Objective To understand the demand for mental health service and influencing factors of urban community residents, and to provide data support for further research on content and model of community mental health service.
Methods Via stratified random sampling, 650 residents of one sub-district community in Beijing Dongcheng District were selected as the research object. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the residents' demand for mental health services by using self-designed "Questionnaire to Community Residents' Mental Health Service Demand".
Results ① Over 58% of Beijing urban community residents have demand for mental health service, with the highest demand degree for residents aged 55 and above. Emotional state and age is two important influencing factors of the degree of demand. ② The demands for form of mental health service are various among community residents. Mental health lecture is one of the most popular forms with a selection ratio of 67.8%, followed by free mental counseling, mental brochures and hotline. The demand for service form varied from different age, different gender to different education level. ③ The demand for service contents varied from different age and education level. Teenagers focus on family relationship and self development while the elder care about mental health science. And 60.3% of residents have high demand for knowledge of mental disorders. ④ On mental service institutions and personnel selection, over 40% of residents prefer to accept related consulting at community mental station or community health service center, 70% of residents require a professional mental health service to provide.
Conclusion The construction of community mental health service mode and content should take the differences in age, gender and culture level into account; the professionals, service settings and measures of community health service institutions should be rationally allocated according to the characteristics of community residents.