Education, Income, and Mental Health Care: A Quantitative Analysis of Canadian Adults’ Use of Mental Health Care

Abstract

Mental health conditions are prevalent in Canada, but services are underutilized. It is important to understand what factors are linked to mental health care use, but the literature on this topic is inconclusive. What is the relationship between educational attainment, income, and the likelihood that Canadian adults will use mental health care services and treatments? To answer this research question, I apply a social stratification perspective and analyze two data subsets from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health Component (n = 25, 113). I constructed several logistic regression models that illustrate how educational attainment and household income relate to the use of a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a family doctor, and an antidepressant, respectively, while the effects of additional variables are accounted for. In the general population (n = 14,568), educational attainment has a weak and significant positive relationship with the consultation of a psychologist and the consultation of family doctor, while household income has a weak and significant negative relationship with the consultation of a family doctor and the use of an antidepressant. In the sub-population of Canadian adults who experienced either major depression or generalized anxiety disorder (n = 1,143), neither education nor household income demonstrated a significant relationship with any form of care. I provide general policy recommendations and outline pathways for future research.