European cultural offshoots in the new world: differences in their mental hospitalization patterns. Part II: German, Dutch, and Scandinavian influences

Abstract

The mental hospitalization rates for Canadians of German, Dutch, and Scandinavian origin are significantly below the rates for Canadians generally and even for Canadians of British origin, although the latter are the more advantaged in the society. The better-than-average picture proves to derive from the males much more than from the females, which weighs against a genetic explanation, and it is unlikely to be due to differences in use of psychiatric services. Examination of rates for subcategories of the population, and a review of the literature on these and other Canadian sub-cultures, suggests that the mental health advantages experienced by these males may be due in part to family structure and in part to religious influences.