Neighborhood characteristics and mental illness

This paper presents an analysis of the importance of incorporating both individual and neighborhood risk factors into predictive mental health needs assessment models. The analyses are based on data from metropolitan portion of Wave I of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Survey, a large community survey, and the 1980 decennial census. Logistic regression procudures were used to estimate the odds ratios for the classic social area dimensions (neighborhood social rank, life style/urbanization and race/ethnicity) as well as the standard individual (age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, and high school education). The results suggest that, with the exception of neighborhood social rank, neighborhoods social area dimension rarely make substantively important contributions to main effects needs assessment models. Thus, the inclusion of neighborhood risk factors, with the exception of neighborhood social rank, in main effects needs assessment models, while useful, may not always be necessary, particularly of their inclusion is costly and the substantively important individual risk factors are easily available.