title: Predictors of treatment utilization and unmet treatment need among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder from a national sample.
abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic psychiatric condition associated with significant disability that often remains untreated. Sociodemographic and family-level factors may serve as predictors of unmet treatment need, identifying groups that would most benefit from policies aimed at increasing access to the mental health care system.
  
  
  
  Data from the nationally representative Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiologic Surveys were used to identify predictors of mental health treatment utilization, both with a mental health specialist and with a general health practitioner, and self-reported unmet treatment need among individuals who endorsed past-year PTSD. We defined unmet treatment need as self-reporting a mental health problem and not accessing mental health care in the general or specialty mental health care system.
  
  
  
  Among 600 participants, predictors of unmet treatment need included being non-Latino black [odds ratio (OR) 2.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-3.54], having a high school education versus some college (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.34-4.48), and being employed or unemployed versus not being in the workforce (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.00-3.02 and OR 4.95, 95% CI 1.60-15.34, respectively). Recursive partitioning identified younger age and being married as predictors of low treatment utilization.
  
  
  
  Future research should elucidate barriers to accessing treatment among those with PTSD in these underserved groups.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 70 Everett Ave. Suite 516, Chelsea, MA 02150, USA; Harvard Medical School. Electronic address: cnobles@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors: Carrie J
authors: CJ
authors: Nobles
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 70 Everett Ave. Suite 516, Chelsea, MA 02150, USA; Harvard Medical School.
authors: Sarah E
authors: SE
authors: Valentine
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 70 Everett Ave. Suite 516, Chelsea, MA 02150, USA.
authors: Monica W
authors: MW
authors: Gerber
authors: Harvard Medical School; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 25 New Chardon St., Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors: Derri L
authors: DL
authors: Shtasel
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 70 Everett Ave. Suite 516, Chelsea, MA 02150, USA; Harvard Medical School.
authors: Luana
authors: L
authors: Marques
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Epidemiology; Health disparities; Posttraumatic stress; Treatment utilization