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Abstract
Background
This article assesses the association between self-rated mental health and selected World Mental Health-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI)-measured disorders, self-reported diagnoses of mental disorders, and psychological distress in the Canadian population.
Data and methods
Data are from the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-being. Weighted frequencies and cross-tabulations were used to estimate the prevalence of each mental morbidity measure and self-rated mental health by selected characteristics. Mean self-rated mental health scores were calculated for each mental morbidity measure. The association between self-rated mental health and each mental morbidity measure was analysed with logistic regression models.
Results
In 2002, an estimated 1.7 million Canadians aged 15 or older (7%) rated their mental health as fair or poor. Respondents classified with mental morbidity consistently reported lower mean selfrated mental health (SRMH) and had significantly higher odds of reporting fair/poor mental health than did those not classified with mental morbidity. Grathents in mean SRMH scores and odds of reporting fair/poor mental health by recency of WMH-CIDI-measured mental disorders were apparent. A sizeable percentage of respondents classified as having a mental morbidity did not perceive their mental health as fair/poor.
Interpretation
Although self-rated mental health is not a substitute for specific mental health measures it is potentially useful for monitoring general mental health.
Keywords
agoraphobia, bipolar disorder, depression, panic disorder, social phobia, perceived mental health, population health surveys
Studies of the extent to which the widely used measure, self-rated health, captures mental health1-3 suggest the need for a specific self-rated mental health (SRMH) measure. In fact, a number of surveys in Canada and worldwide have used such a measure: for example, the Ontario Health Survey: Mental Health Supplement; the Canadian Community Health Survey; and the World Mental Health Initiative Surveys in 28 countries.
Recent research has demonstrated associations between SRMH and social class,4 family support and family cultural conflict,5 community belonging,6 service use,7"11 continuation of antidepressant therapy,12 and distress, activity restriction and social role functioning.13 However, relatively little is known about what SRMH actually represents and how well it measures current mental health status and predicts future mental health status.13 Only one study13 has examined cross-sectional associations between SRMH and a range of validated mental health measures. The study found that SRMH...