Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Oct;49(4):500-512.
doi: 10.1007/s11414-022-09797-1. Epub 2022 May 9.

Estimating a Model for Mental Healthcare Utilization Using Subjective Unmet Need and Psychological Distress Measures

Ebony Toussaint  1 , Dylan Roby  2 , Dahai Yue  3 , Luisa Franzini  3 , Neil Sehgal  3
Affiliations

Estimating a Model for Mental Healthcare Utilization Using Subjective Unmet Need and Psychological Distress Measures

Ebony Toussaint et al. J Behav Health Serv Res. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

The objective of this study is to assess the predictive value of self-reported need and psychological distress in mental healthcare service use across racial and ethnic groups in California. Using 2014-2018 data for adults aged 18-64 in the California Health Interview Survey, both logistic and Poisson regression models are used to estimate mental healthcare utilization. Patient-reported outcome measures, such as psychological distress, are commonly used to evaluate healthcare utilization patterns. The Kessler-6 screener for psychological distress is frequently used as a tool for determining whether someone's level of distress necessitates evaluation by a mental healthcare professional. Serious psychological distress has been widely studied as a predictor of higher healthcare expenditures and use; however, moderate distress and self-reported need has been less examined in the literature. Seventy-two percent of individuals with moderate psychological distress felt like they needed to see a professional for their mental or emotional needs compared to 4% of individuals with serious psychological distress. Individuals with moderate psychological distress had 34% of all healthcare visits for mental or emotional needs during the study period, compared to 17% for those with serious psychological distress. Subjective unmet need for mental healthcare was reported by 77% of those who utilized mental healthcare during the study period. Studying subjective unmet need, in addition to moderate and serious distress, provides additional understanding of the need for mental healthcare and mental healthcare utilization.

Keywords: Mental health services; Patient-reported outcome measures; Psychological distress.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Novak P, Anderson AC, Chen J. Changes in health insurance coverage and barriers to health care access among individuals with serious psychological distress following the affordable care act. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. 2018; 45(6):924-932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-018-0875-9 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gonzales G, Golberstein E, Hill SC, et al. Psychological distress and enrollment in Medicaid. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research. 2016; 44(4):523-535. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-016-9532-9 - DOI
    1. Lin M-T, Burgess JF, Carey K. The association between serious psychological distress and emergency department utilization among young adults in the USA. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2011; 47(6):939-947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0401-9 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stockbridge EL, Wilson FA, Pagán JA. Psychological distress and emergency department utilization in the United States: evidence from the medical expenditure panel survey. Academic Emergency Medicine. 2014; 21(5):510-519. https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.12369 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Characteristics of Adults with Serious Psychological Distress as Measured by the K6 Scale, United States, 2001–04. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/6840 . Accessed June 8, 2021.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources