A social problem index for Canada.
OBJECTIVE
To construct an index that represents the general level of social problems among Canadian provinces and territories.


METHODS
Factor weights were used to combine provincial and territorial rates for homicide, attempted murder, assault, sexual assault, robbery, divorce, suicide, and alcoholism into a single Social Problem Index.


RESULTS
The resulting index demonstrated strong positive intercorrelations among its factors across provinces. That is, provinces that showed high rates on one factor tended to show high rates on the others as well. The validity of the Social Problem Index is demonstrated by its positive correlation with an independent measure of the likelihood of having experienced personal trauma.


CONCLUSIONS
The robust nature and apparent validity of the Social Problem Index suggest that it can be well used for needs assessments and theoretical studies and as a feedback mechanism to national, provincial, and community leaders on the social problem status of their particular jurisdictions.
Thompson
A H
AH
Department of Public Health Sciences, 13-103 Clinical Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3. gus.thompson@ualberta.ca
Howard
A W
AW
Jin
Y
Y
D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012940:Social Problems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*