Treatment satisfaction, perceived treatment effectiveness, and dropout among older users of mental health services

To examine the rates and correlates of treatment satisfaction, perceived treatment effectiveness, and dropout among older users of mental health services.

We used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health and Well-Being (CCHS-1.2), which includes 12,792 individuals aged ≥55 years. The average age of these participants was 67 years and 53.2% were female. We examined the rates of treatment satisfaction, perceived treatment effectiveness, and dropout for those who had used mental health services in the past year, and used logistic regression to examine the correlates of these outcomes.

Of the older adults included in the CCHS-1.2, 664 (5.3%) had used mental health services in the past year. The majority of these were satisfied with services (88.5%) and perceived treatment to be effective (83.6%), which is likely why only 15.5% dropped out in the past year. In logistic regression models, social support was significantly and positively related to both treatment satisfaction and perceived effectiveness. Perceived treatment effectiveness was the only variable related to dropout, with lower levels of perceived effectiveness associated with greater odds of dropping out of treatment.

Results from this study indicate that older adults have very good self-reported treatment outcomes. The modest influence of individual characteristics on treatment outcomes suggests the potential importance of contextual characteristics.