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Mind the Gap: A Retrospective Study of Discrepancies in Self-Reported and Administrative Database-Identified Mental Health Issues in Slovenia Cover

Mind the Gap: A Retrospective Study of Discrepancies in Self-Reported and Administrative Database-Identified Mental Health Issues in Slovenia

Open Access
|Sep 2025

Figures & Tables

Figure 1.

Comparison of number of cases identified as having mental health issues across four data sources (AFW=Absence from Work Database, OPD=Outpatient Prescription Drugs Database, NHHCS=National Hospital Health Care Statistics Database, EHIS=European Health Interview Surveys).
Comparison of number of cases identified as having mental health issues across four data sources (AFW=Absence from Work Database, OPD=Outpatient Prescription Drugs Database, NHHCS=National Hospital Health Care Statistics Database, EHIS=European Health Interview Surveys).

Figure 1.

Comparison of number of cases identified as having mental health issues across four data sources (AFW=Absence from Work Database, OPD=Outpatient Prescription Drugs Database, NHHCS=National Hospital Health Care Statistics Database, EHIS=European Health Interview Surveys).
Comparison of number of cases identified as having mental health issues across four data sources (AFW=Absence from Work Database, OPD=Outpatient Prescription Drugs Database, NHHCS=National Hospital Health Care Statistics Database, EHIS=European Health Interview Surveys).

Socio-demographic characteristics of the study group in the study of discrepancies in self-reported and administrative database-identified mental health issues in Slovenia_

VariableMean±SD/N (%)
Age50.6±19.1
Gender
Male4479 (45.2%)
Female5421 (54.8%)
Education status
Primary school or lower1737 (17.5%)
Secondary school5257 (53.1%)
Tertiary or higher2906 (29.4%)
Employment status
Employed, self-employed4813 (48.9%)
Unemployed667 (6.8%)
Student913 (9.3%)
Retired3332 (33.8%)
Other127 (1.3%)

Identification or self-identification of mental health issues in three administrative databases of the National Institute of Public Health in the study of discrepancies in self-reported and administrative database-identified mental health issues in Slovenia_

At least 1 record in any databaseSelf-reporting of mental health issues (survey)

PresentAbsentTotal
Present613 (45.9%)1062 (12.4%)1675 (16.9%)
Absent723 (54.1%)7502 (87.6%)8225 (83.1%)
Total1336 (100.0%)8564 (100.0%)9900 (100.0%)

Socio-demographic characteristics of the case groups identified with mental health issues in three administrative databases of the National Institute of Public Health in the study of discrepancies in self-reported and administrative database-identified mental health issues in Slovenia_

VariableSurvey and administrative n=613Administrative n=1062Survey n=723Neither n=7502Total n=9.900p-value

Mean±SD/N (%)
Age57.8±2.063.2±15.842.8±19.749.0±18.650.6±19.1<0.001
Gender
Male181 (29.5%)367 (34.6%)257 (35.5%)3674 (49.0%)4479 (45.2%)<0.001
Female432 (70.5%)695 (65.4%)466 (64.5%)3828 (51.0%)5421 (54.8%)
Education status
Primary school or lower142 (23.2%)251 (23.6%)172 (23.8%)1172 (15.6%)1737 (17.5%)<0.001
Secondary school327 (53.3%)593 (55.8%)323 (44.7%)4014 (53.5%)5257 (53.1%)
Tertiary or higher144 (23.5%)218 (20.5%)228 (31.5%)2316 (30.9%)2906 (29.4%)
Employment status
Employed, self-employed197 (32.1%)301 (28.4%)330 (46.1%)3985 (53.4%)4813 (48.9%)<0.001
Unemployed98 (16.0%)70 (6.6%)78 (10.9%)421 (5.6%)667 (6.8%)
Student21 (3.4%)15 (1.4%)157 (21.9%)720 (9.6%)913 (9.3%)
Retired289 (47.1%)656 (61.8%)144 (20.1%)2243 (30.1%)3332 (33.8%)
Other8 (1.3%)19 (1.8%)7 (1.0%)93 (1.2%)127 (1.3%)

Results of multinomial regression analysis of mental health issue identification across different data sources in the study of discrepancies in self-reported and administrative database-identified mental health issues in Slovenia_

VariableAdministrative and surveyOnly administrativeOnly survey



OR95% CIp-valueOR95% CIp-valueOR95% CIp-value
Age1.021.01–1.03<0.0011.031.03–1.04<0.0010.990.98–1.000.086

Gender
Male1.00 1.00 1.00
Female2.231.86–2.68<0.0011.771.44–1.99<0.0011.771.44–1.99<0.001

Education status <0.001 <0.001 <0.001
Primary school or lower1.00 1.00 1.00
Secondary school0.860.69–1.080.1980.950.79–1.140.5720.730.59–0.900.004
Tertiary or higher0.750.57–0.990.0390.750.60–0.930.0090.880.69–1.130.310

Employment status <0.001 <0.001 <0.001
Employed, self-employed1.00 1.00 1.00
Unemployed4.073.11–5.34<0.0011.821.37–2.42<0.0012.201.67–2.89<0.001
Student0.860.51–1.450.5690.570.32–1.010.0542.061.51–2.81<0.001
Retired1.411.05–1.900.0221.481.17–1.870.0010.930.69–1.270.666
Other0.920.43–1.970.8361.280.72–2.190.3680.760.34–1.670.489
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2025-0018 | Journal eISSN: 1854-2476 | Journal ISSN: 0351-0026
Language: English
Page range: 143 - 151
Submitted on: Oct 28, 2024
Accepted on: Apr 9, 2025
Published on: Sep 1, 2025
Published by: National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

© 2025 Matej Vinko, Andreja Kukec, Lijana Zaletel-Kragelj, published by National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.