School Climate Factors Associated with Remote Help-Seeking Preferences and Behaviors among Ontario Adolescents

Less than 20% of Canadian adolescents with mental health difficulties receive professional help. Prior research indicates that social dimensions of school climate (e.g., students’ perception of belongingness) are positively related to perceptions and use of in-person mental health resources, such as school counselors. However, no studies have examined the relationship between school climate and preferences/use of remote mental health services (RMHS), defined as services which are offered virtually. The present study addresses this gap through secondary analyses (N = 7,552) of the 2019 dataset of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Mental Health Survey. Analyses indicated that school climate was positively related to student preferences/use of in-person mental health services. However, school climate was not associated with preferences/use of RMHS. These results broaden our understanding of factors related to adolescent helpseeking.