Education, Income, and Mental Health Care: A Quantitative Analysis of Canadian Adults’ Use of Mental Health Care

• Author / Creator

  Braden, Samuel Harris

• Mental health conditions are prevalent in Canada, but services are underutilized. It is
  important to understand what factors are linked to mental health care use, but the literature on
  this topic is inconclusive. What is the relationship between educational attainment, income, and
  the likelihood that Canadian adults will use mental health care services and treatments? To
  answer this research question, I apply a social stratification perspective and analyze two data
  subsets from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health Component (n = 25,
  113). I constructed several logistic regression models that illustrate how educational attainment
  and household income relate to the use of a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a family doctor, and an
  antidepressant, respectively, while the effects of additional variables are accounted for. In the
  general population (n = 14,568), educational attainment has a weak and significant positive
  relationship with the consultation of a psychologist and the consultation of family doctor, while
  household income has a weak and significant negative relationship with the consultation of a
  family doctor and the use of an antidepressant. In the sub-population of Canadian adults who
  experienced either major depression or generalized anxiety disorder (n = 1,143), neither
  education nor household income demonstrated a significant relationship with any form of care. I
  provide general policy recommendations and outline pathways for future research.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Education
  • Income
  • Mental Health Care
  • Social Stratification Perspective

• Graduation date

  Fall 2024

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-djg6-vy69

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.