4858 Mental Health Report - National University of Ireland, Galway

Findings from the Compatibility and
Comparability of Mental Health and
Related Health Data Sources
6
PHASE 1
In the first phase of this project a total of 25 organisations or individual persons
responded with information about their involvement in mental health research in
the form of reports, articles and questionnaires or interview schedules used in the
data collection process. Following analysis of the 25 responses obtained, it was
subsequently noted that nine of these reports did not have information related
to a definable population-based survey. These nine responses would be more
accurately characterised as organisational annual reports, strategy documents or
clinical surveys rather than population-based survey reports. A further two
surveys, while population based, related to attitudes towards mental health and
well-being and were not considered directly relevant for mental health
monitoring purposes.
Details were received of 14 surveys which did meet the inclusion criteria for this
study. Table 5 lists the authors and study names and Table 6 describes the
associated survey design, methodology, target population, sample size and year
the survey work was undertaken. Ten surveys were carried out in the Republic of
Ireland, three in Northern Ireland and one was performed in both jurisdictions
plus the USA.
All the surveys were cross-sectional in design and had been carried out in the
previous four years, with the exception of the Living in Ireland Survey of 1994
which was a panel survey, and the cross-national survey which was circa 1995. The
target population for the majority of the surveys in each area was adults, defined
as 18 years and over in the Republic of Ireland and 16 years and over in the
North. The Health Behaviours in School Children survey was the only survey
relating to younger people and was performed in both the North and South of
Ireland using a self-administered questionnaire completed in a classroom setting.
The smallest sample size from all the studies was 131 and the largest 16,600. A
variety of sample frameworks were used across the various surveys.
Of the adult surveys, in the Republic of Ireland there were five national, two
regional and two local, and two regional in the North. Three of the national
surveys in the Republic of Ireland related to the general population. The sample
for both components of the National Health and Lifestyle Survey (SLÁN) was
selected from a nationally representative population framework, the electoral
register. While the sample for the main component was randomly selected and
nationally representative across various socio-demographic and economic
groupings, a smaller sub-sample was used in the examination component and
resulted in a quota based sample. The main component of SLÁN used a
postal self-administered questionnaire, while in the examination
component the participant attended a clinic and was given the
questionnaire to complete during the examination process. The
Living in Ireland Survey is part of the ongoing European
Household Panel Survey, a Europe-wide harmonised approach
95