Flourishing older Canadians: What characteristics are associated with complete mental health?

This study identified the factors associated with the absence of psychiatric disorder (APD) in the past year and complete mental health (CMH), among a nationally representative sample of Canadian adults aged 65 and older. APD is defined as the absence of suicidality, mental illness, and substance use disorder in the past year. CMH is defined as a combination of the following three characteristics: (1) APD; (2) life satisfaction or happiness almost every day in the past month and (3) social and psychological well-being almost every day in the past month. Data on 2,024 older respondents were obtained from the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey. The sample was analyzed using bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression models. Factors associated with ADP and CMH among older adults included being male, married, having social support, reporting religious or spiritual beliefs to be important, and having excellent self-reported health. Respondents without chronic pain, who had no difficulties in instrumental activities of daily living, had no sleep problems, and no history of depression, anxiety, or substance use disorder also had increased odds of both ADP and CMH. Findings from this study identify key factors associated with APD and CMH in older adults, which could inform the development of targeted public health interventions aimed at enhancing CMH within this population.