Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Objective
To describe trends in mental health service use of youth by immigration status and characteristics.Design
Population-based longitudinal cohort study from 1996 to 2012 using linked health and administrative datasets.Setting
Ontario, Canada.Participants
Youth 10-24 years, living in Ontario, Canada.Exposure
The main exposure was immigration status (recent immigrants vs long-term residents). Secondary exposures were region of origin and refugee status.Main outcome measure
Mental health hospitalisations, emergency department (ED) visits and outpatient visits within consecutive 3-year time periods. Poisson regression models estimated rate ratios (RR).Results
Over 2.5 million person years per period were included. Rates of recent immigrant mental health service utilisation were at least 40% lower than long-term residents (p<0.0001).Mental health hospitalisation and ED visit rates increased in long-term residents (hospitalisations, RR 1.09 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.09); ED visits, RR 1.15 (1.14 to 1.15)) and recent immigrants (hospitalisations RR 1.05 (1.03 to 1.07); ED visits, RR 1.08 (1.05 to 1.11)). Mental health outpatient visit rates increased in long-term residents (RR 1.03 (1.03 to 1.03)) but declined in recent immigrant (RR 0.94 (0.93 to 0.95)). Comparable divergent trends in acute care and outpatient service use were observed among refugees and across most regions of origin. Recent immigrant acute care use was driven by longer-term refugees (hospitalisations RR 1.12 (1.03 to 1.21); ED visits RR 1.11 (1.02 to 1.20)).Conclusions
Mental health service utilisation was lower among recent immigrants than long-term residents. While acute care use is increasing at a faster rate among long-term residents than recent immigrants, the decrease in outpatient mental health visits in immigrants highlights a potential emerging disparity in access to preventative care.
SUBMITTER: Saunders NR
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6144399 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Saunders Natasha Ruth NR Lebenbaum Michael M Lu Hong H Stukel Therese A TA Urquia Marcelo Luis ML Guttmann Astrid A
BMJ open 20180917 9
<h4>Objective</h4>To describe trends in mental health service use of youth by immigration status and characteristics.<h4>Design</h4>Population-based longitudinal cohort study from 1996 to 2012 using linked health and administrative datasets.<h4>Setting</h4>Ontario, Canada.<h4>Participants</h4>Youth 10-24 years, living in Ontario, Canada.<h4>Exposure</h4>The main exposure was immigration status (recent immigrants vs long-term residents). Secondary exposures were region of origin and refugee statu ...[more]