Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS)

Summary

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, 2007 (APMS 2007) was the third survey of psychiatric morbidity in adults living in private households. The main aim of the survey was to collect data on poor mental health among adults aged 16 and over living in private households in England. The specific objectives of the survey were: • to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity according to diagnostic category in the adult household population of England. The survey included assessment of common mental disorders; psychosis; borderline and antisocial personality disorder; Asperger syndrome, substance misuse and dependency; and suicidal thoughts, attempts and self-harm • to screen for characteristics of eating disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and problem gambling • to examine trends in the psychiatric disorders that have been included in previous survey years (1993 and 2000) • to identify the nature and extent of social disadvantage associated with mental illness • to gauge the level and nature of service use in relation to mental health problems, with an emphasis on primary care • to collect data on key current and lifetime factors that might be associated with mental health problems, such as experience of stressful life events, abusive relationships, and work stress • to collect data on factors that might be protective against poor mental health, such as social support networks and neighbourhood cohesion Topics covered include: general health and health conditions; activities of daily living; caring responsibilities; service use and medication; self-perceived height and weight (for calculation of BMI); common mental disorders; suicidal behaviour and self-harm; psychosis screening questionnaire; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; work related stress; smoking; drinking; drug use; personality disorder and social functioning; problem gambling; Asperger syndrome; post traumatic stress disorder and military experience; domestic violence and abuse; eating disorder; discrimination and sexual identity; intellectual functioning (TICS-M, National Adult Reading Test, Animal naming test); stressful life events; social support networks; parenting; religion and spirituality; social capital and participation; socio-demographics.

Type of data

Data Source
Survey

Type of Study
Crosssection occasional

Data gathering method
Face-to-face

Access to data

Conditions of access
Data are available from the UK Data Service (previously the Economic and Social Data Service, ESDS): http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/ The website contains detailed information on conditions of access, and it is also possible to contact the UK Data Service by phone: +44 (0)1206 872143, or by email: help@ukdataservice.ac.uk

Type of available data (e.g. anonymised microdata, aggregated tables, etc.)
Anonymised microdata

Formats available
Survey data from the UK Data Service are usually available to download in SPSS, Stata and tab-delimited (suitable for use in MS Excel) formats.

Coverage

Coverage Years of collection, reference years, and sample sizes
The Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity in Great Britain aim to provide up-to-date information about the prevalence of psychiatric problems among people in Great Britain, as well as their associated social disabilities and use of services. The series started in 1993, and so far consists of the following surveys: • OPCS Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity: Private Household Survey, 1993 - this covered 10,000 adults aged 16 to 64 years living in private households • a supplementary sample of 350 people aged 16 to 64 years with psychosis, living in private households, which was conducted in 1993-1994 and then repeated in 2000 • OPCS Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity: Institutions Sample, 1994 - this covered 1,200 people aged 16 to 64 years living in institutions specifically catering for people with mental illness • OPCS Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity among Homeless People, 1994 - this covered 1,100 homeless people aged 16 to 64 years living in hostels for the homeless or other such institutions. The sample also included people sleeping 'rough' • ONS Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity among Prisoners in England and Wales, 1997 • Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in Great Britain, 1999 • Psychiatric Morbidity among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000 - this survey was a repeat of the 1993 private households survey • Mental Health of Young People Looked After by Local Authorities in Great Britain, 2001-2002 • Mental Health of Children and Young People in Great Britain, 2004 - this was a repeat of the 1999 survey • Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, 2007 - this survey was a repeat of the 2000 private households survey, and includes a sample of 7,403 adults aged 16 and over living in private households in England, 2006-2007. The Information Centre for Health and Social Care took over management of the survey in 2007. The UK Data Service holds data from all the surveys mentioned above apart from the 1993-1994/2000 supplementary samples of people with psychosis living in private households.

First year of collection
1993

Stratification if applicable
The data includes a variety of demographic variables, including age and sex. The sample is stratified.

Base used for sampling

Geographical coverage and breakdowns
England Government Office Regions (NUTS1) Strategic Health Authorities

Age range
Adults aged 16+ (or 16-64 in earlier years)

Statistical representativeness
Population representative

Coverage of main and cross-cutting topics
Successive governments in the 1990s identified mental health and illness as key public health priorities in England and set out frameworks for action. First conducted in 1993, the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) series is designed to inform policy and monitor change - and England is unique in sustaining a national mental health survey programme of this kind. The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, 2007 (APMS 2007) was the third survey of psychiatric morbidity in adults living in private households. The main aim of the survey was to collect data on poor mental health among adults aged 16 and over living in private households in England. For more information, see: Strengths and weaknesses

Linkage

Standardisation
There is an ongoing cross-governmental programme of work in the UK which aims to develop and improve standardised inputs and outputs for use in official statistics. This is known as harmonisation, and is led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). While this work primarily affects government-run surveys, the results have an impact on most national UK data sources. Furthermore, harmonisation has important benefits for all researchers using these surveys, and not just government statisticians. For more information, see: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/harmonisation/harmonisation-index-page/index.html Additionally, this survey uses a number of harmonised measures: • CIS-R: revised Clinical Interview Schedule • SCID-II: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV • AUDIT: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test • SADQ-C: Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire • SF-12: General health • NART: National Adult Reading Test • TICS-m: modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Screening.

Possibility of linkage among databases
Data are anonymised

Data quality

Entry errors if applicable
In addition to unit non-response, the data include item non-response and may be subject to other errors that are typical of surveys and censuses. There are also incomplete data for some individuals in some waves. This data source is used to prepare official statistics, which are required to meet quality standards. These standards are monitored by the UK Statistics Authority, according to the statutory authority provided by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/national-statistician/producers-of-official-statistics/index.html http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/national-statistician/types-of-official-statistics/index.html For more information on data quality, see the survey documentation on the UK Data Service website.

Breaks
Due to its irregular occurrence, and variations in survey design, there are breaks for this data source. This includes variations in coverage, for example households versus institutions, and Great Britain versus England (for more details see: Coverage).

Consistency of terminology or coding used during collection
Apart from the breaks (including coverage variations), the consistency of this data source is good. For more information on data quality, see the survey documentation on the UK Data Service website.

Governance

Contact information
Health and Social Care Information Centre
Health and Social Care Information Centre
Several addresses across the UK: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/contact-us. The Head Office is: 1 Trevelyan Square, Boar Lane, Leeds, LS1 6AE.
United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0)845 3006016
Email: enquiries(at)hscic.gov.uk
Url: http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/

Timeliness, transparency
Data available about 2 years after fieldwork