The relationship between functional impairment, perceptions of self, and determinants of health in young adults' ability to assess and access mental health services

Oral Presentation C6.4

Authors

  • Sandy Rao University of Calgary

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.678

Keywords:

Determinants of Health, Unmet Healthcare Needs, Access to Care, Mood Disorders, Young Adults, Functional Impairments

Abstract

Background: The burden of disease on individuals, families and their communities are is staggering in and of itself. However, the system burden that service users face has a compounding and potentially iatrogenic effect; whereby attempts to access the health care system actually exacerbates and further disenfranchises patients with mental illness. Purpose: This study aimed to develop a conceptual model to examine the measures of functional impairments, perceptions of self, diagnosis, determinants of health and the combination of measures, to assess the impacts on unmet healthcare needs. Methods: The study utilized data from the 2017-2018 Canadian Community Health Survey and focused on young adults aged 20 to 20 years old, from Alberta, Canada (N=1636). Binary logistic regression modeling was used as it is among the most frequently used approach for developing multivariable healthcare prediction models for binary outcomes. Results: Functional impairments—cognition and getting along with others, awareness of ratings of mental health, and diagnosis type had significant impacts on unmet healthcare needs. Conversely, determinants of health as a measure and the combination of all measures were not found to be statistically significant. Conclusions: Study findings are supported by the literature that positive social determinants of health are significant predictors of met healthcare needs, even when functional impairments are present. However, this suggests a need to study other diverse samples to understand the impacts of functional impairments, perceptions of self and diagnosis on persons with moderate to negative social determinants of health. Funding: None.

Published

2021-09-30

How to Cite

Rao, S. (2021). The relationship between functional impairment, perceptions of self, and determinants of health in young adults’ ability to assess and access mental health services: Oral Presentation C6.4. The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.678