title: Veteran Status, Sociodemographic Characteristics, and Healthcare Factors Associated with Visiting a Mental Health Professional.
abstract: Using data from a nationally representative study of the community-dwelling U.S. population, we estimated the percentage of male veterans who visited a mental health professional in the past year, compared it to an estimate from non-veteran males, and examined factors associated with visiting a mental health professional. We found that 10.5% of male veterans visited a mental health professional in the past year, compared to only 5.6% of male non-veterans. In the regression models, veteran status, sociodemographic factors, and healthcare utilization were independently associated with visiting a mental health professional. These findings demonstrate the importance of using nationally representative data to assess the mental healthcare needs of veterans.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3311 Toledo Road, Room 3264, Hyattsville, MD, 20782, USA. sfrenk@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Frenk
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of the Sciences, 600 South 43rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sautter
authors.affiliation: Global Immunization Division, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Woodring
authors.affiliation: Office of Analysis and Epidemiology, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3311 Toledo Road, Room 4262, Hyattsville, MD, 20782, USA.
authors.forename: Ellen A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Kramarow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: CDC; Mental health professionals; NHANES; Veterans