Disparities in access to mental health care for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders continue to exist in the United States despite the creation of mental health policies seeking to improve access to care. As an integral element of healthcare system delivery, access is influenced by spatial (location) and non-spatial (sociodemographic) factors. Highlighting both spatial and non-spatial dimensions of access to mental healthcare, this study employed an innovative approach encompassing the geography of access and the integration of location analyses to bridge the gap between psychosocial dynamics and mental health services for improving cost-effective continuity of care. The aims were as follows: (1) a comprehensive investigation of mental health service accessibility and utilization using geographic information systems (GIS), (2) an examination of the concept of access to mental health care, and (3) a secondary analysis of data involving street networking to investigate whether accessibility (travel time) and selected sociodemographic variables correlated and predicted treatment adherence among adult patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The results from this study will inform future nursing and community interventions for outpatient follow-up care for individuals seeking mental health care services.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd2020-1416 |
| Date | 01 January 2020 |
| Creators | Smith-East, Marie |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020- |
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