Utilization of mental health services. II. Mediators of service allocation

Data were obtained from a mental health survey of a representative sample of 938 adults from a defined geographic area and 808 patients from the same area who were admitted to a community mental health center. Multivariate techniques were used to isolate factors that best predicted mental health center use. The existence of "patienthood" as a dimension of residence-related behavior was confirmed. Although psychological impairment was predictive of patienthood, other factors including age and familial and social disorganization also acted as mediators of patienthood. Indexes of social status, such as race and social class, did not emerge as major allocative mediators.