Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS)

Aims
The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) is a series of four repeated cross-sectional surveys of adults living in private households in England, Scotland and Wales. The main aim of the survey series is to collect data on poor mental health among adults in order to facilitate the estimation of the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity, allow for examination of trends over time and gauge the level and nature of treatment and service use. The APMS provides key context for understanding mental illness in England, Scotland and Wales, and for informing initiatives in these areas.

Institution
NHS Digital, NatCen Social Research & University of Leicester

Geographic coverage - Nations
England (All Surveys); Scotland (1993, 2000); Wales (1993-2000)

Geographic coverage - Regions
Nationwide

Start date
1993

Catalogue record last updated
12/04/2024

Sample type
Repeated cross-sectional study

Sample details
Each survey involved interviewing a large stratified probability sample of the general population, covering people living in private households. A new sample is recruited for each survey.

The two-phase survey design involved an initial interview with the whole sample, followed up with a structured assessment carried out by clinically trained interviewers with a subset of participants. People were assessed or screened for a range of different types of mental disorder, from common conditions like depression and anxiety disorder through to rarer neurological and mental conditions such as psychotic disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The stratified multi-stage random probability sample used for the phase one interview involved two stages of sample selection: the sampling of the primary sampling units (PSUs) followed by the sampling of addresses within the selected PSUs. One adult aged 16 years or over was randomly selected for interview in each eligible household.

Sample size at recruitment
Approximately 7,500 participants in each survey

Sample size at most recent sweep
Approximately 7,500 participants in each survey

Sex
All

Age at recruitment
16 years +

Cohort year of birth
1926-98