Utilization of mental health services among rural elderly

Rural elders are an undeserved and vulnerable population with compromised a ccess to health and human services leading to premature institutionalizatio n, Even though elders living in rural areas have psychiatric illnesses that would prompt them to use mental health services, their use of these servic es remains low. This study developed predictive models of psychiatric hospi talization, use of mental health services, and use of crisis intervention b y rural elders participating in an outreach case-management program. A comb ination of demographic, health status, and organizational variables were us ed in stepwise multiple regression. Being married and having supplemental i nsurance in addition to Medicare predicted 23% of the variance for utilizat ion of psychiatric hospitalization. Only one variable, Medicaid, predicted 14% of the variance for use of mental health services. Type of caregiver, m arital status, household composition, and Medicaid insurance accounted for 23% of the variance in utilization of crisis intervention by rural elders, Overall, the two variables that most likely predicted use of psychiatric me ntal health services were marital status and type of insurance. Copyright ( C) 1999 by W.B. Saunders Company.