The Stigma Receptivity Scale and its association with mental health service use among bereaved older adults.
The purpose of this article was to determine whether the Stigma Receptivity Scale (SRS) predicts use of mental health services among community-dwelling bereaved older adults. We analyzed interviews of 135 people in Connecticut to evaluate whether three subscales and 12 SRS items were associated with access to any mental health service in the past 60 days using logistic regression analysis. Two SRS items predicted recent use of mental health services among bereaved individuals with and without complicated grief: receptivity to a bereavement support group (adjusted OR = 5.14; 95% CI, 1.11, 23.85) and individuals who were not concerned about meeting criteria for a mental illness (adjusted OR = 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01, 0.58). The SRS significantly predicted recent access to mental health treatment among bereaved elderly people. This type of measure could be used to determine those most likely in need of education and support to increase their likelihood of accessing mental health services.
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Kara Zivin
KZ
Bambauer
Holly Gwen
HG
Prigerson
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001601:Bereavement; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003237:Connecticut / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006304:Health Status; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011336:Probability; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires