Table 3 Outer-contextual state-level variables

State MH parity status^a

Nominal: C-SMHPL; limited-SMHPL; non-parity law in place in respondent’s on date of survey completion

National Conference of State Legislatures [17]

Interest group pressure for

C-SMHPL^a

Continuous: Number of years that the National Alliance on Mental Illness has been in existence in respondent’s state on date of survey completion

Encyclopedia of Associations: Regional, State and Local Organizations [81]

Economic pressure against C-SMHPL^a

Continuous: Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in respondent’s state in most recent full month prior to the date of survey completion

US Bureau of Labor Statistics [82]

State government ideology^a

Continuous: Government ideology in respondent’s state as measured by roll-call voting scores of state congressional delegations (range 1 to 100) in most recent full year prior to the date of survey completion

Berry et al. 2010 [83]

State government partisanship

Nominal: Republican control (Republicans hold majority of seats in state legislature, Republic Governor); Democrat control (Democrat hold majority of seats in state legislature, Democrat Governor); Divided control (one party holds majority of seats in state legislature, Governor is of a different party) in respondent’s state on date of survey completion

National Conference of State Legislatures [84]

State prioritization of access to MH services

Ordinal: Quartile rank of composite Access to Care Score (based on nine metrics) for respondent’s state for most recent year available prior to the date of survey completion

Mental Health America [87]

Mass shootings as focusing events that affect attitudes towards MH and MI

Continuous: Number of mass shooting^b events in respondent’s state in the two years prior to the date of survey completion

Continuous: Number of people injured mass shooting events in respondent’s state in the two years prior to the date of survey completion

Stanford Mass Shootings of America Database [86]