The socio-spatial context as a risk factor for hospitalization due to mental illness in the metropolitan areas of Portugal

• Main Authors: Adriana Loureiro (Author), Cláudia Costa (Author), Ricardo Almendra (Author), Ângela Freitas (Author), Paula Santana (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, 2015-11-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1678-4464; 10.1590/0102-311X00090514
• Keywords: Salud Mental; Trastornos Mentales; Determinantes Sociales de la Salud; Salud Urbana; Medicine; R; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Cadernos de Saúde Pública, Vol 31, Iss suppl 1, Pp 219-231 (2015)

Abstract This study's aims are: (i) identifying spatial patterns for the risk of hospitalization due to mental illness and for the potential risk resulting from contextual factors with influence on mental health; and (ii) analyzing the spatial association between risk of hospitalization due to mental illness and potential risk resulting from contextual factors in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto, Portugal. A cross-sectional ecological study was conducted by applying statistical methods for assessing spatial dependency and heterogeneity. Results reveal a spatial association between risk of hospitalization due to mental illness and potential risk resulting from contextual factors with a statistical relevance of moderate intensity. 20% of the population under study lives in areas with a simultaneously high potential risk resulting from contextual factors and risk of hospitalization due to mental illness. Porto Metropolitan Area show the highest percentage of population living in parishes with a significantly high risk of hospitalization due to mental health, which puts forward the need for interventions on territory-adjusted contextual factors influencing mental health.