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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 12/2016

01-12-2016 | Original Paper

The association between ethnic background and characteristics of first mental health treatment for psychotic disorders in the Netherlands between 2001 and 2005

Authors: T. Fassaert, H. Heijnen, M. A. S. de Wit, J. Peen, A. T. F. Beekman, J. Dekker

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 12/2016

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Abstract

Purpose

To test the hypothesis that ethnic minority status of patients is associated with specific psychotic disorder treatment characteristics.

Methods

Longitudinal data (2001–2005) were extracted from a nationwide psychiatric case register in the Netherlands. The sample consisted of 30,655 episodes of mental health treatment for 23,122 patients with psychotic disorders. Information was available about waiting time and treatment duration, source of referral, occurrence of crisis contacts, admittance to clinical care and compulsory admissions. In addition, information was available about ethnicity (based on country of birth), gender, age and marital status. Results were calculated for ethnic and gender groups separately. In addition, a number of multivariate regression analyses were conducted to correct for differences in age and marital status.

Results

There was substantial variation between ethnic minority and gender groups in relation to the treatment characteristics. Compared with a Dutch ethnic background, ethnic minority background was generally associated with less waiting time, and more police referrals, crisis contacts, admittance to clinical care and compulsory admission, but shorter treatment duration. Characteristics appeared to be least favorable in episodes that involved male patients with Antillean and Surinamese backgrounds, whereas episodes were quite similar for ethnic Dutch and Turkish patients.

Conclusions

Characteristics of mental health treatment for psychosis in the Netherlands are different for ethnic minority patient groups than for patients with an ethnic Dutch background. However, there were substantial differences between ethnic minority groups.
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Metadata
Title
The association between ethnic background and characteristics of first mental health treatment for psychotic disorders in the Netherlands between 2001 and 2005
Authors
T. Fassaert
H. Heijnen
M. A. S. de Wit
J. Peen
A. T. F. Beekman
J. Dekker
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 12/2016
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1248-x

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