5139.0: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - Board 10

Abstract #13834

Validation of a Psychological Distress Scale to Estimate Needs for Mental Health Services

Carole Poulin, MSc, Odette Lemoine, MSc, Louise Fournier, PhD, Serge Chevalier, MSc, and Léo Poirier, MSc. Social and Human Ecology Unit, Montreal Department of Public Health, 1301 Sherbrooke St. East, Montreal, QC H2L 1M3, Canada, 514-5282400 ext. 3415, cpoulin@santepub-mtl.qc.ca

As health budgets are reduced, assessing needs for care is more and more essential for planning mental health services. Available procedures are often constrained due to overall costs because clinicians, training interviewers, depth interviews or elaborate methods are required. In a way to find a simpler solution, data obtained by a psychological distress scale was compared to data obtained with a sophisticated instrument aimed to assess needs for care (NFCAS-C). The data originated from a large mental health survey conducted in the city Montreal in 1999. A subsample of 359 participants was selected based on their potential need for mental health care or services. Then psychologists using standardized and clinical instruments interviewed the participants selected face-to-face. Among the instruments used, was the Psychological Distress Manifestations Measure Scale (PDMMS), a validated instrument based on 23 items measured on a five levels Likert scale. A global score is obtained which is dichotomized as high and low distress. Finally, all the data collected in the face-to-face interviews was submitted to a panel of clinicians (GP and a Psychologist) who assessed needs for care and services using the NFCAS-C. For the purpose of this study, we used the assessment rated as need and no need. The agreement between these two instruments was very good (kappa=0.66). The sensitivity and the specificity (respectively 70.6% and 93.7%) are more than acceptable. These findings suggest that PDMMS used in epidemiological surveys could be an excellent cost effective tool to assess mental health needs for care.

Keywords: Needs Assessment, Psychological Indicators

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA