Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 Mar;68(3):241–251. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.12

Table 1.

WMH Sample Characteristics

Country by
income category1
Survey2 Sample Characteristics3 Field
Dates
Age
Range
Sample Size4 Response
Rate5
Low and Lower-middle Part I Part II Part II and
Age ≤ 44
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 98.8
PRC Shenzhen Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents and temporary
   residents in the Shenzhen area.
2006–7 18+ 7134 2476 1993 80.0
Upper-middle
Brazil São Paulo
Megacity
Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents in the São
   Paulo metropolitan area.
2005–7 18+ 5037 2942 -- 81.3
Bulgaria NSHS Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2003–7 18+ 5318 2233 741 72.0
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
Romania RMHS Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2005–6 18+ 2357 2357 -- 70.9
High
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, and Tendo)
2002–6 20+ 3417 1305 425 59.2
New Zealand6 NZMHS Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2004–5 16+ 12790 7312 4119 73.3
United States NCS-R Stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of household residents. NR 2002–3 18+ 9282 5692 3197 70.9
1

The World Bank. (2008). Data and Statistics. Accessed September 17, 2008 at: http://go.worldbank.org/D7SN0B8YU0

2

NSMH (The Colombian National Study of Mental Health); WMHI (World Mental Health India);NSHS (Bulgaria National Survey of Health and Stress); LEBANON (Lebanese Evaluation of the Burden of Ailments and Needs of the Nation); M-NCS (The Mexico National Comorbidity Survey); RMHS (Romania Mental Health Survey); WMHJ2002–2006 (World Mental Health Japan Survey); NZMHS (New Zealand Mental Health Survey); NCS-R (The US National Comorbidity Survey Replication).

3

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. 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. 6 of the 11 surveys are based on nationally representative (NR) household samples, while two others are based on nationally representative household samples in urbanized areas (Colombia, Mexico).

4

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

5

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 is 75.0%.

6

New Zealand interviewed respondents 16+ but for the purposes of cross-national comparisons we limit the sample to those 18+.