Latinx Youth's Mental Health Needs and Socioeconomic Factors Associated with Service Utilization.

This study examined mental health needs and risk factors associated with service use among Latinx high school students in two cities in the United States. We explored how socioeconomic characteristics, school location, youth and parental nativity, and self-perceived clinical needs were associated with the odds of youths seeing a mental health provider. Data were collected from 306 Latinx youths during the 2018-19 school year. Most youths (78%) self-reported symptoms of anxiety, trauma, or depression above the clinical range. None of these clinical needs predicted service utilization. Youth experiencing less economic hardship and having a mother from South America were almost five times more likely to use services than their counterparts. Similarly, males and older respondents were more likely to be underserved than females and younger respondents. Implications to ensure equitable access to services among older, low-income Latinx youth, particularly those from Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, are discussed.

Predictors of Help-Seeking for Mental Health Treatment Among Latinos.

OBJECTIVES: Despite mental health disorders being a leading cause of disability among Latinos, treatment-seeking behaviors are very low. Latinos are confronted with significant disparities in mental health treatment. This research study sought to examine (1) what are the attitudes toward professional help-seeking for mental health concerns among Latino individuals and (2) what participant characteristics and demographic factors are associated with Latino individuals' help-seeking attitudes. METHODS: Employing a cross-sectional sampling strategy, 469 participants were recruited for a community-based survey study in the greater Houston area measuring mental health stigma and help-seeking attitudes. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the associations between Latinos' help-seeking attitudes and sociodemographic characteristics of participants. RESULTS: Findings indicate that openness towards seeking professional help for mental health concerns is influenced by participants' age, marital status, gender, region of origin, education, public stigma, and self-stigma towards mental health problem. Findings support future research to examine broader systemic factors associated with help seeking and how they interact with sociodemographic characteristics and stigma. CONCLUSIONS: Latinos, even in parts of the country where they reside in high concentrations, continue to have low levels of mental health service utilization. Understanding the specific pathways that predict help-seeking for mental health issues is essential to systematically promoting early detection and entry into evidence-based treatments for Latinos.

Mental health help-seeking in China.

BACKGROUND: In China, mental health disorders are considered the leading causes of disability, yet treatment-seeking behaviors among individuals with mental health problems are deficient. AIMS: This study sought to examine attitudes and participant characteristics associated with help-seeking among adults residing in China's Shanghai metropolitan area. METHODS: This study employed a convenience cross-sectional sampling strategy and recruited 500 participants in public places in Shanghai. The survey administered in Mandarin was comprised of two sections: a series of demographic questions and standardized instruments measuring stigma and help-seeking attitudes. RESULTS: Findings indicate that beliefs about seeking professional help for mental health are influenced by knowing someone with a mental health problem. In addition, men who were older, had a child, and were married endorsed more openness to help-seeking for mental health needs, underscoring the importance of life experience as an essential variable when considering attitudes toward help-seeking. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support future research identifying the mechanisms by which these life experiences impact individuals' help-seeking attitudes.

Discrimination and PTSD among Latinx immigrant youth: The moderating effects of gender.

OBJECTIVE: Discrimination is a minority-related stressor that contributes to mental health disparities between Latinx youth and their racial/ethnic peers. Discrimination activates the body's stress response system, resulting in a higher allostatic load that can cause mental health problems such as PTSD. We explored 1) the relation between perceived discrimination and PTSD symptoms among Latinx immigrant youth, and 2) how gender moderates this relation. METHODS: We conducted surveys with 306 Latinx first- and second-generation immigrant youth during the 2018-19 school year in Harris County, Texas and Rhode Island. RESULTS: We found that youth who perceived more discrimination were more likely to report PTSD symptoms. Female participants reported higher levels of PTSD symptoms than males, including higher levels of avoidance and reexperiencing symptoms. Perceived discrimination was associated with increased PTSD symptoms, including hypervigilance and avoidance symptoms, for female participants but not males. These interactions did not differ by location. CONCLUSION: These results further provide support for research into discrimination as a potentially traumatic experience linked to PTSD and underscore the importance of including discrimination in assessments of trauma and adverse childhood outcomes among Latinx immigrant youth. Results further suggest the importance of an intersectional approach to understanding how discrimination relates to PTSD among Latinx immigrant youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).