URBANIZATION AND PSYCHIATRIC ADMISSION RATES IN THE NETHERLANDS

This article discusses the possible links between urbanisation, demogr aphic variables and psychiatric admission rates. Inpatient psychiatric admission rates were determined for the 647 Dutch municipalities. The n urbanisation was determined using 'area address density', a unit of measurement developed by the Dutch Central Statistical Office. Five de grees of urbanisation are distinguished. Twenty-nine demographic varia bles which might have a theoretical link with admission rates were col lated for all municipalities. The results show that standardised total admission rates increase with urbanisation. The mean admission rate f or the least urbanised municipalities is 2.02 per 1000 resident popula tion, the rate for the most urbanised municipalities is 3.72 per 1000. It was then found that the prevalence of demographic risk factors inc reased with urbanicity. At the same time, it was found that almost all demographic variables correlated with admission rates. A multiple reg ression model - which accounts for 22% of variance - shows that income distribution, address density and mortality all contribute significan tly to the variance in admission rates for the 647 Dutch municipalitie s.