How does mental health status relate to accessibility and remoteness?

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dc.contributor.authorEckert, K.
dc.contributor.authorTaylor, A.
dc.contributor.authorWilkinson, D.
dc.contributor.authorTucker, G.
dc.date.issued2004
dc.description.abstractOBJECTIVE: To determine whether mental illness is associated with accessibility and remoteness. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, population-based, computer-assisted telephone interview survey, stratified by Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) categories. SETTING: Secondary analysis of data collected from 2545 South Australian adults in October and November 2000. OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychological distress and depression as determined by the Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale, the SF-12 measure of health status, and self-reported mental illness diagnosed by a doctor in the previous 12 months. RESULTS: Overall, mental illness prevalence estimates were similar using the three measures of psychological distress (10.5%), clinical depression (12.9%) and self-reported mental health problem (12.7%). For each measure, there was no statistically significant variation in prevalence across ARIA categories, except for a lower than expected prevalence of depression (7.7%) in the “accessible” category. There was no trend suggesting higher levels of mental illness among residents of rural and remote regions. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rates of psychological distress, depression and self-reported mental illness are high. However, we found no evidence that the prevalence of these conditions varies substantially across ARIA categories in South Australia. This finding may challenge existing stereotypes about higher levels of mental illness outside metropolitan Australia.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityKerena A. Eckert, Anne W. Taylor, David D. Wilkinson and Graeme R. Tucker
dc.identifier.citationMedical Journal of Australia, 2004; 181(10):540-543
dc.identifier.doi10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06442.x
dc.identifier.issn0025-729X
dc.identifier.issn1326-5377
dc.identifier.orcidTaylor, A. [0000-0002-4422-7974]
dc.identifier.orcidTucker, G. [0000-0003-2621-5942]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/64657
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherAustralasian Med Publ Co Ltd
dc.rights© The Medical Journal of Australia 2004
dc.source.urihttp://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/181_10_151104/eck10502_fm.html
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectHealth Status Indicators
dc.subjectPrevalence
dc.subjectCross-Sectional Studies
dc.subjectMental Disorders
dc.subjectHealth Status
dc.subjectAdolescent
dc.subjectAdult
dc.subjectMiddle Aged
dc.subjectRural Population
dc.subjectHealth Services Accessibility
dc.subjectSouth Australia
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectMale
dc.titleHow does mental health status relate to accessibility and remoteness?
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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