4817.0.55.001 - Information Paper: Use of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale in ABS Health Surveys, Australia, 2007-08

ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 12/07/2012

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Contents >> Results >> Demographic and socio-geographic factors

DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIO-GEOGRAPHIC FACTORS
Data for demographic and socio-geographic factors is drawn from the 2007-08 NHS.

Age
In 2007-08, most Australians aged 18 and over (67%) reported low levels of psychological distress. Around one fifth (21%) reported moderate levels of distress, 8.5% reported high levels and 3.5% reported very high levels of psychological distress (see datacube table 1 for more detail).

In 2007-08, around 3.5% of Australians over 18yrs reported very high levels of psychological distress.

Sex
Women generally reported higher levels of psychological distress than men, with 14% of women having high or very high levels of distress and 23% having moderate levels of distress, compared with 9.6% and 19% for men, respectively (see datacube table 2 for more detail).

In 2007-08, 14% of women had high or very high levels of distress compared with 9.6% for men.

Over the past decade, rates of high and very high levels of psychological distress have followed a similar pattern, with women having consistently higher levels of distress than men (see Graph 3, below).

Over 2001, 2004/05 and 2007/08, rates of high and very high levels of psychological distress have followed a similar pattern, with women having consistently higher levels of distress than men.

K5 age and sex results
The 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) showed that over 30% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 18 years and over had experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress in the last four weeks, more than twice the rate of the general population (12%). Community surveys using the K5 show similar results. Across a number of community surveys drawn together for analysis (Jorm et al, 2012), the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander population had a higher prevalence rate of high or very high psychological distress scores for both sexes and all adult age groups.

Socio-geographic characteristics
After adjusting for age, data showed that while levels of psychological distress vary little according to State/Territory or remoteness (see datacube tables 3 and 4 ), they were related to socio-economic factors as measured by the Socio-Economic Index of Areas (SEIFA) Index of Relative Disadvantage. In 2007-08, people who lived in areas of most disadvantage had significantly higher levels of psychological distress than people who lived in areas of least disadvantage. Just under one in five people who lived in the most disadvantaged areas had high or very high levels of distress (19%), compared with 9.3% of people in the least disadvantaged areas (see Graph 4, below, and datacube table 5 ).

Just under one in five people who lived in the most disadvantaged areas had high or very high levels of distress (19%), compared with 9.3% of people in the least disadvantaged areas.