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Correlates of Mental Health Treatment Receipt Among Asian Americans with Perceived Mental Health Problems

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Abstract

Compared with other ethnic groups, Asian Americans report the lowest rates of mental health treatment and service utilization. This is true even among Asian Americans with mental illness, which indicates that the underutilization of mental health services is not due to the low prevalence of mental health disorders in this population. This study examined which sociodemographic factors, types of mental health problems, and barriers to treatment were associated with the treatment receipt among 126 Asian Americans who reported perceived mental health problems. Among sociodemographic factors, Chinese ethnicity and advanced English proficiency were associated with increased treatment receipt. Controlling for demographic variables, mental health problems such as psychosis, depression, and a history of abuse or trauma significantly increased the likelihood of receiving treatment, whereas addiction showed a tendency of decreased treatment receipt. Among reported barriers, difficulty finding a culturally appropriate therapist appeared to be an important barrier among Asian Americans with perceived mental health problems.

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Acknowledgments

The project was supported by TUFCCC/HC Regional Comprehensive Cancer Health Disparity Partnership, Award Number U54 CA221704 (4) from the National Cancer Institute [Contact PIs: Grace X. Ma, PhD and Olorunseun O. Ogunwobi, PhD] and faculty research funds from Center for Asian Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University [PI: Grace X Ma, PhD]. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Asian Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3440 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA

    Minsun Lee PhD, Aisha Bhimla MPH, Wenyue Lu ML & Grace X. Ma PhD

  2. Department of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts, Temple University, 1115 Polett Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA

    Wenyue Lu ML

  3. Department of Clinical Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 3500 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA

    Grace X. Ma PhD

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  1. Minsun Lee PhD
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  2. Aisha Bhimla MPH
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Correspondence to Minsun Lee PhD.

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Lee, M., Bhimla, A., Lu, W. et al. Correlates of Mental Health Treatment Receipt Among Asian Americans with Perceived Mental Health Problems. J Behav Health Serv Res 48, 199–212 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-020-09704-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-020-09704-6

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