The latest results from a long-running mental health study suggests violence and other anti-social behaviour among Grade 7 to Grade 12 students in Ontario has dropped significantly over the past two decades.
The Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey also shows a sharp overall drop in bullying, although cyberbullying remains an issue, and that 81 per cent of students saying they like school to some degree, with nearly half liking school quite a lot or very much.
The survey of students has been done every two years since 1977 and more than 11-thousand students from 214 schools took part in last year's edition.
One dramatic change uncovered by the survey relates to the prescription of opioid pain relievers to students -- a key finding given the addiction and overdose crisis that has killed thousands of people across North America in recent years.
The survey found that over the past decade, medical use of prescribed opioids among students plunged to 18 per cent from 41 per cent.
The study also indicates a growing number of the students -- particularly girls -- have symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Slightly more than half of female students in Ontario show signs of moderate to serious psychological distress -- marking the first time that threshold has been crossed since the survey started tracking the issue in 2013.