to see if those feelings of anxiety and depression has changed over the past year.

"This will be of crucial importance as we look into recovery planning for these families and then policymakers can make informed decisions about allocating funds to mental health resources. We’re speculating that the fourth wave of the pandemic is going to be a mental health wave, and that this will be sustained for a very long time."

Because of that, researchers feel there is enough evidence to understand that more needs to be done to support the mental health and well-being of mothers during the COVID-19 recovery process.

It recommends:

  • Increased mental health supports for mothers, including online resources;
  • Programs aimed at maintaining housing and basic needs for Canadians;
  • Wide-ranging flexible employment arrangements to allow parents to care for their children and homeschool them if necessary; and
  • Broader access to and supports for child care, out-of-school care and education.

The report is available at Maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: a longitudinal analysis