Preferences of Non-Metropolitan Youth Towards Accessing Mental Health Services: A Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis.
Edwin Paul Mseke, Belinda Jessup, Tony Barnett
PMID 40270473WHAT IT FOUND
Young people in non-metropolitan Tasmania preferred mental health care from a psychologist, free, face-to-face, and with no wait.
Cost, wait time, and provider type mattered most.
Key findings
01Service provider was the most important attribute (25.6%), followed by cost (25.0%) and wait time (22.4%).
02Psychologist was chosen more often than school social worker or nurse (68.5% vs 32.5%) and had the strongest preference score (84.5 vs -81.0).
03Youth chose free services more often than $75 or more (68.0% vs 32.0%), no wait more often than 4 weeks or more (65.9% vs 35.2%), and face-to-face more often than telehealth (62.5% vs 37.4%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The survey was only in Tasmania, so preferences may not match other places. Respondents chose to participate, so they may have been more interested in mental health than other youth. Most respondents were female and from regional areas, so it says little about males or more remote youth. Many responses were excluded as random or too fast, which may change who the results represent. The survey did not measure participants' mental health status, so choices may not reflect young people with current illness. Recruitment through Facebook favoured youth who use social media.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding came from the Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Government.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these preferences as proof that psychologist-led, free, face-to-face care improves mental health outcomes. The study reports hypothetical survey choices, not actual service use or clinical results, and many responses were excluded.