Predictors of mental health service utilisation in a non-treatment seeking epidemiological sample of australian adults

Abstract

This study sought to replicate Parslow and Jorm's (Aust N Z J Psychiatry 34(6): 997-1008, 2000) research on need, enabling and predisposing factors as predictors of mental health service use, with the addition of childhood trauma as a predisposing factor. It utilised a nontreatment seeking epidemiological sample of Australian adults (N = 822) to examine 25 variables covering psychiatric disorder, socio-demographics, physical health problems, and childhood trauma as predictors of mental health visits to general practitioners (GP's), mental health specialists and non-mental health specialists. A consistent multivariate predictor of mental health visits to all types of professionals was psychol..