Navigating (gendered) social worlds: A qualitative exploration of Canadian young people’s social relationships and mental health

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the gendered ways that youth in Canada are navigating their social relationships, and in turn, how this may be shaping their mental health experiences. Twenty young people between the ages of 11 and 17 (nine self-identified as girls, ten self-identified as boys, and one self-identified as non-binary) were recruited from across Canada and each participated in a virtual individual semi-structured interview. Social relationships were reported as highly important by all participants, and study findings illuminated the strong, persistent, and often implicit ways that these relationships are shaped by gender. This includes the ways that youth describe gender and social relationships influencing experiences and behaviours; how youth manage conflict; and the dissatisfaction that girls express regarding gendered stereotypes, expectations, and norms that they perceive their boy and non-binary peers to experience. Study findings provide context to understanding the gendered disparities that disadvantage all young people. Along with providing new evidence, this paper is a call to action to the adult duty bearers in society to lead changes in how young people are socialized so that they are better equipped to navigate relationships and conflict in positive and healthy ways.