Disparities in Psychiatric Background and Service Utilization: A Comparative Study of Rural and Urban Health Board Applicants in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Abstract

Background: Regional disparities between rural and urban environments significantly impact access to pediatric mental health services. While environmental factors influence childhood psychological well-being, the gap in service utilization and clinical characteristics between these two settings remains under-researched.Methods: This study compared clinical and demographic profiles of pediatric patients across rural and urban sites (n = 203). Statistical analyses, including Chi-square and t-tests, were utilized to identify significant differences in psychiatric history, medication use, and diagnostic distributions.Results: Analysis revealed no significant differences in sex distribution (p=.218) or mean age between rural (M=106.40 months) and urban (M=113.98 months) groups (p =.292). However, profound disparities were observed in healthcare utilization: urban patients were significantly more likely to have had prior psychiatric consultations (87.5% vs. 16.8%, p