The determinants of mental health

The determinants of mental health are the factors that affect or determine a person's level of mental well-being. An individual's mental health is influenced by biological, psychological and social factors, which can be interrelated and can change according to life circumstances. This combination of determinants contributes to the complexity of mental health and mental illnesses (Government of Canada, n.d.). Understanding these factors and their potential impact on mental health is important for service providers who may be in a position to address such determinants when offering support to immigrant and refugee clients.

Mental health “is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his own community” (WHO, 2016).

Our health and well-being is significantly shaped by many things including, but not limited to, where we work, our work environment, our income and wealth, our ability to afford quality housing and food, as well as the physical environment that is built around us and the policies and structures that our governments put in place, including the health system (Compton & Shim, 2015) (Alegría, NeMoyer, Falgas, Wang, & Alvarez, 2018).

Mental health problems and illnesses take many forms and cover a range of issues. They are determined by a number of biological, psychological and social factors, known as the determinants of health. The social determinants of health (e.g., income, education, race, gender, etc.) play the most important role in determining the health outcomes for Canadians. This topic will be discussed in relation to immigrant and refugee populations in greater detail later in this module and throughout the course.

The determinants of mental health

Click on the headings to read more about each factor below

Biological
factors

Psychological
Factors

Social factors