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Mental health service utilization for psychiatric disorders among Latinos living in the United States: the role of ethnic subgroup, ethnic identity, and language/social preferences

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Abstract

Purpose

To examine aspects of Latino experience in the US as predicting service utilization for mood, anxiety, and substance disorders.

Methods

Latino participants 18 and older in the NESARC (N = 6,359), a US national face to face survey. Outcomes were lifetime service utilization for DSM-IV lifetime mood/anxiety or substance disorders, diagnosed via structured interview (AUDADIS-IV). Main predictors were ethnic subgroup, ethnic identity, linguistic/social preferences, nativity/years in the US, and age at immigration.

Results

Higher levels of Latino ethnic identity and Spanish language/Latino social preferences predicted lower service utilization for mood disorders [ethnic identity OR = 0.52, language/social OR = 0.44] and anxiety disorders [ethnic identity OR = 0.67, language/social OR = 0.47], controlling for ethnic subgroup, disorder severity, time spent in the US, and economic and practical barriers Service utilization for alcohol/drug disorders was low across all Latino subgroups, without variation by examined predictors.

Conclusion

Ethnic/cultural factors are strong determinants of service utilization for mood/anxiety, but not substance use disorders among Latinos in the US strategies to increase service utilization among Latinos with psychiatric disorders should be disorder specific, and recognize the role of ethnicity and identity as important components of a help-seeking model.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by Grants from the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (K05 AA014223, Hasin), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (RO1 DA018652, Hasin, R01 DA019606, Blanco, K DA023200, Blanco, R21 DA020667, Martins), the National Institute of Mental Health (T32 MH013043-36, Keyes, F31 MH083401, Hatzenbuehler, R01 MH076051, Blanco), and support from New York State Psychiatric Institute. The funding organizations had no role in the preparation or approval of the manuscript. The authors report no conflicts of interest. All authors had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

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Keyes, K.M., Martins, S.S., Hatzenbuehler, M.L. et al. Mental health service utilization for psychiatric disorders among Latinos living in the United States: the role of ethnic subgroup, ethnic identity, and language/social preferences. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47, 383–394 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0323-y

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