2026/06/04 by Junsang Park, Hye Rin Kim, Ryan D. Duffy +4 · 1 voice
Psychology · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Health Professions · #Mental Health Treatment and Access #Healthcare Policy and Management #Healthcare Operations and Scheduling Optimization
paper · doi:10.1037/amp0001735
openalex publication_date 2026/06/04 · openalex created_date 2026/06/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
directory, which provides consumer-facing data on fees and service location. We constructed county-level indices of availability (providers per 100,000 residents) and affordability (10-session cost relative to disposable income) across 2,565 U.S. counties. Results reveal a stratified mental health care landscape characterized by persistent rural-urban disparities and affordability burdens. At the same time, financial burdens were greater outside large urban areas, especially in the South. Although availability and affordability frequently overlap, important divergences emerge, including counties with providers present but financially inaccessible and vice versa. Regression analyses reveal that income is the strongest predictor across both indices, with income inequality, political partisanship, and racial/ethnic composition also shaping access. By integrating supply and cost, this study empirically reframes accessibility as multidimensional and identifies regions most affected by dual burdens. Findings highlight affordability as a distinct axis of accessibility and underscore the need for policy approaches that move beyond workforce expansion alone to address the structural, financial, and institutional conditions that constrain access to care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).