Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jul 19.
Published in final edited form as: Depress Anxiety. 2010 Apr;27(4):351–364. doi: 10.1002/da.20634

Table 1. World Mental Health (MH) Survey sample characteristics.

Country Survey1 Sample Characteristics2 Field Dates Age Range Sample Size Response Rate
Part I Part II Part II and Age ≤ 444
I. Developed
Belgium ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered probability sample of individuals residing in households from the national register of Belgium residents. NR 2001-2 18+ 2419 1043 486 50.6
France ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered sample of working telephone numbers merged with a reverse directory (for listed numbers). Initial recruitment was by telephone, with supplemental in-person recruitment in households with listed numbers. NR 2001-2 18+ 2894 1436 727 45.9
Germany ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered probability sample of individuals from community resident registries. NR 2002-3 18+ 3555 1323 621 57.8
Israel NHS Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of individuals from a national resident register. NR 2002-4 21+ 4859 4859 -- 72.6
Italy ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered probability sample of individuals from municipality resident registries. NR 2001-2 18+ 4712 1779 853 71.3
Japan WMHJ2002-2006 Un-clustered two-stage probability sample of individuals residing in households in nine metropolitan areas (Fukiage, Higashi-ichiki, Ichiki, Kushikino, Nagasaki, Okayama, Sano, Tamano, Tendo, and Tochigi) 2002-6 20+ 4129 1682 547 59.2
Netherlands ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered probability sample of individuals residing in households that are listed in municipal postal registries. NR 2002-3 18+ 2372 1094 516 56.4
New Zealand5 NZMHS Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2004-5 18+ 12790 7312 4119 73.3
Spain ESEMeD Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2001-2 18+ 5473 2121 960 78.6
United States NCS-R Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2002-3 18+ 9282 5692 3197 70.9
II. Developing
Brazil São Paulo Megacity Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents in the São Paulo metropolitan area. 2004-7 18+ 5014 2935 -- 77.7
Colombia NSMH Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents in all urban areas of the country (approximately 73% of the total national population) 2003 18-65 4426 2381 1731 87.7
India WMHI Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents in Pondicherry region. NR 2003-5 18+ 2992 1373 642 98.6
Lebanon LEBANON Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2002-3 18+ 2857 1031 595 70.0
Mexico M-NCS Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents in all urban areas of the country (approximately 75% of the total national population). 2001-2 18-65 5782 2362 1736 76.6
South Africa SASH Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2003-4 18+ 4315 4315 -- 87.1
Ukraine CMDPSD Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2002 18+ 4724 1719 540 78.3
PRC Shenzhen Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents and temporary residents in the Shenzhen area. 2006-7 18+ 7132 2475 1994 80.0
1

ESEMeD (The European Study Of The Epidemiology Of Mental Disorders); NHS (Israel National Health Survey); WMHJ2002-2006 (World Mental Health Japan Survey); NZMHS (New Zealand Mental Health Survey); NCS-R (The US National Comorbidity Survey Replication); NSMH (The Colombian National Study of Mental Health); WMHI (World Mental Health India); LEBANON (Lebanese Evaluation of the Burden of Ailments and Needs of the Nation); M-NCS (The Mexico National Comorbidity Survey); SASH (South Africa Stress and Health Study); CMDPSD (Comorbid Mental Disorders during Periods of Social Disruption)

2

Most WMH surveys are based on stratified multistage clustered area probability household samples in which samples of areas equivalent to counties or municipalities in the US were selected in the first stage followed by one or more subsequent stages of geographic sampling (e.g., towns within counties, blocks within towns, households within blocks) to arrive at a sample of households, in each of which a listing of household members was created and one or two people were selected from this listing to be interviewed. No substitution was allowed when the originally sampled household resident could not be interviewed. These household samples were selected from Census area data in all countries other than France (where telephone directories were used to select households) and the Netherlands (where postal registries were used to select households). Several WMH surveys (Belgium, Germany, Italy) used municipal resident registries to select respondents without listing households. The Japanese sample is the only totally un-clustered sample, with households randomly selected in each of the four sample areas and one random respondent selected in each sample household. 14 of the 17 surveys are based on nationally representative (NR) household samples, while two others are based on nationally representative household samples in urbanized areas (Colombia, Mexico).

3

The response rate is calculated as the ratio of the number of households in which an interview was completed to the number of households originally sampled, excluding from the denominator households known not to be eligible either because of being vacant at the time of initial contact or because the residents were unable to speak the designated languages of the survey. The weighted average response rate for all countries included is 71.1%.

4

Brazil, Israel, and South Africa did not have an age restricted Part II sample. All other countries, with the exception of India and Ukraine (which were age restricted to ≤ 39) were age restricted to ≤ 44.

5

New Zealand response rate is calculated on the entire survey sample size which was of respondents age 16+ totaling 12,992. For purposes of this analysis we only used respondents aged 18+.