An assessment of a community's mental health needs

Alex Zautra, Lynn Stanley Simons

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study tested the potential utility of social indicators and survey data in the prediction of community mental health sevice utilization and construction of a model of community need. The results showed that both kinds of data are strongly associated with rates of usage across census tracts within the community. The social indicator data appeared to describe the social forces acting with various segments of the community. The strength of these forces were unevenly distributed, and disadvantaged areas were most likely to have higher rates of mental health center utilization rates, although to a lesser extent than the social indicators. The two sets of data were highly convergent and both were seen as useful to planning of mental health sevices. The social indicators appeared to identify best where to look in the community for high-risk populations, while the survey data showed what to look for as mental health problems for the people of a given locale.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)351-362
Number of pages12
JournalAmerican journal of community psychology
Volume6
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1978

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Applied Psychology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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