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Marital and Family Therapy

Data & Statistics

Datasets are the raw pieces of information that are collected through surveys and other research tools and analyzed through statistics like "55% of state prisoners were serving sentences for violent offenses at year-end 2016" (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2017). Researchers publish statistics from individual studies in academic journal articles, but comprehensive statistics are also collected by non-profit research groups and government agencies at the local, state, national, and international level and published on the web for the public. 

When would I need to find statistics and datasets? If you're working on a research project about a community or social issue, you might use statistics collected by nonprofit or government researcher to describe your population/problem and show why its important. 

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Best MFT Statistics Resources

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Information on access to mental health and mental illness (MH/MI) surveillance data sources is provided on various MH/MI topics. Data sources include the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Relevant statistics are also presented.
  • Childstats.gov Website of the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics which is a collection of 22 Federal government agencies involved in research and activities related to children and families. Full text of the annual report, 'America's Children' is available here.
  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) The information on these statistics pages includes the best statistics currently available on the prevalence, treatment, and costs of mental disorders for the population of the United States, in addition to information about possible consequences of mental illnesses, such as suicide and disability.
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) SAMHSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. It collects client level data and population data.