title: Does educational background explain inequalities in care service use for mental health problems in the Dutch general population?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether (1) education predicts the use of care services for mental health problems, independently of mental disorder and functional impairment and (2) education modifies the association between mental disorder and service use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Predictors of service use were recorded at baseline, and service use itself at 12-month follow-up, in a representative sample (N=7076) of the Dutch population, using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  People with more education were less likely to use primary care but more likely to use mental health care. The effects on both types of care remained significant after adjustment for mental disorder and functional impairment. Lower education tended to strengthen the association between mood or anxiety disorder and primary care use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further research on inequalities in service use will benefit from additional explanatory analyses and from the inclusion of sociopsychological variables, like cost-benefit considerations in decisions to use services.
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Utrecht, The Netherlands. mhave@trimbos.nl
authors.forename: M ten
authors.initials: Mt
authors.lastname: Have
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oldehinkel
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Vollebergh
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ormel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*