Advanced search
2 files | 2.05 MB Add to list

The stratified medicalisation of mental health symptoms : educational inequalities in the use of psychotropic medication in Belgium

Lisa Colman (UGent) , Katrijn Delaruelle (UGent) and Piet Bracke (UGent)
Author
Organization
Abstract
Purpose Several studies have shown socioeconomic inequalities in psychotropic medication use, but most of these studies are inspired by Andersen's behavioural model of health care use, which strongly focusses on individuals' needs. Andersen's model pays little attention to health care use that is not based on need and insubstantially recognises the context dependentness of individuals. Medicalisation, however, is a context-dependent interactive process that not only interacts with need determinants, but also with non-need determinants that affect health care use. Therefore, this study will examine if psychotropic medication use is stratified, and whether this is not simply the result of differences in need for care, but also influenced by factors not based on need, initiating the stratified medicalisation of mental health symptoms. Methods Data from the Belgian Health Interview Survey (BHIS) are used. This study covers information from five successive waves: 2001, 2004, 2013, 2018. The weighted data represent a sample of the adult Belgian population. The research aims are analysed using stepwise Poisson regression models, where the models are also plotted to detect evolutions over time, using marginal means postestimation. Results The results reveal that educational inequalities in psychotropic medication use are significant and persistently visible over time. Even after entering need for care, educational inequalities remain significant. Conclusion This study shows that psychotropic medication use is stratified and that this is not simply the result of differences in need for care, but also influenced by factors linked to the stratified medicalisation of mental health symptoms.
Keywords
Psychiatry and Mental health, Social Psychology, Health (social science), Epidemiology, Health care use, Psychotropic medication use, Health care use inequalities, Educational inequalities, Medicalisation, GENERAL-PRACTICE, CARE, LIFE, MEDICALIZATION, PREVALENCE, EQUITY, IMPACT

Downloads

  • Psychotropic Medication Main Text Lisa Colman REV.pdf
    • full text (Accepted manuscript)
    • |
    • open access
    • |
    • PDF
    • |
    • 651.17 KB
  • (...).pdf
    • full text (Published version)
    • |
    • UGent only
    • |
    • PDF
    • |
    • 1.40 MB

Citation

Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:

MLA
Colman, Lisa, et al. “The Stratified Medicalisation of Mental Health Symptoms : Educational Inequalities in the Use of Psychotropic Medication in Belgium.” SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, vol. 58, 2023, pp. 833–42, doi:10.1007/s00127-022-02283-1.
APA
Colman, L., Delaruelle, K., & Bracke, P. (2023). The stratified medicalisation of mental health symptoms : educational inequalities in the use of psychotropic medication in Belgium. SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, 58, 833–842. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-022-02283-1
Chicago author-date
Colman, Lisa, Katrijn Delaruelle, and Piet Bracke. 2023. “The Stratified Medicalisation of Mental Health Symptoms : Educational Inequalities in the Use of Psychotropic Medication in Belgium.” SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY 58: 833–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-022-02283-1.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Colman, Lisa, Katrijn Delaruelle, and Piet Bracke. 2023. “The Stratified Medicalisation of Mental Health Symptoms : Educational Inequalities in the Use of Psychotropic Medication in Belgium.” SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY 58: 833–842. doi:10.1007/s00127-022-02283-1.
Vancouver
1.
Colman L, Delaruelle K, Bracke P. The stratified medicalisation of mental health symptoms : educational inequalities in the use of psychotropic medication in Belgium. SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2023;58:833–42.
IEEE
[1]
L. Colman, K. Delaruelle, and P. Bracke, “The stratified medicalisation of mental health symptoms : educational inequalities in the use of psychotropic medication in Belgium,” SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, vol. 58, pp. 833–842, 2023.
@article{8768786,
  abstract     = {{Purpose Several studies have shown socioeconomic inequalities in psychotropic medication use, but most of these studies are inspired by Andersen's behavioural model of health care use, which strongly focusses on individuals' needs. Andersen's model pays little attention to health care use that is not based on need and insubstantially recognises the context dependentness of individuals. Medicalisation, however, is a context-dependent interactive process that not only interacts with need determinants, but also with non-need determinants that affect health care use. Therefore, this study will examine if psychotropic medication use is stratified, and whether this is not simply the result of differences in need for care, but also influenced by factors not based on need, initiating the stratified medicalisation of mental health symptoms. Methods Data from the Belgian Health Interview Survey (BHIS) are used. This study covers information from five successive waves: 2001, 2004, 2013, 2018. The weighted data represent a sample of the adult Belgian population. The research aims are analysed using stepwise Poisson regression models, where the models are also plotted to detect evolutions over time, using marginal means postestimation. Results The results reveal that educational inequalities in psychotropic medication use are significant and persistently visible over time. Even after entering need for care, educational inequalities remain significant. Conclusion This study shows that psychotropic medication use is stratified and that this is not simply the result of differences in need for care, but also influenced by factors linked to the stratified medicalisation of mental health symptoms.}},
  author       = {{Colman, Lisa and Delaruelle, Katrijn and Bracke, Piet}},
  issn         = {{0933-7954}},
  journal      = {{SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY}},
  keywords     = {{Psychiatry and Mental health,Social Psychology,Health (social science),Epidemiology,Health care use,Psychotropic medication use,Health care use inequalities,Educational inequalities,Medicalisation,GENERAL-PRACTICE,CARE,LIFE,MEDICALIZATION,PREVALENCE,EQUITY,IMPACT}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{833--842}},
  title        = {{The stratified medicalisation of mental health symptoms : educational inequalities in the use of psychotropic medication in Belgium}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-022-02283-1}},
  volume       = {{58}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}

Altmetric
View in Altmetric
Web of Science
Times cited: