Mental Health

Publisher: Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, 2005

Status – CURRENT

Mental health problems lead to more disability, dependence, and time out of the workforce than any other type of health problem in Australia. This is largely because they often occur among young people, and because – once established – they tend to re-occur across the lifespan. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) uses several standard self-report measures of mental health, including the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the SF-36 Mental Health Index. In addition, the research team has developed a measure of perceived stress specifically for the project. Women are also asked about psychotropic medications and diagnoses of mental health problems.