Mental health and accessibility to services in a university setting: is diversity a barrier?

Google translate: The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on the mental health of Canadians. Preliminary results from a previous study conducted by our team show a significant deterioration in the mental health of university students and employees. This is particularly true for people from the five designated groups (women, visible minorities, people with disabilities, indigenous people, LGBTQIAP2S+) in academia. What explains this particularly deteriorated state of mental health for people in these target groups? Could access or lack of access to services, for reasons related to gender, culture, language, disabilities, income and knowledge of available services, be the cause of this aggravation? This study focuses on the mental health of students and employees of the Universities of Quebec network in the context of a pandemic and aims to gradually achieve 4 general objectives: 1) Identify the repercussions of COVID-19 on the mental health of people who identify with one or more of the five designated groups; 2) List the main mental health services available in a university environment in order to meet the needs of these people; 3) Determine the factors that facilitate or hinder their access to these services; 4) Prioritize the best support services to put in place to support their mental health. In order to achieve these objectives, a research-action taking the form of a living laboratory is proposed. The knowledge resulting from the work will take the form of practical tools that can be used by the partner settings, as well as an action plan to promote the mental health of people who identify with one or other of the five designated groups. in a university environment]