AN ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALIZATIONS

In order to develop some understanding of community social structure and its association with psychiatric inpatient medical care patterns, first admission rates for psychiatric disorders into both public and private facilities were determined for each of the 33 census tracts of Pueblo, Colorado. At the same time a cluster analysis was made of the structure of these tracts. Four well- defined clusters were identified (socio-economic affluence, young marrieds, social isolation, and social disequilibrium) and strikingly high differential relationships found between the cluster scores and psychiatric inpatient care patterns. Implications of the findings for preventive strategies and for. social etiology hypotheses are presented.