Abstract
Objective
Reports suggest that immigrants are under-served by the mental health service system. The aim of this study is to examine the rates of mental health visits and hospitalization of Chinese immigrants in British Columbia using historic administrative databases.
Method
A total of more than 150,000 Chinese immigrants who landed in BC between 1985 and 2000 were identified from an immigration database which was linked to the province’s administrative health records, as part of a national study on immigrant health. Controls were individually matched to immigrants by sex, age and region and randomly selected from the general BC population.
Results
Preliminary results confirm that, while Chinese immigrants use less overall health care than controls, the difference in utilization rates is particularly pronounced with regard to mental health problems, especially for visits to psychiatrists and psychiatric hospitalization.
Discussion
The under-utilization of mental health services may reflect better health status, ongoing barriers to access, or other factors. There are different implications for health policy-makers. Further research is necessary to determine the reasons for the low rates of utilization.
Réumé
Objectif
Selon plusieurs rapports, le système des services de santé mentale desservirait mal les immigrants. Notre étude visait à examiner les taux de consultation des services de santé mentale et les taux d’hospitalisation d’immigrants chinois en Colombie-Britannique à partir de bases de données administratives historiques.
Méthode
Nous avons recensé plus de 150 000 immigrants chinois établis en Colombie-Britannique entre 1985 et 2000 à partir d’une base de données de l’immigration, reliée aux dossiers de santé administratifs de la province dans le cadre d’une étude nationale sur la santé des immigrants. Nous avons jumelé, selon le sexe, l’âge et la région, des immigrants et des témoins choisis au hasard dans la population générale de la Colombie-Britannique.
Résultats
Nos résultats préliminaires confirment que même si les immigrants chinois utilisent moins les soins de santé que les témoins dans l’ensemble, l’écart dans les taux d’utilisation est particulièrement marqué en ce qui a trait aux problèmes de santé mentale, surtout pour les consultations de psychiatres et les hospitalisations dans des services de psychiatrie.
Discussion
La sous-utilisation des services de santé mentale peut refléter un meilleur état de santé chez les immigrants, des obstacles continus à l’accès ou d’autres facteurs, ce qui a des répercussions différentes pour les responsables des politiques de santé. Une recherche plus poussée s’impose pour déterminer les causes des faibles taux d’utilisation.
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Acknowledgement: A.W. Chen is supported by training fellowships from: Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Western Regional Training Centre, funded by Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and Canadian Institutes of Health Research; and Research in Addictions and Mental Health Policy and Services Strategic Training Program, funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research
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Chen, A.W., Kazanjian, A. Rate of Mental Health Service Utilization by Chinese Immigrants in British Columbia. Can J Public Health 96, 49–51 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404017
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404017