Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41013415›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of health geographics2025

Socio-spatial inequalities in accessibility of Indigenous community-controlled mental health services in South East Queensland, Australia.

Lihong Zhang, Yan Liu, Lu Jin, Xiang-Yu Hou, Sandra Diminic, Xiaoyun Zhou, Shuichi Suetani, Carmel Nelson, Roxanne Bainbridge

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of health geographics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Lihong ZhangSchool of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Yan LiuSchool of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. yanliu@cuhk.edu.hk.
Lu JinSchool of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Xiang-Yu HouBroken Hill University Department of Rural Health, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Sydney, Broken Hill, NSW, Australia.
Sandra DiminicQueensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Xiaoyun ZhouQueensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Shuichi SuetaniQueensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Carmel NelsonInstitute for Urban Indigenous Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Roxanne BainbridgeCentre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Funding

National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia MRFF2017915
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMental disorders significantly burden Indigenous communities, worsened by limited culturally appropriate services. Spatial inequalities in access further disadvantage Indigenous peoples, especially in socio-economically challenged areas. This paper measures the spatial accessibility of Indigenous community-controlled mental health services in South East Queensland, Australia and examines its social inequalities across the region.

methodsWe considered both population and health service providers' capacity to maximise service coverage in measuring potential access to the services. Using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technologies, a Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area (G2SFCA) method was applied to quantify accessibility under four driving time thresholds ranging from 15 to 60 minutes. Bivariate global and local Moran's I statistics were used to analyse social inequalities in accessibility across various geographical areas.

resultsAccessibility was higher in urban areas than those towards the peri-urban and rural areas; the overall spatial coverage was relatively limited for service access within the 15- or 30-minute driving time threshold, compared with the 45- or 60-minute driving time threshold. Lower levels of accessibility were identified in areas with a concentration of Indigenous and socio-economically disadvantaged populations.

conclusionsThis study advances a socially informed spatial inequality assessment framework. Unlike previous research exploring accessibility qualitatively, our framework innovatively integrates spatial analysis, Indigenous-specific population data and culturally sensitive provider capacity metrics within an advanced G2SFCA model. This approach uniquely exposes the compounded socio-spatial barriers to mental health services for Indigenous populations across South East Queensland's urban-rural continuum. The resulting accessibility and inequality maps, combined with a summary of focus areas and their associated socio-demographic profiles, provide a direct policy lever to prioritise intervention for Indigenous communities experiencing the greatest disadvantage. By bridging spatial analysis with Indigenous cultural contexts, this work offers a replicable model for equitable, community-driven healthcare resource allocation for Indigenous peoples globally.

Indexed as

Community Mental Health ServicesHealthcare DisparitiesHealth Services AccessibilityHealth Services, IndigenousGeographic Information SystemsHumansMaleMental Health ServicesQueenslandSocioeconomic FactorsAccessibilityIndigenous healthMental health servicesSocio-spatial inequalitySouth East Queensland

Identifiers

PMID41013415
PMCPMC12465140

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.