title: Mental health service use: is there a difference between rural and non-rural women in service uptake?
abstract: This study examines differences in uptake of the Medicare items rolled out in 2006 under the 'Better Access Scheme' (BAS) between rural and non-rural Australian women. It compares differences in women's uptake of the BAS services by area of residence (ARIA+) across time using the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health (ALSWH) survey data linked to Medicare data. Women aged 28-33 years at the time the BAS was introduced that responded to the self-reported question on depression/anxiety and consented to linkage of their survey data with Medicare data (n=4,316). Participants were grouped by ARIA+ according to BAS use, diagnoses of anxiety/depression but no BAS use and other eligible women. Across all areas, women born 1973-1978 with a self-reported diagnosis of depression/anxiety or having treatment under the BAS had a significantly lower mean mental health score compared to other women. Significantly more women living in non-rural areas had used at least one service provided under the BAS initiative compared to women in outer regional, inner regional or remotes areas (21% versus 18% versus 13% versus 7%, respectively), and across all areas, 12% of women reported having a diagnosis of depression/anxiety but not been treated under the BAS. While there is a gradual uptake of the new BAS services, a large percentage of women who have a diagnosis of depression/anxiety have not been treated under the BAS. The data suggest that women in urban areas have been better able to take up the services compared to non-urban women.
authors.affiliation: The Research Centre of Gender, Health and Ageing, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Xenia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dolja-Gore
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Loxton
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: D'Este
authors.forename: Julie E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Byles
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009313:National Health Programs; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: better access scheme; rural mental health service use