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Video game playing has become a very popular activity among adolescents. Its impact on the mental health and well-being of players is just beginning to be explored. This paper reports on the prevalence of problematic gaming in a representative sample of 2,832 Ontario students in grades 7 to 12. The survey included questions about the school grade, family and school related problems, frequency of video game playing and video game related problems as measured by the Problem Video Game Playing scale (PVP). Most of the students (85%) reported playing video games in the past year and 18.3% reported playing video games daily. Slightly less then 1 in 10 of the students (9.4%) endorsed 5 or more of the PVP items (males 15.1%; females 3.1%). Further research is required to delineate the concept of excessive video game playing, its relation to other addictions, and the impact on adolescents' psychosocial functioning.

Anxiety and mood disorders (AMD) may be more common among adolescents than previously thought, and epidemiological research would benefit from an easily-administered measure of AMD. We assessed the ability of the GHQ12 to estimate the prevalence of AMD in a representative sample of Ontario adolescents. Data were based on self-administered questionnaires from 3,311 students in grades 7 through 12 derived from the 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. The GHQ12 showed good ability to identify probable AMD (AUC = 0.80). A threshold value of 5 appeared optimal, and based on this threshold value, the estimated prevalence of AMD in Ontario students in grades 7-12 may be 19%. Observations that individuals with a self-reported history of family disruption, substance use, gambling problems, bullying victimization, and who reported seeking professional help for a mental health problem were significantly more likely to experience probable AMD provided additional validity.

The objective of this study was to examine differences in psychological distress, service utilization, and prescriptions for medications between adolescents with histories of family involvement with child protective services (CPS) and adolescents without such involvement. Data on 3,497 students were obtained from the 2009 cycle of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a province-wide school-based survey of 7th to 12th graders. All analyses adjusted for the complex sample design. Results indicated that individuals who reported histories of family involvement with CPS were more likely to report elevated risk of psychological distress, had a greater number of visits to doctors and other professionals for mental health concerns, and were more likely to have been prescribed medications for depression or anxiety than individuals with no involvement with CPS. These results suggest a need for greater research on service utilization and prescription medications among individuals with histories of family involvement with CPS.

Stigma is a significant barrier to the improvement of the lives of people with schizophrenia. Little is known about the emergence of stigmatizing attitudes developmentally. The purpose of this study was to provide a provincial assessment of adolescent knowledge about schizophrenia and to identify the relationship between adolescent knowledge and social distance toward people with schizophrenia. Data were derived from the 2005 cycle of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. In total, 3,117, 7th- to 12th-graders completed self-administered questionnaires that included a measure of schizophrenia knowledge and social distancing. Results indicated that the majority of adolescents had some knowledge about schizophrenia and low social distancing toward people with schizophrenia. Greater knowledge, increasing age, being female, and lower parental education were associated with less distancing attitudes. Educational campaigns to reduce stigma may still be warranted as one component of broader multilevel interventions to overcome mental illness stigma. (Contains 3 tables.)

Objective: Despite high rates of firesetting among community adolescents, little is known about its correlates. This study identifies the mental health and substance use correlates of four firesetting levels in an epidemiological sample of adolescents. Methods: Three thousand, nine hundred and sixty-five (3,965) students in grades 7 to 12 were surveyed. Multinomial analyses were used to compare non-firesetters; desisters (lifetime, but no past-year firesetting); low frequency firesetters (once or twice in the past 12 months); and high frequency firesetters (3 + times) on measures of mental health and substance use. Results: Twenty-seven percent of youth reported firesetting during the past year. Of these, 13.7% reported one or two episodes, and 13.5% reported 3 or more episodes. Firesetting was more prevalent among males and among those in high school. Youth who began firesetting before age 10 were more likely to report frequent firesetting during the past year. Compared to non-firesetters, the firesetting groups had elevated risk profiles. Desisters and low frequency firesetters were more likely to report psychological distress, binge drinking, frequent cannabis use, and sensation seeking. Low frequency firesetters also reported higher rates of delinquent behavior, suicidal intent, and low parental monitoring than non-firesetters. High frequency firesetters reported elevated risk ratios for all of these risk indicators plus other illicit drug use. The cumulative number of risk indicators was positively associated with firesetting severity. Conclusions: Firesetting is associated with psychopathology and substance use during adolescence. Findings highlight the need for programs to address the mental health and substance use problems that co-occur with firesetting.

Dear Editor: Bullying in schools is an important social, psychological and educational problem. Research on this behaviour is available from diverse countries. (1-5) Reported rates of students being bullied range [...]

Objective: To explore the prevalence and the demographic predictors of nonmedical use of opioid analgesics in the Canadian adolescent population., Design: Data are based on self-reports derived from the 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, which is an anonymous, in-school, cross-sectional survey., Setting: Schools in Ontario., Participants: A total of 2914 students in grades 7 to 12., Main Outcome Measures: Demographic predictors of nonmedical use of opioid analgesics during the past year and the sources of opioid analgesics., Results: Students ranged in age from 12 to 19 years (mean 15.0, SD 1.9) and 52% were male. Of the students surveyed, 20.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 18.9% to 22.3%) reported using opioid analgesics at least once nonmedically during the past year, with 6.2% using exclusively nonmedically and 14.4% using nonmedically and medically. Female students (16.6%, CI 14.1% to 19.6%) were more likely than male students (12.0%, CI 10.0% to 14.2%) to have used opioid analgesics both nonmedically and medically in the past year, although exclusive nonmedical use was similar between female (6.7%, CI 5.3% to 8.5%) and male (5.8%, CI 4.5% to 7.3%) students. Among students who reported using opioid analgesics nonmedically, 72% reported obtaining them from home and only 6% reported obtaining them from friends. Nonmedical opioid analgesic users had higher past-year prevalences for alcohol use, daily smoking, and other illicit drug use compared with nonusers., Conclusion: Nonmedical use of opioids is common among Ontario students. The motivation for using these medications without prescriptions or without medical supervision is not known. Students might have used these medications recreationally or for pain relief. Regardless of motivation, these medications are being used without medical supervision. It is important to note that the home is the main source for opioid analgesics in the absence of a prescription. Parents should be vigilant and educate themselves and their children about these medications, ensuring that prescription opioids are stored properly and avoiding casual sharing of these medications among family members.