Psychiatric Epidemiology in New Caledonia
Author(s)
Goodfellow, Benjamin
Calandreau, Fanny
Roelandt, Jean-Luc
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2010
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, and the Greater Nouméa suburbs are among the sites included in the third phase of the survey
“Mental Health in the General Population: Images and Realities.” The epidemiological results of the Noumean sample (N = 904) are compared with
those of the French national sample (N = 39,617). Method: The survey took
place in August 2006 in the Nouméa, Païta, Dumbéa, and Mont Dore district,
and involved quota sampling. Participants were recruited in the streets and
interviewed by nonclinicians trained in the use of the questionnaire. The
diagnostic instrument used in the epidemiological part of ...
View more >Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, and the Greater Nouméa suburbs are among the sites included in the third phase of the survey “Mental Health in the General Population: Images and Realities.” The epidemiological results of the Noumean sample (N = 904) are compared with those of the French national sample (N = 39,617). Method: The survey took place in August 2006 in the Nouméa, Païta, Dumbéa, and Mont Dore district, and involved quota sampling. Participants were recruited in the streets and interviewed by nonclinicians trained in the use of the questionnaire. The diagnostic instrument used in the epidemiological part of the survey was the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Results: The survey shows that the prevalence of disorders detected by the MINI was higher in Nouméa and Greater Nouméa than in France. The most frequent disorders were anxiety disorders (28.5 percent), mood disorders (18.9 percent), and disorders related to alcohol use (15.6 percent), with a major overrepresentation of disorders related to alcohol (ratio: 3.7) and drugs (ratio: 3.5) and of post-traumatic stress disorder (ratio: 2.9) compared to prevalence data in France. The most affected subpopulations were the youngest age groups, men, and individuals of lower socioeconomic status. Conclusion: The population of Nouméa and its suburbs, as in the rest of the world, is considerably affected by mental disorders in roughly similar proportions. Our survey reveals epidemiological features of mental disorders that are quite specific to New Caledonia, confirming data in the literature on alcohol, drugs, and violence in this population.
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View more >Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, and the Greater Nouméa suburbs are among the sites included in the third phase of the survey “Mental Health in the General Population: Images and Realities.” The epidemiological results of the Noumean sample (N = 904) are compared with those of the French national sample (N = 39,617). Method: The survey took place in August 2006 in the Nouméa, Païta, Dumbéa, and Mont Dore district, and involved quota sampling. Participants were recruited in the streets and interviewed by nonclinicians trained in the use of the questionnaire. The diagnostic instrument used in the epidemiological part of the survey was the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Results: The survey shows that the prevalence of disorders detected by the MINI was higher in Nouméa and Greater Nouméa than in France. The most frequent disorders were anxiety disorders (28.5 percent), mood disorders (18.9 percent), and disorders related to alcohol use (15.6 percent), with a major overrepresentation of disorders related to alcohol (ratio: 3.7) and drugs (ratio: 3.5) and of post-traumatic stress disorder (ratio: 2.9) compared to prevalence data in France. The most affected subpopulations were the youngest age groups, men, and individuals of lower socioeconomic status. Conclusion: The population of Nouméa and its suburbs, as in the rest of the world, is considerably affected by mental disorders in roughly similar proportions. Our survey reveals epidemiological features of mental disorders that are quite specific to New Caledonia, confirming data in the literature on alcohol, drugs, and violence in this population.
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Journal Title
International Journal of Mental Health
Volume
39
Issue
1
Subject
Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified
Public Health and Health Services
Mental health
New Caledonia
Psychiatric epidemiology
Anxiety disorders
Mood disorders
Alcohol and drug use
Post-traumatic stress disorder