Use of health services for psychological distress symptoms among community-dwelling older adults.
ABSTRACTTo document the use of health services for psychological distress symptoms, we collected data from a cross-section of adults aged 65 years and over. Nearly 13 per cent met DSM-IV criteria for mood or anxiety disorders. In addition, 42.4 per cent of those having at least one DSM-IV diagnosis reported having used health services. Results show a direct association between the presence of a probable DSM-IV diagnosis and health service use. However, our results show no significant association between gender and health service use, and do not support the hypothesis that minimal social support increases the probability of older adults using health services for psychological distress. The analysis suggests unmarried elders are more likely than married elders to use health services. Furthermore, this study shows that older adults having a high level of daily hassles reported using health services for psychological distress than those reporting a low stress level. We conclude that a large proportion of elderly mental health needs in Quebec are potentially not being met.
Préville
Michel
M
Faculty of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke.
Vasiliadis
Helen-Maria
HM
Boyer
Richard
R
Goldfarb
Maria
M
Demers
Karine
K
Brassard
Joëlle
J
Béland
Sarah-Gabrielle
SG
D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D055656:Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires