Table 2:

Mean scores^* on the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale among Indigenous peoples living off-reserve (n = 14 410)

Characteristic	Total		Men		Women
	Mean score	p value	Mean score	p value	Mean score	p value
Total	16.1		15.2		16.7
Demographic variable
Sex
Male	15.2	< 0.001
Female	16.7
Marital status
Married	17.0	< 0.001	16.3	< 0.001	17.6	< 0.001
Divorced or widowed	15.2		14.5		15.8
Single	17.3		15.7		17.8
Cultural group
Métis	15.9	< 0.001	15.0	< 0.001	16.6	< 0.001
Status First Nations	16.1		15.3		16.6
Non-status First Nations	16.8		15.6		17.7
Inuit	15.4		14.6		16.0
Socioeconomic variable
Education level
≤ Grade 8	16.5	< 0.001	16.0	< 0.001	17.0	< 0.001
Grades 9–10	17.9		16.2		19.3
Grade 11–secondary completed	16.2		15.3		16.9
Some postsecondary	16.4		15.5		17.3
Postsecondary degree/diploma	15.4		14.6		15.9
Employment status
Employed	15.2	< 0.001	14.7	< 0.001	15.7	< 0.001
Not in the labour force	17.9		16.6		18.5
Unemployed	16.9		15.9		17.8
Household crowding
Rooms per capita ≤ 2	16.6	< 0.001	15.6	< 0.001	17.4	< 0.001
Rooms per capita > 2 to 4	15.5		14.7		16.1
Rooms per capita > 4	15.1		14.7		15.5
Housing maintenance
Regular	15.5	< 0.001	14.8	< 0.001	16.0	< 0.001
Minor	16.3		15.3		17.1
Major	17.9		16.6		18.8
Food security
High	14.9	< 0.001	14.3	< 0.001	15.4	< 0.001
Low	18.8		18.2		19.3
Very low	23.7		22.2		24.4
Behavioural variable
Drinking habit
Regular drinker (yes)	15.7	< 0.001	14.9	< 0.001	16.4	< 0.001
Regular drinker (no)	16.6		15.7		17.1
Smoking habit
Daily tobacco use (yes)	17.9	< 0.001	16.8	< 0.001	18.7	< 0.001
Daily tobacco use (no)	15.3		14.4		15.9
Social connectedness variable
Strong extended family tie (yes)	15.1	< 0.001	14.1	< 0.001	15.8	< 0.001
Strong extended family tie (no)	17.0		16.1		17.9
No one to turn to for support (yes)	18.5	< 0.001	16.0	< 0.001	21.7	< 0.001
No one to turn to for support (no)	15.9		15.1		16.5
Other cultural variable
Cultural engagement
Clothing or footwear (yes)	17.0	< 0.001	17.0	< 0.001	17.1	0.002
Clothing or footwear (no)	16.0		15.1		16.7
Art craft (yes)	17.4	< 0.001	16.6	< 0.001	17.9	< 0.001
Art craft (no)	15.5		14.8		16.2
Hunting/fishing/trapping (yes)	15.6	< 0.001	14.9	< 0.001	16.7	0.7
Hunting/fishing/trapping (no)	16.3		15.5		16.8
Plant gathering (yes)	16.5	< 0.001	15.3	0.05	17.4	< 0.001
Plant gathering (no)	15.9		15.1		16.5
Language
Speak Indigenous language (yes)	15.9	0.04	14.6	< 0.001	16.7	0.8
Speak Indigenous language (no)	16.1		15.3		16.8
Residential school variable
Not attended	15.7	< 0.001	15.0	< 0.001	16.3	< 0.001
Any family member attended	16.7		15.6		17.5
Missing	17.1		15.8		18.2
Geographical variable
Urbanicity
Rural	15.0	< 0.001	14.7	< 0.001	15.3	< 0.001
Small population centre	15.4		14.7		16.0
Medium population centre	16.8		15.1		17.8
Urban	16.7		15.7		17.5
Regions
Atlantic provinces	15.3	< 0.001	14.2	< 0.001	16.1	< 0.001
Quebec	15.5		15.2		15.8
Ontario	16.6		15.5		17.5
Manitoba	16.4		15.5		17.1
Saskatchewan	15.5		14.8		16.0
Alberta	16.0		15.0		16.6
British Columbia	16.2		15.2		16.9
Territories	15.2		14.5		15.7

^*Total scores of the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale range from 10 (no distress) to 50 (severe distress).