Treatment Utilization among Diverse Patients with PTSD: Nationwide Trends and Moderation by Health Insurance
Date
2022-05
Authors
Arteaga, Katherina
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Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health condition that
is estimated to affect 6% of American adults. Research suggests that racial/ethnic
minority groups have elevated risk for experiencing trauma and developing PTSD and
they are also less likely to receive treatment. To address this problem, we examined the
relationship between treatment utilization for PTSD, race/ethnicity, and health insurance
coverage. Data were obtained from a nationally representative dataset (National
Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III). Two series of hierarchical
logistic regression models were conducted to estimate likelihood of treatment utilization
among varying racial/ethnic groups and insurance status, after first including education
and income in models. Results found that insured individuals had more than twice the
odds of utilizing PTSD-specific treatment. Black participants were significantly less
likely to utilize treatment regardless of insurance status. A significant interaction was also
found, where American Indian/Alaska Native participants without insurance were
significantly more likely to utilize care compared to White participants without insurance.
Centralized healthcare services available to individuals who identify as American
Indian/Alaska Native may explain this finding and suggests a model for reducing other
group-based disparities.
Description
Keywords
Posttraumatic stress disorder, Treatment receipt, Race, Ethnicity, Health insurance coverage
Citation
Arteaga, K. (2022). <i>Treatment utilization among diverse patients with PTSD: Nationwide trends and moderation by health insurance</i> (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.