Discrimination reported by older adults living with mental health conditions: types, contexts and association with healthcare barriers

Objective Australian policy-making needs better information on the prevalence, context and types of discrimination reported by people living with mental health conditions and the association of exposure to discrimination with experiencing a barrier to accessing healthcare. Methods Secondary data analysis using the national representative General Social Survey 2014 to examine discrimination and healthcare barriers. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between discrimination and barriers to healthcare. Results Around 10% of older adults without mental health conditions reported an instance of discrimination in the last 12 months, compared to 22–25% of those with mental health conditions. Approximately 20% with mental health conditions attributed discrimination to their health conditions, along with other characteristics including age. Discrimination was reported in settings important to human capital (e.g., healthcare, workplace), but also in general social and public contexts. Everyday discrimination (OR = 2.11 p