Moderate to severe psychological distress, disability, and non-receipt of past year visits to a mental health professional. Issue 4 (October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Houston, Allison; Gomes, Anne-Marie; Naccarato, Toni
• Is Part Of: Disability and health journal. Volume 9:Issue 4(2016)
• Page Start: 735
• Page End: 740
• Publication Date: 2016-10
• Subjects: Disability -- Psychological distress -- Unmet mental health care services; People with disabilities -- Health and hygiene -- Periodicals; Health education -- Periodicals; Disabled Persons -- Periodicals; Health Education -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 362.4
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2016.06.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1936-6574

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Studies of mental health care received by persons with disabilities who make up a significant group of the U.S. population are limited. Objective: This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between disability and non-receipt of past year visits to a mental health professional among individuals with moderate to severe psychological distress. Methods: Study participants included a nationally representative sample of 5, 566 people with moderate to severe psychological distress, extracted from 2011 to 2013 Integrated Health Interview using the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Self-reported disability domains included vision, hearing, mobility, upper body self-care difficulty, learning difficulty, communication difficulty, and cognition difficulty. Results: Sixty-four percent of participants reported a disability. Logistic regression analyses showed that (adjusting for nativity, other mental health conditions, and chronic pain) people aged 18–64 years old with disabilities have significantly lower odds (OR = 0.52, p < 0.001) of unmet mental health care services than people without disabilities. However, foreign-born respondents have significantly higher odds (OR = 2.91; p < 0.001) of unmet mental health care services than U.S. born Americans. After controlling for gender, other mental health conditions and chronic pain, people aged 65 and above with disabilities have higher non-significant odds (OR = 1.34, p = 0.361) of unmet mental health care services than people without disabilities. Additionally, females have significantly higher odds (OR = 1.63, p = 0.039) than males. Conclusions: Findings indicate the importance of identifying demographic characteristics associated with an increased risk for psychological distress and increased unmet mental health care services among people with and without disabilities.