Related Experiment Videos
Psychiatric admissions and social deprivation: is the Jarman underprivileged area score relevant?
A J Cotgrove1, G Bell, C L Katona
1Department of Psychiatry, University College and Middlesex School of Medicine, Middlesex Hospital, London, U.K.
Study Objective:
The aim was to assess the relationship between social deprivation, as measured by the Jarman under-privileged area score (UPA score), and psychiatric admission rates and length of stay within an inner London borough.
Design:
The study was a retrospective survey of psychiatric admission rates for electoral wards in the London borough of Islington in relation to Jarman UPA scores and subscores.
Setting:
Islington Health Authority psychiatric admission wards at the Whittington and Friern Hospitals.
Patients:
All admissions during the year of 1985 were studied (n = 778).
Main Results:
No correlation was found between the total Jarman UPA score and either admission rates or length of stay. There was, however, a correlation between the Jarman UPA subscore for ethnic minorities and admission rates (r = 0.409, p less than 0.05), and between the Jarman UPA subscore for lone parents and length of stay (r = 0.390, p less than 0.05).
Conclusions:
The Jarman UPA score at electoral ward level is not related to psychiatric morbidity, and should not therefore be used for planning local service provision.